Portugal Ventures invests €17.7M in 2020

In the pandemic year the Government’s venture capital investment company Portugal Ventures, which is now part of the new Portuguese investment bank Banco Português de Fomento, invested €17.7 million and will add 59 startups its portfolio.

“Despite a very uncertain economic and financial backdrop, we were called to intervene and support entrepreneurs and ‘startups’: we undertook 12 new investments and have 47 projects currently in the investment process,” says Portugal Ventures in a communiqué.
Among the new companies supported by Portugal Ventures investment is Algarve Sun Boat, the first maritime tourism company in the Algarve to operate a 100% ecological fleet using electro-solar power and no carbon emissions.
Another is pet food company Barkyn, a subscription service for pets which provides customised food parcels and remote vet on demand services.
In turn, Series A Co-Investment to some startups it is being supported by Indico Capital Partners, All Iron Ventures and 200M Fund.
EatTasty is the name of a startup which is dedicated to making and delivering lunches and dinners in Greater Lisbon and Almada through an on-line platform and which doesn’t charge a delivery surcharge.
Fulhaus is an interior design company that offers what it calls a ‘Haus-in-a-Box’ solution through a monthly subscription model for the LA (Local Accommodation) market.
Hijiffy is an innovative solution that centralises, automates, and measures all of the customer service activities in hotels, integrating technology on a robust platform, used daily in over 1,400 hotels in 30 countries.
Then there is Legal Vision, a legaltech company that has an all-in-one solution specialised in the digitisation and automisation of legal processes.
Mindprober is the first biometric media testing platform that offers data on the emotional impact of television and other video content by recording physical reactions. It is receiving co-investment from Wisenext, Ideias Glaciares, Ganexa, Startup Braga, Medioris and Blue Mind Investment.
LiMM Therapeutics is a biopharma company that develops therapeutic products for the treatment of inflammatory, metabolic and ontological illnesses in a co-investment with Seventure Funds and 200M Fund.
Probely detects vulnerabilities and other security problems in web and API applications in a co-investment with EDP Ventures.
Using AI, Reatia has developed a platform bringing together private properties and estate agents as well as being able to follow the property market. The co-investment is from Olisipio Way and Wisenext.
Finally, Wide Ocean Retreat is the first investment as result of ‘Call Fostering Innovation in Tourism 2020’ and specialises in organising retreats all over the world for wellness holidays and activities.
Among the initiatives launched by Portugal Ventures since the start of 2020 with the launch of three finance instruments. Are ‘Call INNOV-ID,’ ‘Call Fostering Innovation in Tourism,’ ‘Operation Follow-Ons,’ ‘Open Day’ and ‘Call Tourism’.
In the first half of 2020 Portugal Ventures saw a 150% uptick in investment opportunities. The venture capital company also has a network of partners so that it can get closer to the startup ecosystem and help startups and entrepreneurs in an effective way through 27 new ‘Ignition Partners, three new ‘Capital Partners’ and four new ‘Corporate Partners’.
Since 2012 Portugal Ventures has already invested €146 million in 130 new companies.