News in Brief

Spanish venture capital investors K Fund have made their debut in Portugal with a €140 million fund for technology startups. K Fund, which is one of the biggest VCs on the Iberian peninsula, will invest in small Portuguese companies through a first tranche of €140 million from its fund Leadwind – more than half of the total (€250 million). Leadwind already has €175 million to invest in deeptech startups on the Iberian peninsula and Latin America. The targets are Internet of Things entrepreneurs, networks, cloud computation servces, artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The ratings agency S&P has improved Portuguese airline TAP’s rating by two levels to B+, reflecting an improvement in the company’s liquidity following Brussels’ approval of State capital support. However S&P has maintained the investment status of the airline as high risk. Portugal’s State Budget for 2022 foresees an additional capital injection of nearly €1Bn into the airline this year from a total cash pump of €3.2Bn of Portuguese State aid and loans.

The Portuguese business school Nova SBE has inaugurated its Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute (pictured) which includes a cowork and teamwork space, a brainstorming corner, a space for events with a huge screen, acoustic booths and other spaces for work.
The project which is a partnership between Nova SBE, the Fundação Alfredo de Sousa and the Haddad Foundation was officially opened on 20 April at the campus in Carcavelos, near Lisbon. The aim is to be “an open space for minds, creators and builders”.