Starting a company means making decisions every day. Some are about your product or customers. Others are about where you build your business and who you build it with.
Porto is home to startups, scaleups, investors, universities, research centres and organisations that support entrepreneurship. Here are five things founders should know about the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
1. A growing startup community
According to the Porto Ecosystem Report, more than 700 startups and scaleups operate in the Porto region. They are active across a wide range of sectors and contribute to a diverse entrepreneurial community.
For founders, this means opportunities to connect with companies, investors and organisations working across different stages of business development.
2. Research leads to new companies
Research is an important part of Porto’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The University of Porto community has created more than 120 spin off companies, showing how research can lead to new businesses and technologies.
3. Companies continue to scale
The Porto Ecosystem Report shows that the enterprise value of Porto’s startup ecosystem increased by 54% between 2019 and 2024.
The report reflects the progress of companies that have continued to expand over the past few years.
4. Global companies are part of the ecosystem
Today, eight unicorns operate in the Porto region.
Alongside startups and scaleups, these companies are part of the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem and contribute to its international profile.
5. Founders have access to support
Support organisations are part of many founders’ journeys.
According to the Porto Ecosystem Report, 50% of founders say they received support from an incubator.
Across Porto, founders can find incubators, accelerators, investors, universities and community organisations that provide support at different stages of building a company.
What’s next?
If you would like to learn more about Porto’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, read our guide to four ScaleUp Porto resources every founder should bookmark.
It brings together practical resources to help you find organisations, funding information, open opportunities and data about the ecosystem.
