Portugal Ventures
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPorto, Portugal
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Portugal Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Portugal Ventures
- Legal name
- Portugal Capital Ventures – Sociedade de Capital de Risco, S.A.
- Website
- https://portugalventures.pt
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Portugal Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD), Geography-Focused Venture Capital (Regional/Emerging Markets) (FSANAAAE)
Keywords
Where Portugal Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Porto
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Portugal Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Investment Returns: Portugal Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage Portuguese startups across digital, industry, life sciences, and tourism sectors. The firm deploys capital from seed through Series D stages and realizes returns through exits. Notable exit include Fever with 15x return on investment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Call FIT - Fostering Innovation in Tourism |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Call Leiria Recuperar |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Portugal Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Portugal Ventures is a public venture capital firm that invests equity capital in early-stage Portuguese startups across Pre-Seed through Series D stages. The firm operates sector-focused investment programs (Call FIT for tourism, Call INNOV-ID for health/biotech, Call Leiria Recuperar for regional recovery) and channels deal flow through an Ignition Partners Network of 131 incubators, accelerators, universities, and municipalities.
Product overview
Portugal Ventures is the venture capital arm of Banco Português de Fomento (BPF Group), deploying over €255 million since 2012 to back early-stage Portuguese startups. The company operates through multiple investment programs (Call FIT for tourism, Call INNOV-ID for health/biotech, Call Leiria Recuperar for regional recovery) and support mechanisms (StartupHub, Financing Portal). Their ecosystem includes the Ignition Partners Network (131 partners) for deal sourcing and a proprietary Dashboard for real-time portfolio monitoring. Investments span four core sectors: Digital & Technology (38 companies), Industry & Technology (52 companies), Health Technologies (25 companies), and Tourism (33 companies), covering funding stages from Pre-Seed through Series D.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Call FIT - Fostering Innovation in Tourism
- Call INNOV-ID
- Call Leiria Recuperar
- Portugal Ventures Dashboard
- StartupHub
- Portal do Financiamento (Financing Portal)
- Ignition Partners Network
- Ignition Capital Network
Quantifiable outcome
- 15x return on investment from Fever exit
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Portugal Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Portugal Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Portugal Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Turismo de PortugalcorePartnership for Call FIT - Fostering Innovation in Tourism program. Turismo de Portugal is the national tourism authority working with Portugal Ventures to invest in early-stage tourism projects with €150,000 per project.
- NEST – Tourism Innovation CentrecorePartnership for Call FIT program alongside Turismo de Portugal. NEST is the tourism innovation center supporting pre-seed tourism projects through the investment program.
- Banco Português de Fomento (BPF Group)flagshipPortugal Ventures is the public venture capital investor part of BPF Group (Banco Português de Fomento Group). The firm operates as part of the state-owned banking group and integrates with national funding mechanisms.
- Ignition Partners NetworkcoreNetwork of 131 entities including incubators, accelerators, universities, technology hubs, clusters, associations and municipalities across Portugal including the islands. Submissions for Portugal Ventures' calls must be made exclusively through this network.
- Ignition Capital NetworkcoreCapital partners network for deal sourcing and co-investment opportunities in the Portuguese startup ecosystem.
- Corporate Partnersminor27 corporate partners supporting Portugal Ventures' investment activities and ecosystem development.
- Experts Networkminor200 experts panel supporting evaluation and due diligence of investment opportunities.
Scale indicators20 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Portugal Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Indico Capital Partners: Portugal-focused early-stage venture capital firm investing across digital, SaaS, and deep tech from Lisbon. Compares to Portugal Ventures on geography, stage (Seed to Series A), and target verticals such as digital and industry technology.
- Faber Ventures: Portuguese early-stage VC investing in deep tech, digital, and science-based startups from Pre-Seed through Series A. Directly comparable to Portugal Ventures on Portugal-only mandate and early-stage focus.
- Caixa Capital: Venture and growth capital arm of Caixa Geral de Depósitos investing across innovation, tourism, and industrial sectors in Portugal. Compares to Portugal Ventures on geography and multi-vertical mandate; similar role in supporting Portuguese scaling companies.
- Beta Capital: Portuguese VC firm focused on early and growth-stage technology companies, headquartered in Lisbon. Comparable to Portugal Ventures on target geography, stage coverage, and digital/tech sector orientation.
- 200M (formerly Novabase Capital): Portuguese tech-focused VC backing early-stage digital and engineering startups based in Portugal. Compares to Portugal Ventures on Portugal-based mandate, digital/technology vertical focus, and early-stage ticket sizing.
Broad incumbents
- Bpifrance: France's public investment bank providing venture, growth, and innovation financing to French startups through direct funds and co-investment. Compares to Portugal Ventures as a much larger public-sector VC/PE peer operating a similar mandate to finance national innovation.
- KfW Capital: German public investment company focused on venture and growth capital for German and European startups. Compares to Portugal Ventures as another state-backed VC fund-of-funds/investor supporting its domestic innovation ecosystem.
- European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund): EU-level public venture investor backing European deep tech and scale-up startups alongside the EIC Accelerator grant program. Compares as a larger, European-scope public VC serving a similar early-to-growth-stage thesis to Portugal Ventures across digital, industry, and health technologies.
Regional players
- ENISA: Spanish public company providing loan and equity financing to Spanish SMEs and startups. Compares to Portugal Ventures as a regional public-sector VC providing early-stage capital to Iberian startups, though ENISA leans toward debt.
- CDTI Innovación: Spanish public entity financing R&D and innovative business projects through grants, loans, and venture capital. Comparable in role (state-backed innovation funder) and sector focus (industrial tech, life sciences) to Portugal Ventures.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Portugal Ventures social profiles
Digital presencePortugal Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Portugal Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Portugal Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Portugal Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Portugal Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments389 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Portugal Ventures
What does Portugal Ventures do?
Portugal Ventures is a public venture capital firm that invests equity capital in early-stage Portuguese startups across Pre-Seed through Series D stages. The firm operates sector-focused investment programs (Call FIT for tourism, Call INNOV-ID for health/biotech, Call Leiria Recuperar for regional recovery) and channels deal flow through an Ignition Partners Network of 131 incubators, accelerators, universities, and municipalities.
Is Portugal Ventures a public or private company?
Portugal Ventures is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Portugal Ventures founded?
Portugal Ventures was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Portugal Ventures based?
Portugal Ventures is headquartered in Porto, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does Portugal Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Investment Returns.
Who are Portugal Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Indico Capital Partners, Faber Ventures, Caixa Capital, Beta Capital and 200M (formerly Novabase Capital). Broad incumbents are Bpifrance, KfW Capital and European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund). Regional players are ENISA and CDTI Innovación.
Does Portugal Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Portugal Ventures.
What industry is Portugal Ventures in?
Portugal Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.