Building Global Innovators

Name

Building Global Innovators

Legal name

BGI S.A.

Website

https://bgi.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Building Global Innovators (BGI) is a Lisbon-based, EU-funded startup accelerator and venture builder that runs deep-tech acceleration, education, and open-innovation programs in agrifood, mobility, health, and climate, serving startups, researchers, and corporates across 70 countries via EIT and EIC partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Acceleration and Venture Building Services

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Startup acceleration programs
• Venture building services
• Innovation ecosystem management
• Deep-tech incubation
• Corporate open innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Accelerator and Program Services: BGI operates as a non-profit accelerator providing programs funded by EU institutions (EIT, EIC), corporate partners, and government bodies. Revenue is generated through program management fees, grants, and co-funding arrangements rather than direct client fees.
2. Grant and Public Funding: BGI operates as an elected member of EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Program, coordinating EIT Urban Mobility and EIT Food initiatives in Portugal, accessing European funding mechanisms for innovation acceleration.
3. Capacity Building and Training Programs: Some programs like Regulatory Affairs for Medical Devices (Pack 1: €1,229.02, Pack 2: €1,976.37) and Digitalizing Mobility course (€800/€600 with discounts) generate direct revenue through participant fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

BGI operates as a startup accelerator and venture builder, delivering venture acceleration programs, open innovation initiatives, an innovation academy, venture investment, and ecosystem insights to deep-tech startups, researchers, SMEs, and corporate partners. The portfolio includes EIC Services for EIC beneficiaries, sector-specific disruptor programs (Agrifood, Urban Mobility), the Boston Global Immersion US soft-landing bootcamp, the AmpliAqua pre-commercial aquaculture R&D facility, and the RegenAg-X federated data space for regenerative agriculture, funded primarily through EIT/EIC grants, corporate partnerships, and government co-funding.

Product overview

BGI (Building Global Innovators) operates as a multi-program startup accelerator and venture powerhouse offering a portfolio of acceleration programs, education initiatives, and R&D facilities. The core offerings include EIC Services (fundraising acceleration, US soft landing, pilot development), Tech4RegenAg (regenerative agriculture acceleration with RegenAg-X data space), Urban Mobility Disruptor and Agrifood Disruptor (research-to-market programs), Blue Economy Acceleration (blue bioeconomy ventures), Boston Global Immersion (US market entry), and AmpliAqua (pre-commercial aquaculture R&D facility). Supporting services include Sustainable Foods TestBeds, EWA women empowerment program, EIT Food Seedbed Incubator, HealthySoil4Life, CircularAgriFood School, Mobility Hackathon, Regulatory Affairs training, Digitalizing Mobility course, ecosystem reports, and various matchmaking/networking events. Programs operate across agrifood, urban mobility, health, climate, digital, blue economy, and manufacturing sectors, with most offerings free or equity-free funded through EIT/EIC partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EIC Services A comprehensive suite of services for EIC beneficiaries including fundraising acceleration, US market soft landing programs, and pilot/use-case development support, delivered as customized programs targeting TRL3-9 ventures in health, biotechnology, and food sectors.
• Tech4RegenAg A European-wide initiative accelerating regenerative agriculture adoption through data-driven insights, on-farm pilots, education, and innovation partnerships, featuring the RegenAg-X federated data space for secure agrifood data sharing.
• Urban Mobility Disruptor A 4-month online acceleration program empowering researchers, academics, and early-stage innovators to translate urban mobility ideas into market-ready solutions, with applications at TRL 3-6 targeting European mobility innovation.
• Blue Economy Acceleration A 3-stage online innovation program for early-stage entrepreneurs and researchers transforming blue bio-based technologies into market-ready ventures, including capacity building, acceleration, incubation, and access to the AmpliAqua R&D facility.
• Boston Global Immersion An exclusive 5-day program in Boston for vetted global tech-based startups seeking to scale in the USA through investment and new clients, offering 50+ hours of mentoring, networking events, and connections with 90+ investors.
• AmpliAqua A pre-commercial R&D facility dedicated to land-based aquaculture innovation and sustainability, spanning 1,000m2 with Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), hydroponics, and microalgae production, serving as a testbed for agrifood startup challenges.
• Agrifood Disruptor An acceleration program turning research into market-ready innovation in the agrifood sector, connecting innovators with top agrifood leaders to scale sustainable food system solutions.
• Sustainable Foods TestBeds Test bed services for digital innovators in agri-food, supporting TRL upgrade from 4 to 7-9 with up to 50% co-funding, covering digital technologies including AI, IoT, robotics, and data analytics for soil and soilless food production.
• EWA - Empowering Women in Agrifood A 6-month program by EIT Food empowering women entrepreneurs in agrifood with training, mentoring, networking, and funding opportunities, with grants of €10,000 and €5,000 available to participants.
• EIT Food Seedbed Incubator A 4-6 month incubator program transforming science and technology-based innovations into market-validated businesses with up to €7,000 equity-free funding and access to 100+ customers and stakeholders in the agrifood industry.
• EIT Food Inspire - CircularAgriFood School A 3-week immersive program (2 weeks online + 1 week in-person in Setúbal, Portugal) providing comprehensive understanding of circularity principles and cutting-edge technologies within agrifood systems.
• Regulatory Affairs for Medical Devices An online course for Health Tech startups and research groups navigating FDA regulatory requirements for medical devices in the US market, featuring expert-led sessions and personalized mentoring.
• Digitalizing Mobility Professional Course A certified professional course (2 ECTS from TU Berlin) for mobility professionals covering digitalization trends, digital twins, AI in transport systems, MaaS, and CCAM, combining online learning with in-person sessions in Braga, Portugal.
• Mobility Hackathon A collaborative competition where students, professionals, and innovators use real urban mobility data to design solutions for challenges presented by leading mobility operators, with prizes up to €500 and opportunities to develop projects with transport operators.
• Innov4Mobility Education program connecting mobility professionals with learning opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting cities and transport operators to integrate sustainable urban mobility solutions.
• Mobility Solutions Matchmaking Day A hybrid networking and matchmaking event connecting startups and entrepreneurs with industry leaders to collaboratively address real-world urban mobility challenges through reverse pitches and mentoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• $660 million capital raised by supported startups
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• MIT PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010BGI originated from MIT Portugal Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative launched in 2010. Partnership includes MIT Portugal Venture Competition with €6.8M fund from Caixa Capital. BGI maintains historical connection to MIT innovation ecosystem.
• European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI partners with EIT through EIT Food and EIT Urban Mobility. BGI serves as EIT Urban Mobility country representative in Portugal and EIT Food hub, coordinating innovation programs, education initiatives, and ecosystem development across agrifood and mobility sectors. Partnership began in 2016.
• European Innovation Council (EIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI is an elected member of EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Program, providing specialized acceleration services to EIC beneficiaries including fundraising support, US soft landing, and pilot development. TRL range supported: TRL3 to TRL9.
• Food4Sustainability CoLABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI collaborates with Food4Sustainability CoLAB, opening the Food4Sustainability CoLAB in 2020. Partnership supports agrifood innovation, sustainable food systems research, and the AmpliAqua facility operations.
• Unicorn Factory LisboasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBGI partners with Unicorn Factory Lisboa for Agrifood Open Day 2025 event organization, providing venue at Unicorn Factory Lisboa for startup pitches and networking.
• Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa (TML)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI co-organizes Mobility Data Hackathon with TML, providing real datasets from Portuguese mobility operators for participants to develop data-driven urban mobility solutions. TML presents real-world challenges.
• STCP ServiçoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI organizes STCP Mobility Hackathon 2026 connecting STCP Serviços (managing 18,000+ parking spaces and intermodal terminals) with European startups for pilot proposals on intelligent parking, traffic management, and ecological footprint.
• TU BerlincoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBGI partners with TU Berlin for Digitalizing Mobility professional course. Dr. Massimo Moraglio coordinates academic aspects. Course offers TU Berlin Professional Education Certificate (2 ECTS).
• Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave (IPCA)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIPCA (Polo de Braga) serves as venue for in-person sessions of Digitalizing Mobility course.
• IAPMEIsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIAPMEI (Agência para a Competitividade e Inovação) partners with BGI Blue Economy Acceleration program.
• BLUEBIOsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBLUEBIO partners with BGI Blue Economy Acceleration program.
• EIT FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGI serves as EIT Food hub representative, running programs including Seedbed Incubator, EWA (Empowering Women in Agrifood), Sustainable Foods Test Bed, and agrifood education programs. Access to world's largest food innovation network with 160+ industry partners in 26+ countries.
• Boston & Cambridge Innovation Ecosystem (USA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBGI's Boston Global Immersion provides 5-day bootcamp in Boston & Cambridge, USA, connecting European startups with US mentors, partners, and investors for soft landing and market entry.
• FarkLabssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in Urban Mobility Disruptor program, contributing to innovation ecosystem building.
• Tomorrow Mobility World CongresssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTop 2 teams from Urban Mobility Disruptor receive free passes to Tomorrow Mobility World Congress for pitching opportunities.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network running industry-specific programs worldwide. Comparable as a startup accelerator with mentor-driven programs, equity participation, and alumni network, but operates at much larger scale across more geographies.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Wayra is Telefónica's global corporate accelerator operating hubs across Europe and Latin America. Comparable as a corporate-backed startup accelerator targeting early-stage ventures, though at much larger scale and with direct corporate distribution leverage.

Direct peers

• Rockstart: Rockstart is a Netherlands-based accelerator running domain-specific programs in agrifood, energy, and emerging tech. Comparable as a European vertical-focused accelerator with co-investment support programs.
• Impact Hub Network: Impact Hub is a global network of innovation hubs and incubators supporting impact-driven startups. Comparable as a community-led accelerator model with physical infrastructure and programming for early-stage entrepreneurs, particularly in sustainability verticals overlapping with BGI.
• Beta-i: Beta-i is a Lisbon-based non-profit startup accelerator and innovation hub running Web Summit, Corporate Venture programs, and startup academies. Directly comparable as a Portuguese-headquartered innovation operator serving startups across sectors.
• Startup Lisboa: Startup Lisboa is a Lisbon-based startup incubator founded as a public-private partnership. Directly comparable as a Portuguese startup accelerator with municipal and corporate backing targeting early-stage founders.

Emerging players

• EIT Digital Accelerator: EIT Digital runs a European accelerator program focused on deep-tech digital scaleups with pan-European EIT network access. Comparable as an EU-funded accelerator providing international scaling support and access to corporate partners, though more focused on later-stage scaleups than BGI.
• Seedstars: Seedstars is a Swiss-based emerging markets accelerator and venture firm. Comparable as a global accelerator running programs in agrifood and emerging tech with regional hubs, though focused more on emerging markets than Europe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MITPORTUGALIEI
• Facebookfacebook.com/iscte.iul.mit.portugal.competition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/building-global-innovators/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/bgiaccelerator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Building Global Innovators