Dna Cascais
DNA Cascais is a municipal agency of Câmara Municipal de Cascais, Portugal, operating an entrepreneurship ecosystem — Hub Cascais incubator, DNA Academy training, DNA Match internships, and Vila Cascais digital commerce platform — to support local entrepreneurs, SMBs, and job seekers within the Cascais municipality.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersCascais, Portugal
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Dna Cascais does
DNA Cascais is a municipal agency initiative of Câmara Municipal de Cascais (Cascais City Council), headquartered in Alcabideche, Portugal, focused on promoting an innovative and sustainable business ecosystem within the Cascais municipality. The organization operates an integrated portfolio of programs spanning entrepreneurship support and local commerce revitalization. Its core offerings include Hub Cascais (a business incubator offering physical, shared workstation, and virtual incubation models), DNA Academy (an online training platform with video courses), DNA Match (an internship and professional reconversion program run with IEFP), the CINC business ideas competition, and mentorship and business community services.
Underlying technology centers on the Vila Cascais digital platform — a marketplace, mobile applications, digital information centers (Mupis), smart parking, public Wi-Fi, and smart urban lighting — funded under Portugal's PRR / NextGenerationEU recovery plan. The platform facilitates interaction between local traders and consumers and supports digital inclusion for Cascais merchants. Supporting technology includes a corporate area at corporate.dnacascais.pt and standard web/social channels for community engagement.
DNA Cascais is funded through municipal government resources and EU/national grants, not venture capital. Revenue streams (incubation subscriptions, space rental, DNA Academy) function as cost-recovery instruments rather than profit-seeking commercial lines. Customer segments served are local entrepreneurs and startups (primary), local commerce and retail SMBs (primary), young/social/creative entrepreneurs, and job seekers and professionals — all geographically confined to Cascais. The entity has no disclosed revenue figure, no headcount, no funding rounds, and no subsidiaries; its strategic partners include the European Union, Portuguese Republic, Portugal Ventures, TecParques, IAPMEI, NERSANT, and AICEP.
Dna Cascais firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dna Cascais
- Legal name
- DNA Cascais
- Website
- https://dnacascais.pt
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DNA Cascais is a municipal agency of Câmara Municipal de Cascais, Portugal, operating an entrepreneurship ecosystem — Hub Cascais incubator, DNA Academy training, DNA Match internships, and Vila Cascais digital commerce platform — to support local entrepreneurs, SMBs, and job seekers within the Cascais municipality.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Dna Cascais is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cascais
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Dna Cascais business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Incubation Services: Physical, virtual and workstation-based incubation services for startups and entrepreneurs at the Hub Cascais facility.
- Space Rental: Rental of auditorium, meeting rooms and training facilities for events and business activities.
- DNA Academy Training: Educational video courses and training programs for entrepreneurs and business professionals.
- Incubation via Workspace: Shared workspace access in open space format for entrepreneurs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Incubation services pricing based on service type (virtual, physical, workstation) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Dna Cascais product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DNA Cascais is a municipal agency that operates business incubation services through its Hub Cascais facility, offering physical, virtual, and workstation-based workspaces with mentorship. It provides entrepreneurship training via the DNA Academy online platform, internship placement through the DNA Match program, and supports local commerce digital transformation through the Vila Cascais digital platform, marketplace, and smart city infrastructure.
Product overview
Dna Cascais operates as an entrepreneurship and commerce support ecosystem offering a portfolio of interconnected services. The core offerings include Hub Cascais (a business incubator providing physical and virtual workspace), DNA Academy (an online learning platform with video courses), DNA Match (a professional internship program), and the Vila Cascais digital commerce initiative. Supporting services include mentorship, a business community network, and the CINC business competition. The organization provides three incubation models (physical, shared workstation, and virtual) to accommodate startups at different stages.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HUB Cascais: Business incubator facility located in Cruz de Popa, Alcabideche, offering physical incubation, shared workspace, and virtual incubation services for startups and early-stage businesses.
- DNA Academy
- DNA Match
- Concurso de Ideias e Negócios de Cascais (CINC)
Products and services
- Hub Cascais (Ninho de Empresas) Business incubator providing physical workspace, shared workstation, and virtual incubation services for startups and entrepreneurs in early stages, including access to mentorship and meeting rooms.
- DNA Academy
- DNA Match
- Concurso de Ideias e Negócios de Cascais (CINC)
- Vila Cascais (Digital Commerce)
Companies that use Dna Cascais
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Dna Cascais technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Dna Cascais partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Cascais City Council (C.M. Cascais)corePrimary municipal partner providing institutional support and funding for DNA Cascais initiatives. The organization is an initiative of Cascais City Council, which provides core funding and strategic direction.
- IEFP (Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional)secondaryPublic employment and training institute collaborating on internship programs and professional development initiatives.
- Portugal VenturessecondaryNational venture capital entity supporting entrepreneurship ecosystem development.
- TecParquessecondaryAssociation of technology parks supporting technology-based entrepreneurship and innovation.
- IAPMEIsecondaryAgency for competitiveness and innovation supporting SMEs and entrepreneurship.
- NERSANTsecondaryBusiness association supporting business development in the region.
- AICEPsecondaryAgency for investment and external trade supporting internationalization.
- StartUP Voucher ProgramsecondaryNational program supporting youth entrepreneurship through financial support for startups.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dna Cascais competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UPTEC: University of Porto's science and technology park offering physical incubation, laboratories, and scale-up programs; comparable as a regional incubation hub with multiple program lines and academic partnerships.
- Beta-i: Lisbon-based innovation hub and accelerator running corporate-startup programs, events, and an active entrepreneur community; directly comparable community-led GTM motion targeting Portuguese founders.
- Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN): Coimbra-based technology transfer and business incubator offering physical incubation, R&D, and acceleration; directly comparable multi-program entrepreneurship support structure anchored in a non-Lisbon region.
- Startup Braga: Municipal/regional incubator in Braga offering incubation, acceleration, and ecosystem events for founders — same hybrid (municipal + private partnership) operating model as DNA Cascais.
- Startup Lisboa: Municipal-backed startup incubator in Lisbon providing co-working space, mentorship, and acceleration programs — same model (public-sector-hosted entrepreneurship hub) as DNA Cascais but in a larger city.
- ANJE: Portuguese National Association of Young Entrepreneurs providing training, networking, mentorship, and incubation-adjacent services to early-stage founders — overlapping GTM (community + education) and customer base.
Others
- TecParques: Portuguese association of science and technology parks; a DNA Cascais partner that federates regional incubator/tech-park operators, comparable at the ecosystem-coordination level rather than as a direct competitor.
- AICEP: Portuguese trade and investment agency supporting SME internationalization; a DNA Cascais partner and adjacent public-sector actor in the same national entrepreneurship policy stack.
- IAPMEI: Portuguese public agency for SME competitiveness and innovation; a listed partner of DNA Cascais and a peer in the national public-sector entrepreneurship-support ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
Emerging players
- BGI — Building Global Innovators: Lisbon-based startup accelerator focused on global scale-up; overlaps with DNA Cascais on entrepreneur acceleration services but targets a more international cohort.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dna Cascais social profiles
Digital presenceDna Cascais financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dna Cascais leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Dna Cascais funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dna Cascais M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dna Cascais
What does Dna Cascais do?
DNA Cascais is a municipal agency that operates business incubation services through its Hub Cascais facility, offering physical, virtual, and workstation-based workspaces with mentorship. It provides entrepreneurship training via the DNA Academy online platform, internship placement through the DNA Match program, and supports local commerce digital transformation through the Vila Cascais digital platform, marketplace, and smart city infrastructure.
Is Dna Cascais a public or private company?
Dna Cascais is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Dna Cascais founded?
Dna Cascais was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Dna Cascais based?
Dna Cascais is headquartered in Cascais, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does Dna Cascais make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Incubation Services are the primary driver. The others are space Rental, DNA Academy Training and incubation via Workspace.
Who are Dna Cascais's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UPTEC, Beta-i, Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), Startup Braga, Startup Lisboa and ANJE. Others are TecParques, AICEP and IAPMEI. BGI — Building Global Innovators is listed as an emerging player.
Does Dna Cascais have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dna Cascais.