TESE - Association for Development

Name

TESE - Association for Development

Legal name

TESE - Associação para o Desenvolvimento

Website

https://tese.org.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Utility System Construction (2371)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC), Infrastructure, Engineering & Public Works Technical Assistance (WASH/Transport/Energy) (BPADAEAF), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

Keywords

• International development consulting
• Water and sanitation programs
• Renewable energy access
• Social economy capacity building
• Community development projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. International Development Funding: Primary funding from international development cooperation agencies including Camões I.P., European Union, and bilateral development programs. The organization manages projects funded by these institutions to implement development interventions in partner countries.
2. Consultancy Services: Expertise services provided to aligned organizations including support to social investment, technical assistance and operational support to projects, and capacity building for non-profit organizations.
3. Tax Designation (IRS): Portuguese tax designation mechanism allowing taxpayers to direct 0.5% of their income tax to the organization at no additional cost.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TESE designs and implements integrated development projects across five intervention areas: Water and Sanitation, Energy, Waste Management, Employment and Employability, and Capacity Building and Social Innovation. The organization delivers infrastructure installation and rehabilitation combined with community training and institutional strengthening in Portuguese-speaking African countries. It also operates digital platforms (GEOfundos and Skill'IT) and provides consultancy services to social sector organizations.

Product overview

TESE - Association for Development is a non-profit organization that designs and implements innovative solutions to combat poverty and improve quality of life. Rather than a unified technology platform, TESE operates as a portfolio of development programs and projects across five intervention areas: Water and Sanitation, Energy, Waste Management, Employment and Employability, and Capacity Building and Social Innovation. The organization offers digital platforms including GEOfundos (funding opportunities aggregator) and Skill'IT (youth skills development platform), alongside programs such as M3NTORIA 3D (mentoring for labor market inclusion), ALMA (international mobility), Ação INOV (social innovation capacity building), and FatorC (local development). Projects like Ilumina Saúde, Estufa Escolar, Nutrir, Arrus i nha Cabaz, and Ianda Guiné focus on water, energy, and food security across Portuguese-speaking African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GEOfundos Online platform that aggregates all national and international funding opportunities available in Portuguese for entities and initiatives in the Social Economy.
• Skill'IT First national digital platform aggregating diverse skills development opportunities for young people, connecting them with experiences for developing transversal skills for employability.
• M3NTORIA 3D Mentoring program focused on ethnic-cultural diversity and inclusion in the Portuguese labor market, helping young people from vulnerable backgrounds integrate into the workforce.
• ALMA Mobility and internship program for young people aged 18-29 who are not working, studying, or in training, offering international experience opportunities in Germany or Spain.
• Faz-Te Forward Program for developing competencies for young people's integration into the labor market, operating in Braga and expanding internationally to Galicia, Spain.
• Ação INOV Capacity-building program for Social Economy organizations that aims to scale and replicate innovative projects or solutions.
• FatorC Community-Based Local Development (DLBC) program that stimulates social and economic cohesion in Alcabideche and São Domingos de Rana, providing financial support for investment and human resources recruitment.
• Ilumina Saúde Energy access project guaranteeing safe, reliable, and sustainable energy for health units serving local communities in Huíla province, Angola.
• Estufa Escolar School greenhouse project reinforcing food security in schools by promoting sustainable agricultural practices, with impact on Agriculture, Energy, and Water sectors in São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Nutrir Project focused on empowering rural women and promoting gender equality in São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Arrus i nha Cabaz Project to improve food security for small rice producers in Guinea-Bissau through solar irrigation and financial products.
• Ianda Guiné! Ação Lus ku Iagu Resilience and socioeconomic opportunities program for Guinea-Bissau providing Water, Sanitation, and Energy services, including construction of a solar photovoltaic central in Bolama.
• Omeva Omwenyo Water access and food security project for greater resilience of the population in Curoca, Angola.
• Consultancy Services Consultancy services provided to aligned organizations including support to social investment, technical assistance and operational support to projects, and capacity building for non-profit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37,000+ people provided with drinking water access in Guinea-Bissau over 4 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ADESPOVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ilumina Saúde project implementing energy access interventions for health units in Huíla province, Angola. Collaborates with Provincial Health Office.
• ASPAABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociação de Saneamento Básico, Proteção da Água e Ambiente de Bafatá - key local partner in Guinea-Bissau for water and sanitation projects. Provides technical expertise and community links for project implementation.
• ONG AliseicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Estufa Escolar project for school garden infrastructure and sustainable agricultural practices in São Tomé and Príncipe, working with Ministry of Education.
• AMAGRU STPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociação das Mulheres Agrárias de São Tomé e Príncipe - partner in Nutrir project for rural women's empowerment and gender equality, working with Ministry of Agriculture.
• MOVEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arrus i nha Cabaz project for rice productivity improvement in Guinea-Bissau, supporting smallholder farmers.
• ASPAABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Arrus i nha Cabaz rice productivity project alongside MOVE, implementing interventions in Bafatá region.
• ADESPOVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner implementing Ilumina Saúde project for energy access in Angolan health facilities alongside TESE and Provincial Health Office.
• ICONGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstituto para la Calidad de las ONG - Spanish partner in Enlace 20 project for capacity building of 20 social economy entities through Iberian synergies.
• Casa Vera CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in M3ntoria 3D Aveiro project for ethnic-cultural diversity and inclusion in the labor market, funded through CENTRO2030 Social Innovation Partnerships.
• Helpo ONGDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in RESPI project for reconstruction and resilience in health structures in Mozambique post-Cyclone Idai, funded by Camões I.P.
• IEFPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional - Portuguese public employment service partner in ALMA program for youth mobility and internship.
• ADPP-GBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ianda Guiné! Ação Lus ku Iagu program implementing water, sanitation and energy interventions in Guinea-Bissau alongside TESE.
• Câmara Municipal de CascaiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partner in employment programs including FatorC, CLDS 4G, and M3ntoria 3D projects.
• Câmara Municipal de LisboacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisbon municipal government partner in social development and employment programs.
• Junta de Freguesia de AlcabidechecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in FatorC community development program.
• Junta de Freguesia de São Domingos de RanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner in FatorC and CLDS 4G community development programs.
• Fundação ChampagnatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CLDS 4G São Domingos de Rana program for social inclusion and employment.
• Rede Social de CascaiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in MU.ST.SEE and social economy skills building initiatives.
• GEOfundos ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting GEOfundos platform development and operation for social economy financing opportunities.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WaterAid: Global INGO focused exclusively on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) access in developing countries. Directly comparable to TESE's flagship WASH portfolio across Guinea-Bissau, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Mozambique.
• ADPP (Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo): Portuguese-origin INGO operating across Lusophone Africa in water, energy, agriculture, and health. Co-implements the Ianda Guiné! program with TESE and competes for the same Camões I.P. and EU funding envelopes.
• Helpo ONGD: Portuguese non-governmental development organization active in Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Guinea-Bissau. Partnered with TESE on the RESPI project and competes for similar Portuguese development cooperation funding.
• AMI (Assistência Médica Internacional): Portuguese ONGD focused on health and development in Lusophone Africa. Operates in similar geographies and draws from comparable Portuguese donor funding, with overlapping programmatic priorities.
• LPD — Leigos para o Desenvolvimento: Portuguese non-profit development organization working on employment, social innovation, and community development. Highly comparable to TESE's capacity-building and social economy segments, including initiatives like Ação INOV.
• Oikos — Cooperação e Desenvolvimento: Portuguese INGD active in development cooperation across multiple countries, focused on poverty reduction and sustainability. Comparable in scope, donor mix, and target geographies to TESE.
• Engineers Without Borders Portugal: International network of engineering-focused development organizations. TESE's technical expertise in water, energy and waste infrastructure aligns closely with EWB's technical assistance and capacity-building mandate in developing countries.

Broad incumbents

• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Larger, established Dutch INGO with global operations in water, energy, and agriculture. Operates broadly in the same WASH and renewable energy spaces as TESE but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Oxfam: Global INGO with extensive WASH, livelihoods, and social economy programming. Competes with TESE for institutional donor funding and operates in similar developing-country contexts.
• Cáritas Portugal: Large Portuguese Catholic social organization with extensive capacity-building and social inclusion programs. A documented customer of TESE's consultancy services and a benchmark for the domestic social economy ecosystem TESE serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tese.ongd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tese-associacao-para-o-desenvolvimento
• Instagraminstagram.com/tese.org.pt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about TESE - Association for Development