351 Portuguese Startup Association

What 351 Portuguese Startup Association does

351 Portuguese Startup Association is a Portuguese non-profit association founded in 2019 and formally registered as an NGO in September 2022. It functions as the largest startup community in Portugal, serving startup founders, investors, corporate innovators, and tech talent through a member base of 1,600+ individuals and a volunteer core of 70–76 people. Its core technology is a Slack-hosted community platform supplemented by event-management infrastructure; the association does not operate proprietary software products but orchestrates a portfolio of programs including the #YouAreNotAlone paid membership program, Techstars Startup Weekends, Portugal Tech Week, Coworking Thursdays, Techstars Community Leader Academy, the Lisboa Community Fund, the €700,000+ perks programme, and the Nuvem cloud-policy initiative.

The business model is a hybrid of low-priced recurring membership fees (€97/year for startups, €47/year for individuals, plus a free tier and à-la-carte event passes), corporate partnership contributions (Santander, Google, Microsoft, AWS, HubSpot, MEO, Critical Software), and public-sector co-financing (Lisboa City Council community fund, EU programmes such as NextGenerationEU). The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with growth concentrated in a Slack community of 1,500+ members and recurring in-person activations across Lisbon, Porto, and five secondary Portuguese cities. Persona segments are diversified across early-stage founders, investors/VCs, corporate innovators, and ecosystem enablers; the company does not disclose revenue and operates without paid staff.

Strategically, 351 has leveraged institutional partnerships (notably Techstars) and policy-level recognition (OECD YEPA, EU Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition) to expand its mandate from community-building into ecosystem training, grant administration, and cross-border policy advocacy. Its defensibility rests on community network effects, multi-sided stickiness from corporate and public partners, and a brand position as the founder-led grassroots standard-bearer for the Portuguese startup ecosystem.

Name

351 Portuguese Startup Association

Legal name

351 Portuguese Startup Association

Website

https://351startups.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

351 Portuguese Startup Association is a Lisbon-based non-profit running Portugal's largest startup community, serving founders, investors, and corporates through a Slack platform, events, and programs including Techstars Startup Weekends and Portugal Tech Week.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Ecosystem Community Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Startup community platform
• Entrepreneurship ecosystem support
• Membership-based association
• Startup founder networking
• Investor matching programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisboa

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Three-tier membership model: Startup Membership at 97€/year offering pitch sessions with VCs, mentor pairing, and partner network access; Individual Membership at 47€/year providing community access and career mentoring; Free Plan with basic community access and event invitations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

351 Portuguese Startup Association is a non-profit community organization that supports Portuguese entrepreneurs from ideation through scale-up by connecting them to mentors, investors, corporate partners, and co-founders. It delivers tiered membership programs (Startup at €97/year, Individual at €47/year, free tier), organizes flagship events including Techstars Startup Weekends and Portugal Tech Week, and runs a Slack-based community of 1,500+ members plus €700,000+ in aggregated tech perks from corporate partners.

Product overview

351 Portuguese Startup Association operates as a community organization rather than a traditional product company. The association offers a portfolio of programs and services including the #YouAreNotAlone membership program (offering mentorship matching, investor feedback, and partner introductions), Techstars Startup Weekend (54-hour entrepreneurship events), Techstars Community Leader Academy (ecosystem leader training), Portugal Tech Week (decentralized innovation festival), the 351 Portuguese Startup Community Slack platform (networking hub with 1500+ members), Lisboa Community Fund (grant program for ecosystem events), Coworking Thursdays (weekly coworking networking), the +700.000€ Perks program (tech benefits worth €700K+), and the Nuvem Initiative (cloud ecosystem policy advocacy). These offerings work together to support startups across all growth stages from ideation through scaling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• #YouAreNotAlone Program A membership program providing mentorship matching with later-stage founders, investor feedback sessions with Portuguese VCs (Armilar, Bynd, Indico), access to partner networks, and exclusive workshops for Portuguese startup founders.
• Techstars Startup Weekend A 54-hour intensive program where aspiring entrepreneurs experience startup life through idea pitches, team formation, mentorship, and prototype building, culminating in final presentations. Held across multiple Portuguese cities.
• Techstars Community Leader Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 23,100+ people impacted in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.

• TechstarsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner351 partnered with Techstars, one of the world's largest accelerators having invested in over 2,300 companies, to bring ecosystem development programs to Portugal. Programs include Techstars Startup Weekends (world's largest intensive training program with 7000+ editions in 150+ countries) and Techstars Community Leader Academy.
• ESOP - Portuguese Open Source Software Companies AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner351 and ESOP partnered to lead the Nuvem project in Portugal, promoting public policies and private practices for a fairer and more competitive cloud ecosystem. The project aims to close Portugal's 5 percentage point gap below the European average in digital technology adoption.
• Spanish Startup AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Spanish Startup Association to create Nuvem initiative, gathering corporate, suppliers, specialists and cloud users to sign a Manifesto for a more inclusive and fair cloud environment in Iberia.
• Lisboa City Council (Lisboa Unicorn Capital)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisboa City Council supports 351 in launching the first fund for community development of the innovation ecosystem. First version aims to encourage ~30 small events related to technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity by end of 2024.
• GooglemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgram partner providing tech perks and benefits to 351 member startups. Listed among main partners including Google For Startups programs.
• MicrosoftmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgram partner offering Azure credits and other Microsoft resources to member startups through the perks program.
• SantanderflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMain partner of 351 supporting Portuguese startups through Santander X programs including Portugal Award 2023 with 30,000€ in prizes.
• MEOmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain partner providing telecommunications services and support for ecosystem events and initiatives.
• Critical SoftwaremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain partner supporting startup community with hiring initiatives (300+ positions) and workspace access for Coworking Thursdays.
• HubSpotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgram partner offering CRM tools and marketing platform discounts to member startups.
• AWSmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerProgram partner providing cloud computing credits and services to startups through AWS Activate program.
• Startup LisboacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Lisbon startup incubator and accelerator hosting Portugal Tech Week events, BET competition, and other ecosystem initiatives.
• UPTECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorto Science and Technology Park supporting ecosystem initiatives including Techstars Startup Weekend Porto.
• Turismo de PortugalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner supporting tourism innovation through Comité Setorial de Turismo initiative.
• SebraeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian support organization for small businesses, contributing to cross-border ecosystem development.
• Startup Visa PortugalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment initiative that facilitates entry of international entrepreneurs to Portugal, complementary to 351's ecosystem support.
• Build Up LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese venture builder participating in mentorship and ecosystem events, including Lisboa Unicorn Week.
• Talent ProtocolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeb3 talent platform participating in mentorship sessions and Builders Week event organization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Station F: Paris-based world's largest startup campus hosting accelerators, programs and a founder community. Comparable as a centralized hub aggregating founders, corporates and VCs, though geographic and physical-infra focus differs.
• Startup Lisboa: Leading Lisbon-based startup incubator/accelerator that hosts Portugal Tech Week events and collaborates with 351 on local ecosystem programming. Comparable at the city-program level though more operator-focused (incubation) than community-focused.

Direct peers

• La French Tech: France's national startup community/association backed by the French government, mobilizing a national ecosystem of founders, investors and corporates. Highly comparable mission, structure, and stakeholder mix to 351, just at a larger country scale.
• Startup Canada: Canadian national startup association building a pan-Canadian founder community, programs, and policy advocacy. Closely comparable model as a country-level non-profit startup membership and community organization.
• Spanish Startup Association: National startup association in Spain running a near-identical model of community events, policy advocacy and corporate partner programs. 351 is already partnered with them on the Nuvem initiative, making them the closest direct peer in structure and mission.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator that runs cohort-based founder programs and ecosystem events. Listed as a Core financial partner of 351 and a direct overlap in supporting early-stage founders.
• Startup Grind: Global startup community organization running chapters, events and programs for founders across 125+ countries. Comparable in community-led GTM, event-driven programming, and chapter-based volunteer model.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Lisbon-headquartered global tech conference and media business. Comparable as a Portuguese-based ecosystem catalyst targeting the same founder/investor/corporate audience, but operating at much larger scale and with a for-profit model.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator running founder programs across 100+ cities. Comparable in standardized founder training and ecosystem-development programming, though operates as a global for-profit rather than a national non-profit.

Emerging players

• Seedstars: Switzerland-based organization running startup competitions, acceleration and community programs focused on emerging markets. Comparable mission of building startup ecosystems in non-tier-1 geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/startup351
• Facebookfacebook.com/351startups
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/351startups
• Instagraminstagram.com/351startups

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about 351 Portuguese Startup Association