Lisboa Entrepreneurship+

Measure 4: Provision of support to new businessess

The Lisboa Entrepreneurship programme was launched by the Lisboa City Council in February 2013 to support and encourage the creation of new businesses. In view of the current situation and given the need to support companies during economic recovery, CML has created the Lisboa Entrepreneurship+ programme, which offers a wider range of services to companies and provides information on existing support and consulting services, with a view to mitigating the effects of the crisis and promoting economic recovery.

Provision of support to new businesses is included within the scope of measure 4; this support is aimed at entrepreneurs currently wishing to make a difference by starting their businesses in Lisboa.

Develop your idea and submit your project to the Lisboa Entrepreneurship+ team.  We provide personalised technical support, based on an economic and financial view of the business, analyse business plans and offer access to financing through a microcredit line with a limit of €20,000.

Read about all the measures here​. The services provided by Lisboa Entrepreneurship+ are free.

Applications and Process

Have you got a good business idea? Has it been tested or reviewed?

Then remember: when choosing your area of business, consider your options carefully and find out if your idea fills a market gap and whether you’ll be able to generate sales and profits.

Any individual, from any location in the country or the world, who has developed a project for starting a business in Lisboa and meets some of the following requirements:

  • boasting a solid professional experience;
  • believing they can build their own future;
  • trusting their ability to put their business idea into practice and create value;
  • being able to convey the added value of their idea/project to others;
  • being capable of adapting easily to new situations and challenges;
  • being able to make the most of existing opportunities.

This programme works in a very simple way. Following submission of the application, an interview with the entrepreneur will be scheduled for the purpose of evaluating project development. An exploratory meeting with a technical team from the Municipal Economics and Innovation Department will subsequently take place, in order to define the procedures that will be followed.

The entrepreneur will not only receive support from specialised technical support, provided by the Municipality, but also benefit from a vast network of partners that will help implement their business concept and identify the best solutions.

We reply to all applicants and ensure the forwarding of all projects.

Applications are submitted by filling an online form

  • exploratory meeting with CML technicians to identify the best support for their projects;
  • mentoring by specialised technicians over the entire business starting process;
  • integration into the entrepreneurial ecosystem through a network of partners that will facilitate and streamline the entire process;
  • advice on financing;possible financial support or tax exemptions.

Lisboa Entrepreneurship has established partnerships with several public institutions: CASES – António Sérgio Cooperative for Social Economy, which allows access to the “Sou Mais” (I am More) instrument; the IEFP – Institute for Employment and Vocational Training; and a network of other entities, including Millennium BCP, Montepio Geral, Caixa Geral de Deposits, Banco Português de Investimento and Novo Banco, which facilitate and speed up access to financing.

Financing may also be ensured by credit lines offered by the Municipality.

Lisboa entrepreneurship in numbers (analytics)

+2500

Total Applications

+1700

Monitored Projects

+198

New installed companies

+560

Number of Jobs

+3 million euros

Financing


2016 Awards

Lisboa entrepreneurship awards

Best Public Administration for Start-ups at the StartUp Europe Awards 2016 (Municipalities category), also known as the “Eurovision for Start-ups”. Promoted by the European Commission and Startup Europe, supported by the European Committee of the Regions and members of the European Parliament, and organised by Finnova, this competition seeks to reward initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and fostering enterprising policies and good business practices on a European level.

 

2015 Awards

Grand Jury Prize at the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2015 (first prize in all categories), awarded by the European Commission, which considered the programme to be “successful, inspiring and innovative”.