Today, the new facilities of Startup Portugal were inaugurated, inserted in the Ministry of Economy, in Lisbon. During the opening ceremony, new features were presented such as the E-Residency (digital identity), the new Startup Hub, Balco do Empreendedor and the + CO3SO program, which aim to foster technology-based entrepreneurship.
Regarding e-Residency, this is a new concept of virtual citizenship based on dematerialized public services and available to foreign citizens. The objective is to boost the economy and the international profile of the country, thus granting non-residents the possibility of also enjoying national public services. The creation of a company with a Portuguese tax number or the opening of a bank account are examples of services now available to foreigners.
The Government expects to attract more than 5,000 digital names, entrepreneurs and foreign investors by complementing initiatives such as Startup Visa, Tech Visa and the Sign Up for Portugal campaign. Another measure is to locate all Government websites in English to make it easier for foreign investors to obtain information.
The new facilities also include the operation of One Stop Shop Startup Portugal, constituting an Entrepreneur's Desk available to national and foreign citizens. The Startup Hub intends to function as a centralized platform, with the capacity to aggregate all the necessary information related to the ecosystem of startups, incubators and venture capitals.
The services have the partnership of several companies, such as Aptoide, Amazon Web Services, Ernst & Young, Revolut, Bizay (360Print), InvoiceExpress and ShopKit, whose services and advantages can be used by startups that register.
The ceremony was also the stage for the signing of a protocol between Startup Portugal, the Tributria Authority, the Agency for Administrative Modernization and the Studies and Strategy Office of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition in order to provide access to indicators- on private technology-based initiatives operating in the country. Thus, it is expected that a greater number and volume of investments will be captured in Portugal, thanks to a better mapping of the startup ecosystem.
The + CO3SO Digital program was designed to take advantage of the potential of digital in accelerating the development of the interior of Portugal, through a more innovative link between technology and traditional companies. It also aims at creating jobs in the interior, strengthening the capacity of the National Incubator Network.
