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Startup Braga strengthens its European status at 11 and moves forward with new DeepTech infrastructure
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Startup Braga celebrates its 11th anniversary this Wednesday, 7th May. Founded in 2014, it has supported more than 275 startups, which have raised more than 500 million euros and created more than 2,200 jobs. Recognised as one of Europe's leading innovation hubs, it is now preparing to install a new technological infrastructure as part of the DeepTech BioHub project. The month of May will be dedicated to the celebration, with various training initiatives in its main verticals.
Today, the innovation hub is hosting a delegation from The Way Startup Summit, which will promote exchanges between the community's startups and around 30 Spanish investors, from organisations such as ABANCA Invest, ACCION, BeAble Capital, Bcombinator, Draper B1 and Elephant Capital.
On 8 and 9 May, Startup Braga's headquarters will host new training sessions for the Global Health Accelerator programme, focusing on the topics of ‘Clinical Trials, Regulatory Affairs & IP’ and ‘A View from Big Pharma Companies’. The sessions on 22 and 23 May will take place online and will cover the topics of ‘Strategic & Regulatory Foundations’ and ‘Leadership, Growth & Governance’.
This programme, which kicked off on April 10, brings together 12 startups, 60 mentors and 40 partners with the aim of transforming the healthcare ecosystem. At the same time, Startup Braga will be present at the SIM Conference, accompanied by 12 startups from its ecosystem.
On 13 May, the 8th edition of the School of CEOs - sharp training for first-time CEOs will be officially launched, with the first MasterClass taking place on 28 May, led by Graça Cunha Coelho, CEO of Cachapuz Bilanciai Group.
Startup Braga will also be part of Economy Week, organised by InvestBraga. On 20 May, there will be a session entitled ‘Biotechnology in Action: The IberoBio Project as a Platform for Change’, in which the innovation hub is a partner. Participation in the Business Showcase, on 22 and 24 May, will continue as usual.
The month will end with an Investor Workshop and an Investor Meeting with COREangels Porto, as well as a visit from IPVC students as part of the ‘Leaders for the Future’ project, scheduled for 28 May.
From its foundation to the present day, the innovation space has supported more than 275 startups - pre-accelerating around 70 projects, accelerating 141 startups and incubating more than 130 disruptive businesses. Over the last 11 years, the community's startups have raised more than 500 million euros in investment, there have been 7 exits and more than 2,200 jobs have been created.
For the second year running, in 2025, Startup Braga was once again recognised as one of the best startup hubs in Europe, securing 31st place globally and 4th place in Iberia in the prestigious Financial Times, Statista and Sifted ranking of Europe's Top Startup Hubs 2025. In 2024, the technology-based incubator was ranked 7th out of 125 European incubators and accelerators (3rd among its European Union counterparts).
Last year, Startup Braga also coordinated the preparation of the Expression of Interest for the installation of a new technological infrastructure in the DeepTech BioHub thematic area, which received a favourable opinion from the panel of expert evaluators. On 30 December, the notice for submitting applications was published. This year, the innovation hub plans to start work on setting up a new Centre for the Valorisation and Transfer of Technologies (CVTT), with the aim of filling a market gap in the region and responding to the growing need for laboratory validation of startups.