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Me-Vet and AAUMinho are the big winners of Empreender@Braga
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The Braga Youth Centre hosted the closing event of the Ignition Programme for Entrepreneurs and Youth Associations - Empreender@Braga, which culminated in the long-awaited Demo Day. The initiative marked the end of a unique training programme, promoted by the Municipality of Braga, InvestBraga, Startup Braga and the Braga Youth Centre, which aimed to boost the development of new businesses and empower youth organisations in the region.
Since the beginning of November, around 50 people have taken part in the programme, including entrepreneurs and youth association leaders, who went through 7 intensive bootcamps, totalling 30 hours of training. In addition, 16 specialised speakers and 44 mentors were invited to contribute to the training of all the participants.
During the closing event, the 15 finalist projects had the opportunity to present themselves before a jury of excellence, made up of five leading personalities from the business, educational and institutional worlds, who selected the most innovative projects with the greatest potential for transformation. The jury was made up of: Ana Terra (Funds Manager at Portugal Ventures), André Pimenta (CEO & Co-founder of Anybrain), Joaquim Castro de Freitas (Director of the Department of Education and Social Cohesion of the Municipality of Braga), Pedro Couto Soares (Deputy Mayor of Braga & Former Director of CJB) and Ricardo Macedo (Founder & Managing Partner of Laika Ventures).
The winners were announced in the following categories:
In the Entrepreneurs category:
1st Place: Me-Vet
2nd Place: Augmented Cobotics
3rd Place: Bolt42
In the Youth Associations category:
1st Place: Academic Association of the University of Minho (AAUMinho)
2nd Place: University of Minho Computer Engineering Student Centre (CeSIUM)
3rd Place: European School of Vocational Education
In addition to the pitches, the event featured the participation of Ricardo Macedo, founder of Laika Ventures, who spoke about ‘The Role of Venture Studios in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’, and a Fireside Chat session with Ernesto Pedrosa, CEO of Automaise, and Margarida Isaías, President of the UMinho Academic Association, who shared their experiences in the business and association world.
The closing event was also an excellent networking opportunity, where participants, mentors and judges were able to exchange experiences and establish new partnerships.
Empreender@Braga thus fulfilled its purpose of empowering and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Braga, leaving a positive mark on both the Entrepreneurs and the Youth Associations involved.