Texas-based and Portuguese technology-based companies strengthen networks

The Texas-EU Venture Growth Initiative is a matchmaking and networking event created to help technology-based start-ups to grow in the USA and in Europe. The Initiative grew out of the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN), itself a part of the larger UT Austin-Portugal partnership between FCT and the IC² Institute at The University of Texas – Austin. The 2015 edition of the Texas-EU Venture Growth Initiative, which took place on April 22-23 in Austin, Texas, delivered measurable business development for Central Texas and Portuguese technology firms. Participants learned about opportunities for launching or co-locating firms in the EU and in Central Texas.

The nearly 120 participants in the event included entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, angel investors, incubator directors, and international service providers. The program included the Texas-Portugal matchmaking workshop, which featured panel discussions on the roles of business incubation and acceleration opportunities, investor relations, and market relationships in determining the success of academia-based innovation.

The Portuguese delegation included entrepreneurs, investors, directors of the main business incubators and accelerators, as well as the US ambassador to Portugal, Robert Sherman, and Portugal's ambassador to the US, Nuno Brito. Pedro Carneiro, vice president, and members of the FCT Technology Office represented FCT.

UTEN and its Global Startup Program, both part of the FCT-funded international partnership with UT Austin, have grown into leading programs in Portugal, bridging the gap between early-stage innovations and the marketplace. UTEN is a network connecting universities, technology transfer offices, research laboratories, incubators, and professionals in Portugal, with the goal of leading, facilitating, and accelerating the commercialization of science and technology innovations created by Portuguese researchers.

During the Texas-EU Initiative, FCT announced the upcoming Fostering Science and Innovation Ecosystems: Portugal-USA Partnerships conference, which will take place in Lisbon on May 29. This will be the first conference to bring together the partnerships established between FCT and the American universities of UT Austin, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon (CMU).