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The Hannover fair is gaining an increasingly entrepreneurial character and losing its consumption component. Portuguese companies are joining the change and participation as exhibitors grew from 15 in 2014 to 25 in this year’s edition. Thus, the Portuguese companies that will be present are: Aptoide, Aveicellular, B2CloudDEV, Beanywhere, BParts, C-Side, Famasete, FreedomGrow, Hook Biz, IncreaseTime, Inova, IT Peers, JScrambler, Liquid Data Inteligence, Maincapital, Muzzley, Partteam & Oemkiosks, Portugal Capital Ventures, Q-Better, Sdilab, Sensefinity, SkinEasy, Streambolico, Wizdee and Xhockware. CeBIT will run from March 16 to 20 and will include the participation of Edward Snowden via teleconference. The event will address topics such as digital transformation and security, with China being the partner country for this edition.

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Exame Informática news

In the beginning of this year, we took a look at major European countries and tried to come up with a list of 5 startups (each country) to watch in 2015. In the case of Portugal and a few other countries, it has been very hard to narrow this list down, but we’ve decided to go with just 5 promising Portuguese startups out of different sectors. All of them entered the market within the last two years and each of the listed startups has something special to add to the web/app economy in 2015.

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EU Startups news

The European Commission will award funding grants to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), selected from among the 28 Member States, under the Horizon 2020 Program. Six Portuguese companies will receive 50 thousand euros for feasibility studies. The national companies Bluecover Technologies, Stab Vida, UBQ – Chemical Unit, Unbabel, Xhockware and Ynvisible, are among the 119 companies selected to receive community financing for their projects. Each will have 500 thousand euros for feasibility studies. In total, Brussels will spend 117 million euros to finance the activities of 277 European companies. Another € 108 million will be used to promote innovation and new business plans for 78 SMEs in 18 Member States. Horizon 2020 program is oriented towards financial support for research and innovation in European SMEs. Scholarships are always awarded through a competition and evaluation of the submitted proposals. As part of the same program, Brussels announced a pilot initiative, taking place this year, which will donate 200 million euros to promote the entry of new ideas into the market. Proposals can be submitted in three stages: until April 29, September 1 and December 1.

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TVI24 news

Xhockware, Displr, Followprice and WeTruck are the four Portuguese startups that start this Wednesday an eight-week acceleration program at Carnegie Mellon University, under the inRes. Go shopping with your smartphone: make the list of missing items, buy and pay. As? Through SmartShopping, a checkout system developed by Xhockware that promises to pay for a complete shopping cart in less than a minute. The product ensures the retailer protection against theft and is compatible with the boxes of worldwide retailers, regardless of brand or technology. And it’s Portuguese. Xhockware is one of the four Portuguese teams that headed to the United States of America (USA) to accelerate the technologies and businesses they launched here. During the eight weeks they will be in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), startups Xhockware, Displr, Followprice and WeTruck will take the opportunity to develop products and services, strengthen management and leadership skills, manage intellectual property, increase network of contacts of potential customers, suppliers, partners and mentors, among other aspects related to the business. The eight-week immersion program on North American soil is part of the 2014 edition of inRes, a business acceleration initiative in the area of ​​information and communication technologies (ICT), coordinated by the Carnegie Mellon Portugal program, whose mission is to place the country at the forefront of innovation in this area. As? Betting on cutting-edge research, “excellence” in postgraduate training and a very close connection with Portuguese industry …

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Observador news

PITTSBURGH, Venture capitalists and investment experts will unite with Carnegie Mellon University entrepreneurship and technology community at LaunchCMU, a showcase for startups, cutting-edge research and innovations poised to impact the marketplace. The schedule of events includes a demonstration of new products and services and showcase talks by the innovators of successful startup companies. The program, returning to Pittsburgh for its fourth iteration, is spearheaded by CMU´s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Remarks by U.S. Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA14th District) will kick off the proceedings, accompanied by remarks from CMU President Subra Suresh, which will highlight the outstanding entrepreneurship and research culture across the campus. Founders and leaders of featured startup companies, including 4Moms, Blue Belt Technologies, Emma, and Visantica, will share technology and marketplace insights. They will be joined in remarks by esteemed CMU faculty members William “Red” Whittaker, Fredkin University Professor of Robotics and chairman of CMU spinoff Astrobotic Technology and Howie Choset, professor of robotics and co-founder of Medrobotics. The application of emerging technologies in health care, manufacturing, robotics, public safety, entertainment and other key market sectors will be displayed by more than two dozen startups including: Algorithmia, Appbase Inc., BreatheWise, CDL Warrior, Collected, ComVibe, Digital Dream Labs, DISPLR, Emerald Therapeutics, Inc., Expii, FacioMetrics, Followprice, IAM Robotics, Identified Technologies, Innovesca, Jetpack Workflow, LifeShel, Nebulus, NetBeez, PieceMaker´s, RistCall, Romeo Delivers, Treatspace, WeTruck, and XHOCKWARE…

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The Business Journals news

DISPLR, Followprice, WeTruck and Xhockware are the four startups selected to be part of inRes 2014, a very early stage acceleration program for entrepreneurial teams working in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), in Portugal, offered by the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program. inRes will provide a training period in Portugal, followed by a six-week structured immersion period in Pittsburgh, in the U.S., anchored at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The four entrepreneurial teams were chosen through a competitive selection process, which included a personal interview with each of the 14 teams that submitted an application. After a careful analysis, the evaluation panel selected four solid projects that aim to commercialize products and services in the area of ICT. “The four teams selected presented business ideas focused on technological solutions that can be competitive and add value to businesses and end-users,” stated João Claro, national director of the CMU Portugal Program. João Claro is confident that “inRes will help strengthen and consolidate the management skills of entrepreneurial teams leading technology-based startups, by exposing them to highly competitive international environments.” According to the national director, this initiative is “a natural step for the CMU Portugal Program,” which has helped create 10 startups in seven years of partnership between Portuguese universities and research institutions, companies and CMU…

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Carnegie Mellon University news

Chic by Choice, Liquid, Passworks and Xhockware are the new tech-based and innovative start-ups selected, in the Call For Entrepreneurship initiative, for funding from Portugal Ventures. Through this initiative, Portugal Ventures has already invested in approximately 30 start-up companies with the ambition to become companies of excellence on the global market. The seventh edition of the Call is now open and project submissions will run until 29th May, 2014. Xhockware (www.xhockware.com) is focused on creating innovative retail solutions. Its debut product is a new mobile shopping concept that will change the way people do their shopping in a retail store, allowing shoppers to checkout a full shopping cart, pay and leave the store in under a minute, while assuring the retailer protection against theft. The system is compatible with the retailers checkout systems, independent of brand or technology, and available to any shopper with a smartphone. Currently in the final phase of product development, Xhockware is working closely with one of the major retailers in Portugal. The company expects to make its technology available to the public in a few weeks. International sales are expected to start before the year’s end, targeting the major European Retailers. “Nowadays, smartphones are changing the way we shop. Xhockware’s technology provides an exclusive communication channel to every shopper, allowing for tailored shopping experiences and valued perceived rewards or savings.” said João Rodrigues, CEO and co-founder of Xhockware. These investments were realised with other investors who share the same investment goals and ambitions as Portugal Ventures. PNV Capital co-invested with Portugal Ventures in Xhockware.

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link Portugal Ventures news

The public venture capital operator will invest in four new technology-based start-ups: Chic by Choice, Liquid, Passworks and Xhockware. This support will be granted in partnership with other investors. Portugal Ventures will support four new technology-based start-ups, following the Call For Entrepreneurship initiative. According to the statement by the public venture capital operator, these start-ups are: Chic by Choice – a “new international luxury dress rental marketplace” -, Liquid, a self-service platform in the cloud that allows for publishers to customize their apps in real time, Passworks, which is a self-service solution in the cloud that allows brands and retailers to create mobile wallet marketing campaigns. And finally, Xhockware, which is dedicated to solutions for the retail sector. These investments by Portugal Ventures, which take place within the scope of Call For Entrepreneurship, and are carried out in partnership with other entities. “Faber Ventures co-invested with Portugal Ventures in Chic by Choice, Liquid and Passworks. PNV Capital co-invested with Portugal Ventures in Xhockware”, explains the public operator in a statement. Portugal Ventures, within the scope of these Call For Entrepreneurship, has already invested in about three dozen start-ups.

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Jornal de Negócios news