OBJECT AND DEFINITION

 

Discoveries is an initiative promoted by Fábrica de Startups. It will take place from February 4th to 27th.

The main purpose is to promote entrepreneurship in Portugal by supporting the development of new tech startups related to the tourism industry. Discoveries includes a set of bootcamps that consist of working sessions where participants are expected to develop and validate their business idea.

Discoveries will follow the FastStart Methodology, from Fábrica de Startups, an 8-step path built under the evidence-based approach of the Lean Startup and Customer Development concept. Discoveries will be open for up to 15 (fifteen) teams with projects in idea, prototype or launch stage.

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ELIGIBILITY OF APPLICATIONS

 

Participation in Discoveries requires the application of a team and the submission of a business idea. Discoveries is looking for ideas mainly in the following fields: productivity, cities, mobility, community, hospitality, entertainment, eCommerce, big data, crowdsourcing, software as a service, marketplaces, augmented reality. However, if the idea is applicable to the Tourism Industry with sustainability at its core, it will bring value to the application.

Example: a big data project that could serve the Hotel industry.

The business project must meet a market need in an innovative way and must demonstrate global potential to expand and replicate or scale in larger and growing markets.
The accelerator program will end with an investment pitch session where startups will have a chance to pitch their business to a jury panel and a set of potential investors.

 

PROGRAM CALENDAR

 

• Applications Open – October 14th, 2025

• Applications Closed – December 12th, 2025

• Results Announcement – January 20th, 2026

• Bootcamps – From February 4th to February 25th , 2026

• Innovation Tour & Investors Day – February 25th to 27th, 2026

 

Bootcamps

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• February 4th – Diagnosis & Strategy

• February 11th – Validation & Market

• February 18th – Growth - Ignite & Scale

• February 25th – Investment - Pitch & Rise

 

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

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Applications 

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Participation is open to all citizens over the age of 18, from any country.There is no limit to the number of participants per team, but it is recommended that at least two (2) people participate, and at least one of the participants must be a founder. Individual applications are not allowed.

 

The teams must demonstrate their collective effort, as well as their experience, technical, and management skills necessary to develop their business. Applications will be considered by Fábrica de Startups only after submission of the application form.

 

Fábrica de Startups may request additional information for the evaluation of the team and project, in order to make a final decision.

 

Selection Criteria

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Fábrica de Startups will select the participating teams by taking into account all the information made available through the application form and additional information that may be requested from the teams.

They will take into account the quality of the idea, the team’s commitment to the project, evidence of the team’s capacity of execution and prototyping, and its profile in terms of complementary skills and entrepreneurial attitude.

The selected teams will be informed of their application’s approval via email and a public announcement made on the Discoveries website. The evaluation and selection process will happen as applications are submitted. After analysis of a team’s application, the best applicants will be selected for an online interview.

 

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PARTICIPATION TERMS

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The program will have 3 online bootcamps and an in-person bootcamp and 3 day Innovation Tour and Investors Day from 25th to 27th February. During this program the teams will define, validate, and adapt their business idea.

 

Participation

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Teams must be present in every Bootcamp Sessions, Working Hours and Final Pitch event.
You will be notified by email of your selection, and approval of your team application. Selected teams must confirm their participation from January 16th to January 26th, 2026.

 

 

Acceleration

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• Bootcamps: workshops made by Fábrica de Startups and guest speakers, about the work to be developed in the subsequent week, following Fábrica de Startups’ methodology: FastStart.
   

• Lessons Learned: presentations by the teams on their business model validation and adaptation report of the work carried out during the previous bootcamp.
   

• Mentorship: mentorship sessions, where teams are accompanied by experienced mentors that will meet with the teams during the five-week period.
   

Guest Speakers & Specific Training: experts that join the session to give insights on specific topics.

 

Workload

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The program has an intense agenda, so participants must be ready to spend a lot of time working on their project. Besides the bootcamps, teams will have to comply with extensive homework that will help them validate their business model.

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Innovation Tour & Investors Day

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Fábrica de Startups will select 15 startups to participate in the final bootcamp and to take part in the Innovation Tour in Portugal. In order to support their participation, each selected team will be granted a financial contribution intended to assist with travel and accommodation expenses. The amount of this contribution will be €740 for teams based outside Portugal and €300 for teams based in Portugal.

 

The payment of this contribution will be made after the teams’ arrival in Portugal and upon submission of a valid invoice or receipt issued to Fábrica de Startups, in order to ensure that the funds are used for expenses directly related to participation in the program.

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RESPONSABILITY

 

Fábrica de Startups cannot be held responsible for the cancellation, postponement or any change in the contest in any of its phases due to unforeseen causes or in cases of force majeure.

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EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS

 

Fábrica de Startups reserves the right to exclude, cancel or reject any idea submitted, and/or cancel the participation of any team, or team member, at any given time during the Discoveries accelerator.

 

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PRIVACY POLICY

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By participating in this program you confirm you have read and agreed on our Privacy Policy. By applying and sharing your contact information with us, you accept the Privacy Policy of Fábrica de Startups and you will be added to our mailing list. If you wish to be removed, please send us an email to talk@fabstart.pt

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