Google, Shilling and The Next Big Idea are looking for the next startup to stand out in the Portuguese innovation ecosystem and have more than 150,000 euros in prizes to award. Applications are open until November 30th.
Lisbon, October 14, 2022 - The "Únicos" award is an initiative promoted by Google and Shilling, in partnership with The Next Big Idea, with the aim of distinguishing a startup that could become part of the generation of Portuguese companies that are leaders or candidates for leaders in the global markets where they operate.
Applications are open until November 30 and the finalists will be announced at the beginning of December, with the winner being chosen at an event in pitch.
The Únicos Prize will support startups in three key areas:
- Financing50,000 euro investment prize awarded by Shilling
- Technology: 100,000 euros in Google services
- Communication: episode produced by The Next Big Idea
The Únicos Award is aimed at startups that meet the following requirements:
- StageAngel, Pre-Seed, Seed (boosting start-ups is the main objective of this award)
- Geography: Portugal (company must have a project relevant to the national market)
- Sector: Agnostic (looking for game-changers in technology, wherever they come from)
Applications should be made at: https://thenextbigidea.pt/premio-unicos/.
What makes a startup unique?
This is the theme of the new season of the program The Next Big Idea, broadcast on SIC Notícias and SIC Internacional, with the support of Google and Shilling.
After ten years of ideas and more than 600 episodes produced for television, the startup ecosystem in Portugal is quite different from the one that The Next Big Idea found when it debuted in 2012.
As of the launch of this new season, seven companies that began as startups have reached a valuation of more than 1 billion dollars, which has led them to be labeled "unicorns".
As Portugal closes a first cycle, the first decade of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, in which many ideas have grown and many others have fallen by the wayside, it's time to learn from the Portuguese who have managed to make their companies a global reference.
This is the aim of the special edition "Unique" of The Next Big Ideawith the support of Google and Shilling.
Every week until the end of the year, the story will be told of the unicorns founded by Portuguese people and the high-potential startups that helped build the innovation ecosystem we know today.
Diogo Mónica, Ricardo Marvão, Rui Bento, André Albuquerque, Cristina Fonseca, Miguel Santo Amaro, Humberto Ayres Pereira, Marcelo Lebre, Vasco Pedro and Daniela Braga share how, in less than ten years, they have made Portuguese companies leaders or potential leaders in world markets.
"These are the stories of a new generation of entrepreneurs and managers who are not only creating products, but also reinventing the role of companies. We believe that the future of society and the economy will pass through this and that the role of journalism is also to democratize access to information about what makes a company a good company. That's the purpose of this project, developed in partnership with Google and Shilling and with SIC Notícias as our long-standing television partner."says Rute Sousa Vasco, publisher of MadreMedia and co-author of The Next Big Idea.
This season, The Next Big Idea will be reinforcing its content offer on its digital platforms, responding to a growing demand for information on the strategy of companies and projects that stand out in the innovation and talent economy.
In addition to the episodes broadcast on SIC Notícias and SIC Internacional, there area series of Masterclasses will begin in December on The Next Big Idea YouTube channel and on the Google and Shilling platforms.
● How do you come up with ideas for a startup, and how do you know if it's a good idea?
How do you take a product from zero to being ready to launch?
What's more important: the product or the market?
Product Market Fit: what is it and how to find it?
Why do you need a co-founder? Isn't it better to do everything yourself?
How to build a dream team?
These are some of the questions to be answered with the vision and experience of Portuguese entrepreneurs who stand out in Portugal and on the global market in a series of sessions led by Rute Sousa Vasco, journalist and co-author of The Next Big Idea.
The Next Big Idea - Special Edition "Unique" is displayed Saturdays at 8:40 a.m. and Sundays at 4:40 p.m. on SIC NotíciasIt is also transmitted in the 15 countries where SIC Internacional is present.
About The Next Big Idea
The Next Big Idea is an open stage for innovation - in ideas, regardless of their origin and scope, and in companies, as a critical space for growth and progress. What originated as a content project - in partnership with SIC Notícias and side-by-side with the players in universities, incubators, startups and organizations who actively participate in the development of new ideas - has grown into a broad space for innovation, knowledge sharing and the dissemination of best practices. Today, the project's mission is not only to disseminate innovation and thus enable new ideas, practices and players to have a wider reach, but also to provide a support service for those who innovate.
Additional information at https://thenextbigidea.pt/.