• Winners of the Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal entrepreneurship competition were presented at a gala held last weekend.
• The 10th edition of the competition saw 10,620 business ideas submitted.
• The initiative took place for the first time in the north, with the support of Vila Nova de Gaia City Council, and was open to the online community.

LisbonOctober 11, 2021 - The winners of the 11th edition of the Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal competition were announced last Saturday, among more than 10,000 ideas submitted to the entrepreneurship contest promoted by Acredita Portugal and Banco Montepio. The initiative's Gala took place in a hybrid format, being held in Vila Nova de Gaia and made available to the community via its own digital platform.

The six winning projects, selected in an evaluation session of pitch by a jury made up of invited partners and entrepreneurs, are integrated into axes of social entrepreneurship (Social Entrepreneurship Award, supported by Banco Montepio), technology (K.Tech Award, supported by KCS iT), innovation linked to water (H2O Innovation Award by Águas de Gaia), mobility (Brisa Mobility Award) and the creation of new businesses. smart cities (Gaia 3C Award: Circular Construction of the City), along with the general category of the Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal Competition, and reflect the comprehensive nature of the initiative.

• Social Entrepreneurship Award: Techtale - A solution that aims to help therapists specializing in pediatric neurological rehabilitation to make their care more practical and personalized, through customizable games and e-books that can be adjusted according to patients' needs.
• K.Tech Award: Job Coach - JobCoach brings together students, companies and education on a digital platform that streamlines students' entry into the job market, matches finalists with the market and innovates the current recruitment paradigm by eliminating pain points
• Brisa Mobility Award 2021: We Can Charge - Solution for intelligently managing and controlling charging networks for electric vehicles.
• H2O Innovation Award: PWTech - PWTech was born with the aim of bringing quality water to places that are difficult to access and have little infrastructure. Its operations have expanded over the years, and today the product supports everything from forest firefighting teams to the construction, agricultural and basic industries. As well as being robust, adaptable, lightweight and portable, the product has now definitively entered the world of sustainable cities, smart cities and "internet of things".
• Gaia 3C Award: ROOTure - ROOTure is a collaborative e-commerce platform that connects sellers with buyers of handmade products. The aim of the project is to connect and bring together artisans and designers, especially from sparsely populated regions, in a process of co-creation that emphasizes the needs and expectations of potential customers in order to meet the demands of the global market, promoting innovation and the possibility of sharing techniques and knowledge.
• Montepio Acredita Portugal Award - Mum's Cooking: Portuguese brand of healthy frozen food. Healthy, because it's all homemade, made without additives and with organic ingredients. Frozen, so it's on hand whenever you need it!

The originality of this 11th edition of the Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal competition is explained by Fernando Fraga, Director of Innovation at Acredita Portugal, since this "It was the first edition of the competition to be held online in a planned and structured way. Although the competition has always had a strong digital component, this change has allowed us to better prepare the support we give to entrepreneurs without actually being with them in the same space. On the other hand, it was an edition that came at a time of several social changes, when many Portuguese people lost their jobs due to the pandemic. These entrepreneurs usually already have a lot of experience in their field, and just lack some basic knowledge of management and structuring their business idea. We support entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools and are often the ignite that shows people that they are capable and can even develop a project of their own. We end up serving as a gateway into the entrepreneurial ecosystem and a vehicle for people who never thought of themselves as entrepreneurs to enter this incredible world of entrepreneurship.".

The winning projects, which have already been through a two-and-a-half month Acceleration Program and had access to mentoring from Acredita Portugal's network of partners and experts, will now receive a package of services designed to support their entry or consolidation in the market and access to various incubation spaces.

The Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal Competition is the largest national entrepreneurship competition and the second largest in the world - having supported more than 100,000 projects in its 10 years of activity - and aims to identify, develop, reward and promote the launch of innovative ideas. Born to be a platform for encouraging entrepreneurship, Associação Acredita Portugal brings together experience, know-how and a network established over more than a decade to help find new directions in a climate of uncertainty, where everyone's commitment and contribution are essential.

About the Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal competition:

The Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal Competition is a non-profit initiative that organizes the largest annual entrepreneurship competition in Portugal, with more than 10,000 entrepreneurial projects every year and a total of 100,000 projects supported. Its partners help to boost companies or projects at an early stage, offering everything from mentoring and training to investment and numerous prizes.

The initiative is aimed at anyone who has a business idea but doesn't know how to implement it. Registration is free and prior training in entrepreneurship, gender or age are not relevant. The Banco Montepio Acredita Portugal competition aims to reward the best projects and help all Portuguese to develop their entrepreneurial ideas.

Additional information at www.acreditaportugal.pt