Science4You, the Portuguese Startup that leads the toy market

Science4You is a Portuguese brand that leads the toy market. It develops, produces and sells scientific and educational toys. Its services also include training courses for Scientific Animation, Summer Camps and Birthday Parties. Science4You is an expert in the development of scientific and educational toys.

Headquartered in Loures, a space inaugurated in 2015 by the former President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, Science4you is a national brand born ten years ago. It is a startup which develops, produces and sells scientific toys.

Science4You was born out of a stroke of luck. In the final year of the Finance course at the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa, a professor handed Miguel Pina Martins a bag of folded papers. He took one out and learned the theme of the company he would have to create for his final degree project. He chose kits of Physics. Together with seven colleagues, they designed a scientific toy company in partnership with FCUL in Lisbon. They got 17 marks.

Miguel also went through banking before deciding to explore the idea. He invested 1,125 euros in savings, received 55,000 euros in venture capital and founded Science4You in February 2008. At first, he did everything himself: he created toys, designed boxes, managed accounts, sold products and delivered orders. He then hired someone to help him nine months later.

There are currently 90 workers in Lisbon, 10 in Madrid, where they opened an office in 2011, and four in the office they have had in London since 2013. At the same time, with the limitations of the Portuguese market, the only way to continue growing was to go international. The first destination was Spain.

The brand that has become a market leader in the field of educational and scientific toys featured in the Startup Magazine.