Call Açores

What is Call Açores

Call Açores aims to promote access to venture capital financing for innovative projects with headquarters and/or activity in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
Portugal Ventures is willing to invest up to €500,000 per company/project.
Submissions are closed.

Companies in the following stages are eligible:

In the following verticals:

Tourism (Tourist Activities, Travel & Leisure, Tech);
Life Sciences (Therapeutics, Med Tech, Diagnostics);
Tech (Software: Cloud & IT, Enterprise and SaaS, Mobile, Software, E-marketplaces);
Other (namely Aerospatiale, Endogenous Resources, Energy, Agri-food sector, forestry industry and ocean industry, nanotechnology and materials)

Companies not yet to be incorporated in the Azores, but willing to set up the company, relocate their headquarters or open a branch in the region, and that plan to develop activities with a relevant impact in the Azores, namely in terms of hiring or relocating human resources and development of commercial and strategic relationships with companies and R&D centers in the Autonomous Region.
These companies will have to be incorporated as public limited companies. If the company is already incorporated and is not a limited liability company, it will have to be transformed into a limited liability company upon investment.
1. Incorporated companies with their registered office in the Azores and that meet the following criteria:
  - They are considered an SME, in accordance with European designation;
  - They have settled all payments owing to the Tax and Customs Authority and Social Security;
  - They have innovative tradable goods or services and directly and/or indirectly promote an increased export capacity of the Azores, and project a positive image of the Autonomous Region; and/or
  - Plan the development of new products and the financing of innovative projects in terms of processes, products, organization, or marketing; and/or
  - Develop growth, expansion, and internationalization projects

Projects most likely to be invested in will have the following characteristics:

An original idea of and led by the founders;
Be promoted by multidisciplinary teams;
Focus on tradable goods or services that are part of international value chains;
A clear strategy to protect and enhance intellectual property, if applicable;
Significant global market potential;
Implementable with available resources;
Covered by the incentive schemes for the Autonomous Region of the Azores (A.R.A.), if applicable;
Promote the export capacity of the A.R.A.;
Promote the image of the A.R.A. as a nature and environmentally sustainable destination;
Foster entrepreneurship in the A.R.A.