Welcome to Microsoft × Portugal Ventures for Scale-ups
Together with Microsoft, we have brought together a selected group of Portugal Ventures portfolio companies for an exclusive afternoon dedicated to the challenges of scaling in enterprise environments.
Throughout this session, we will explore how product maturity, security discipline and go-to-market readiness can accelerate sustainable growth and unlock new opportunities with larger corporate customers.
During the afternoon, Microsoft experts, Portugal Ventures representatives and invited CEOs will share practical insights, real scaling experiences and strategic perspectives on product development, commercial readiness and enterprise growth.
More than a series of presentations, this session is intended to create a space for direct discussion, knowledge sharing and meaningful connections between founders, technology leaders and strategic partners.
Thank you for joining us.
Agenda
13:00 – 14:00 | Arrival, registration & welcome coffee
- Informal networking and founder arrivals.
14:00 – 14:20 | Welcome & framing
🎙️Speaker: Eduardo Arandilla
- Why Microsoft and Portugal Ventures are convening this session
- What founders should take away from the afternoon
- Framing Microsoft as a GTM, growth and partnership engine for scale-ups
14:20 – 14:30 | Welcome from PV
🎙️ Speaker: João Paulo Miranda (VP of the Board for Portugal Ventures)
- The opportunity to empower PV startups through a strong partnership with Microsoft
14:30 – 15:00 | GTM with Microsoft: Marketplace & Co-sell in practice
🎙️ Speaker: Cláudia Filipe
- How startups can create real momentum through Marketplace and co-sell
- What makes a startup commercially relevant to Microsoft teams
- Common mistakes founders make when trying to engage too early or without the right assets
- Practical view of what “co-sell ready” really means
15:00 – 15:30 | AI‑driven development: accelerating the path to MVP
🎙️ Speaker: Fred Santos
- How leadership is integrating AI tooling into day‑to‑day development workflows
- Reducing the gap between idea → prototype → usable MVP
15:30 – 16:00 | Secure by design: scaling without breaking trust
🎙️ Speaker: Miguel Caldas
- Cybersecurity and good practices for startups entering larger customer conversations
- Common risks in fast-moving teams
- Practical principles around security by default, data handling and risk reduction
- Why trust and security matter early in enterprise growth
16:00 – 16:20 | Break & networking
16:20 – 16:50 | Founder showcase
- Real scaling journey from the founder perspective
- Lessons from building product, growing team and handling enterprise expectations
- What helped, what slowed progress, and where partnerships created leverage
16:50 – 17:00 | Open discussion: scaling with Microsoft & enterprise reality
🎙️ Moderated discussion: André Mestre
- Enterprise access and commercial readiness
- Product-market maturity for larger customers
- Technical, hiring and execution gaps founders face while scaling
- Where Microsoft can add practical value
17:10 – 17:30 | Closing remarks & targeted introductions
- Clear call to action on how to continue the conversation after the event
