For the third consecutive year, Viana do Castelo is joining Portugal Tech Week, the largest decentralized innovation festival transforming Portugal's technological ecosystem. On November 6th, the city hosts a new edition of Viana do Castelo Tech Day, organized by 351 Portuguese Startup Association, in partnership with Dinamo10 Creative Hub, Untile, the Cooperativa Tecnológica, and the Municipality of Viana do Castelo, through Viana STARTS. This year, two new partners join: the Universidade Politécnica de Viana do Castelo (UNIPVC) and the group Viana Innovators.
This edition, running from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, features double the number of workshops and panels, with a special focus on university students and founders, while remaining open to the entire regional tech community. The event aims to foster debate and experience sharing in the tech sector, as well as boost networking among startups, companies, investors, academia, and students in the Alto Minho region.
The program includes the workshop “Data Center Lab: Myths, Facts, and Governance”, by the Cooperativa Tecnológica de Viana do Castelo, from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM, at the Cooperative's headquarters (Avenida do Cabo Verde, Lote 59, 4900-568 Viana do Castelo). This is a participatory session, requiring no computers or prior technical prerequisites, with a limited capacity of 15 participants. Registrations are available at luma.com/f3rq996q.
A Viana STARTS Think Tank on the role of Science, Technology, and the Arts in transforming Viana do Castelo will also take place from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the DINAMO10 space. This free participation event has limited spots for 20 attendees, with registrations at luma.com/u3tm0zdz. The goal is to identify existing resources, competencies, challenges, and opportunities locally to strengthen the Viana STARTS ecosystem.
The Viana Tech Day also features a Pitch Battle at the centenary Elevador de Santa Luzia, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, where entrepreneurs will present their business ideas to a jury of investors. Applications are open until October 23rd via an online form.
In the afternoon, running parallel to the Pitch Battle, the panel “After the Elevator: What Happened to the Ideas?” will feature participants from previous Pitch Battle editions sharing the outcomes of their projects. Speakers will be announced soon.
The closing session will be held in the Experimental Room of the Teatro Municipal Sá de Miranda, with the panel “From Viana to the Market”, focusing on scaling a business from a small city. This will be followed by the announcement of the Pitch Battle winners and a networking session. More information on speakers and the full Portugal Tech Week program is available on the official event website.
