Portugal Ventures

Portugal Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Porto, Portugal. Founded in 2012 as part of the Banco Português de Fomento group, it concentrates on investing in innovative, science- and technology-based companies and in tourism and industrial sectors. The firm targets early-stage funding, including pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, and also engages in expansion investments for small and medium enterprises seeking international growth. Its portfolio spans digital technology, manufacturing, therapeutics, health tech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, virtual reality and augmented reality, internet of things, and related areas, aiming to stimulate the Portuguese economy and support global scaling. Portugal Ventures emerged from the merger of AICEP Capital Global, InovCapital, and Turismo Capital, consolidating state-backed private equity activity to back startups and scale-ups in Portugal.

Maria João Almeida

Investor

Miguel Barbosa

Investment Director

Miguel Botto

Investment Director

António Nabais Carvalho

Director

Patrícia Costa Ph.D

Investment Manager

Pedro Cunha

Investment Manager

Afonso Granate Fernandes

Investor

Fernando Peres Ferreira

Investor

Rui Ferreira

Executive Vice President

Adelina Figueiredo

Investor

Teresa Fiúza

Executive Vice President

Pedro Grilo

Investment Manager

Nuno Macedo

Investment Manager

António Martinez

Investor

Adão Oliveira

Investor

Filomena Pastor

Investor

João Pereira

Investor

Pedro Quelhas

Investment Manager

Joana Rocha

Investor

Sílvia Silva

Investment Manager

Helena Taveira

Investor

Ana Lobo Xavier

Investor

Nuno de Almeida

Investment Manager

Past deals in Hospitality

Yon Living

Seed Round in 2024
Yon Living is creating a next-generation hotel brand based on shared living for people who can live and work from anywhere. The company also offers a community workspace experience that blends adventure, community, and productivity, and provides a web interface for searching for homes, a mobile app for booking and managing stays, and a community forum to connect with other users, enabling remote working setups in new locations.

HiJiffy

Venture Round in 2023
HiJiffy is a developer of an innovative guest communication platform that centralizes and automates hotel customer service activities. Used daily in over 1,400 hotels across 30 countries, the platform integrates advanced technology to streamline communication and enhance guest engagement. By utilizing artificial intelligence, HiJiffy enables hotels to provide personalized experiences and ensure instant responses 24/7, significantly increasing automation rates, which average around 80%. This robust solution not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps hotels attract younger generations and boost direct bookings, addressing the increasingly complex communication needs of guests.

Unlock Boutique Hotels

Seed Round in 2023
Unlock Boutique Hotels is a hotel management company founded in 2016 and based in Porto, Portugal. Specializing in small to medium-sized hotels, the company focuses on delivering unique and culturally authentic experiences to its guests. It operates a portfolio of boutique hotels that cater to various needs, including accommodations for weddings, meetings, events, and conferences, alongside in-house dining options. As a subsidiary of NEWMARK Hotels (Pty) Ltd, Unlock Boutique Hotels emphasizes excellence in hospitality while providing detailed information about stays in its distinctive locations across Portugal.

The Independente Collective

Series A in 2021
A hospitality group specializing in hybrid hotel-hostel properties, offering unique and authentic travel experiences. Each property is designed to make guests feel welcomed and relaxed while immersing them in the local culture.

Sleep & Nature

Venture Round in 2021
Based in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, Sleep & Nature specializes in constructing and operating wellness-focused hotels. Their properties offer accommodation units alongside various facilities designed to promote relaxation, stress relief, and improved sleep through holistic services.

Hostels HUB

Venture Round in 2021
Hostels HUB is a hostel developer that is looking for opportunities both in city as leisure locations around Portugal.

HiJiffy

Seed Round in 2020
HiJiffy is a developer of an innovative guest communication platform that centralizes and automates hotel customer service activities. Used daily in over 1,400 hotels across 30 countries, the platform integrates advanced technology to streamline communication and enhance guest engagement. By utilizing artificial intelligence, HiJiffy enables hotels to provide personalized experiences and ensure instant responses 24/7, significantly increasing automation rates, which average around 80%. This robust solution not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps hotels attract younger generations and boost direct bookings, addressing the increasingly complex communication needs of guests.

Wide Ocean Retreat

Venture Round in 2020
Wide Ocean Retreat is a business that specializes in organizing retreats focused on wellness and personal growth. It offers serene environments for its clients, featuring natural settings such as cliffs, waterfalls, forests, rivers, and sandy beaches. The company provides a range of services including suitable locations, healthy food options, outdoor classes, ayurvedic massages, surfing, horse riding, and hiking. These offerings are designed to help customers enhance their well-being and health through yoga and other wellness activities.

Fülhaus

Seed Round in 2020
Founded in 2015, Fülhaus specializes in furnishing solutions for hospitality and residential clients. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the company offers rapid sourcing, curation, installation, and photography services to help properties reach market readiness faster. In 2020, Fülhaus expanded its offerings to include furniture rental and interior design services for residential customers.

Azores Touch

Venture Round in 2019
Azores Touch is a tourism-focused business established in 2017 by Sérgio Cota. Based in the Azores, it offers comprehensive holiday planning services, including local accommodation rentals, car hire, and a wide array of land and sea-based activities. The company's mission is to provide tourists with a complete and remarkable experience during their stay in the Azores, ensuring memorable vacations through its extensive network of tourism partners.

Tripwix

Venture Round in 2019
Tripwix is a luxury vacation rental platform offering a curated portfolio of personally inspected and hosted properties in hand-picked locations around the world. The service provides selected accommodations with personalized local assistance and tailored services, enabling discerning travelers to enjoy high-quality stays and a reliable, enjoyable travel experience.

XLR8 Revenue Management

Seed Round in 2019
XLR8 Revenue Management specializes in enhancing the profitability of hotels and boutiques by providing tailored revenue management strategies. The company has developed an innovative revenue management system that acts as a strategic assistant, helping hospitality businesses forecast occupancy and optimize sales pricing and room availability. This platform simplifies complex processes, previously accessible mainly to large hotel chains, enabling all types of hotels to address their daily operational needs effectively. By focusing on maximizing revenue growth through improved efficiency and innovation, XLR8 aims to empower its clients to achieve better financial outcomes.

Great Hotels of the World

Seed Round in 2018
Great Hotels of the World is a renowned sales and marketing representation company for upscale independent hotels. They provide hotel sales and marketing alliances, sales, marketing, technology, and upscale independent hotels.

GuestU

Convertible Note in 2015
GuestU is a technology company that offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) mobile solutions specifically designed for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, the company operates in the United States, Spain, and China. GuestU provides a customizable mobile concierge platform that allows hotels, guesthouses, short-term rentals, and hostels to enhance the guest experience. This platform integrates with over 100 hotel systems, including property management systems, point of sale systems, and security locks, enabling hospitality providers to streamline operations and improve guest engagement. The mobile app offers features such as useful information, booking services, and offline GPS-guided routes, helping hoteliers to boost guest satisfaction. With a customer base exceeding 400 clients across more than 55 countries, GuestU is committed to optimizing the digital experience for both guests and hospitality operators.

GuestU

Seed Round in 2015
GuestU is a technology company that offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) mobile solutions specifically designed for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, the company operates in the United States, Spain, and China. GuestU provides a customizable mobile concierge platform that allows hotels, guesthouses, short-term rentals, and hostels to enhance the guest experience. This platform integrates with over 100 hotel systems, including property management systems, point of sale systems, and security locks, enabling hospitality providers to streamline operations and improve guest engagement. The mobile app offers features such as useful information, booking services, and offline GPS-guided routes, helping hoteliers to boost guest satisfaction. With a customer base exceeding 400 clients across more than 55 countries, GuestU is committed to optimizing the digital experience for both guests and hospitality operators.

B-Guest

Seed Round in 2015
B-Guest is a guest engagement platform designed to enhance the connection between hotels and their guests. The company specializes in providing innovative services that integrate seamlessly with hotel property management systems. B-Guest's offerings include automated check-in and check-out processes, which streamline operations and reduce paper usage, thereby saving time and costs for hotels while improving guest satisfaction. Additionally, the platform facilitates in-stay marketing campaigns, automating communication with guests through multiple channels such as email, SMS, and push notifications. B-Guest also features a mobile concierge service, allowing guests to access and request hotel services via a dedicated app or web interface. This comprehensive approach not only enhances the guest experience but also enables hotels to gather real-time feedback, mitigating the risk of negative reviews on social media.

XTourMaker

Seed Round in 2014
XTourMaker is a technology and services company that specializes in providing cloud-based mobile solutions for the hospitality and tourism sector. The company operates a web-based platform that enables users to create mobile applications and GPS tour guides tailored for hotels, bed and breakfasts, venues, tourism animation companies, tour operators, and various events. With a focus on innovation, XTourMaker has successfully delivered over 100,000 GPS-guided tours. Founded by a team of entrepreneurs with experience in launching tourism brands in Europe, the company has established a presence in both North America and Europe, contributing to its reputation as a fast-growing player in the industry.

GuestU

Seed Round in 2014
GuestU is a technology company that offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) mobile solutions specifically designed for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, the company operates in the United States, Spain, and China. GuestU provides a customizable mobile concierge platform that allows hotels, guesthouses, short-term rentals, and hostels to enhance the guest experience. This platform integrates with over 100 hotel systems, including property management systems, point of sale systems, and security locks, enabling hospitality providers to streamline operations and improve guest engagement. The mobile app offers features such as useful information, booking services, and offline GPS-guided routes, helping hoteliers to boost guest satisfaction. With a customer base exceeding 400 clients across more than 55 countries, GuestU is committed to optimizing the digital experience for both guests and hospitality operators.

Zarph

Venture Round in 2013
Zarph S.A. is a company based in Odivelas, Portugal, specializing in the design and development of payment kiosks, vending machines, point-of-sale systems, and outdoor payment terminals. Founded in 2009 and formerly known as G3p Technologies, Zarph focuses on cash management solutions that enable clients to efficiently manage banknotes and coins, authenticate currency, and centralize transaction data through a web platform. The company also offers MB WAY, an interbank solution for immediate purchases and transfers, and Fleet Manager, tailored for transport companies and organizations with gas stations. Additionally, Zarph provides consulting services in cash management, payment, and transaction security, along with software development and technical support for equipment maintenance. Its solutions cater to various sectors handling large volumes of cash, including retail, public transportation, healthcare, and financial services, thereby facilitating more efficient cash management processes for its clients.

Serafim Silva

Venture Round in 2011
Serafim Silva is a hotel management and accommodation in Nazaré.

GuestCentric

Venture Round in 2009
GuestCentric Systems, Inc. is a company that specializes in providing cloud-based digital marketing solutions tailored for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, GuestCentric develops software that enables hotels to create responsive websites accessible on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. Its offerings include a comprehensive booking engine, a social marketing module for publishing promotional deals, and a channel management tool designed to enhance sales and revenue. By utilizing these services, clients can effectively protect their brands, increase bookings, and engage with customers across all digital platforms.

GuestCentric

Venture Round in 2008
GuestCentric Systems, Inc. is a company that specializes in providing cloud-based digital marketing solutions tailored for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, GuestCentric develops software that enables hotels to create responsive websites accessible on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. Its offerings include a comprehensive booking engine, a social marketing module for publishing promotional deals, and a channel management tool designed to enhance sales and revenue. By utilizing these services, clients can effectively protect their brands, increase bookings, and engage with customers across all digital platforms.

Convent of Espinheiro

Venture Round in 2008
Convent of Espinheiro is a hotel that hosts meetings and gatherings. The company is based in Evora, Portugal.
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