December 7th 2017 – Espacio, Sandhill’s media Incubator and parent company today announces it has acquired PortugalStartups.com, a media publication dedicated to startup and entrepreneurial news in Portugal. Through the acquisition, Espacio aims to promote the publication’s growth and give a voice to the Portuguese tech scene, much like Techli for the Midwest startup scene.

PortugalStartups.com was founded in 2014 by Rafael Pires, Daniela Monteiro and Inês Silva to introduce the Portuguese startup scene to the world. The independent publication is focused on featuring inspiring stories of up-and-coming entrepreneurs, interviews with exciting startups that are prospering in their markets, and provides insight into Portugal’s great conditions to establish new businesses.

The promoters of the publication have been startup ecosystem builders, responsible for non-profit and community programs driving education, acceleration, and growth for startups.

“We are thrilled to take PortugalStartups.com onboard and hope to continue the legacy that its founders, Rafael, Daniela and Inês, have created,” said Espacio CEO Conrad Egusa. The former VentureBeat writer and Global Mentor at 500 Startups, founded Espacio with Eddie Arrieta.

“We are happy to see PortugalStartups.com joining Espacio. It will bring an extra layer of capacity, expertise, and exposure that will take the Portuguese Startup Scene even further,” says Pires.

“We have noticed a promising increase in interesting ideas and technology in Portugal, reflected in the number of incubators and investors heading there,” says Egusa. “At Espacio we will work to make sure this is mirrored in the media coverage – something PortugalStartups.com was created to do – and something we will continue.”

Recovering from an economic crisis, Portugal has since been thriving in the world’s entrepreneurial scene. A renewed spirit of innovation has led to an eruption of startups, helped by the country’s impressive bilingual education system and local support network – such as Startup Lisboa, ANJE, Beta-i, UPTEC, IPN, Startup Braga and ScaleUp Porto, to name a few. Portugal has significantly simplified the process of building a business, which has incentivized entrepreneurs to launch their own enterprises and has attracted others to the country.

“As more eyes look to Portugal as an emerging strategic tech hub we are excited to continue this mission of sharing Portugal’s own inspiring stories of growth and exploration in the startup sector with the world,” said Egusa.