Felipe Ávila receives João Vasconcelos Award - Entrepreneur of the Year
The initiative of Unicorn Factory Lisboa (UFL) annually honors founders, startups and leaders of the ecosystem who have driven innovation and economic growth, both nationally and internationally, in sectors such as health technology, sustainability, education and artificial intelligence.
More than 300 startups are entering the Unicorn Factory programs, says executive director Gil Azevedo. UFL's mission, he stresses, must now "be a bridge", to connect foreign innovation, but above all "to support Portuguese innovation to grow internationally".
"Innovation is about jobs, growth and democracy," said the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, at the awards ceremony this afternoon at the Técnico Innovation Center in the Saldanha Innovation District, which brought together around 500 people, including founders, investors and innovators.
"We started out with the idea that we could welcome more unicorn companies. And it wasn't just about unicorn companies. It was the idea that if we had unicorn companies, we would have more companies." Since 2021, "more than 82 different companies have come to the city and we've created 16,000 jobs," he added.
In this year's edition, the jury distinguished the winners of seven categories:
- João Vasconcelos Award - Felipe Ávila da Costa, CEO of Infraspeak ,a facilities management software platform
- Ecosystem - Ana Casaca (GALP)
- Most Impactful Startup - Ubbu
- Youth Startup - RootKey
- Most Promising Startup - Lampsy
- Female Rising Star - Isabel Carapeta (Simplifyer)
- International Personality - Verónica Orvalho (Didimo)
João Vasconcelos Award honors leadership and evolution
The five finalists for 2025 were: Cody Candee - Bounce; Felipe Ávila da Costa - Infraspeak; Filipe Nery - Lyzer; Pedro Henriques - Bridge In; Xavier Jameson - Musiversal. In total, "they have already attracted an investment of 82 million euros", and created "more than 400 jobs".
Started in 2020, the award aims to recognize and reward annually the entrepreneur or team of entrepreneurs of a project with permanent activity in Portugal, who stands out for their leadership skills and evolution throughout the year. The trophy is symbolized by boxing gloves.
It also pays tribute to João Vasconcelos' fundamental role in the growth of the ecosystem.