“If Europe is serious about digital transformation, it must be serious about supporting startups.” That message from João Silva, Head of Data & Tech and Public Policies at Startup Portugal, sets the tone for the upcoming S9+ Lisbon Conference, taking place on October 16 at the Pavilhão de Portugal.
In the lead-up to this gathering, Silva describes how Portugal’s presidency of the D9+ – a ministerial forum of Europe’s most digitally advanced countries – has become an opportunity to bring the startup voice to the centre of Europe’s digital agenda.
While ministers from the D9+ will meet to discuss digital competitiveness, the S9+ Coalition – a network of startup associations from the continent’s most digitally advanced countries – will meet in parallel to ensure that founders’ perspectives are heard.
Hosted by Startup Portugal, the S9+ conference will unite entrepreneurs, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders to discuss how Europe can strengthen its position as a continent of innovation and startups.
“The D9+ presidency presents a unique opportunity for Portugal to position itself not only as one of the most digitally advanced nations in Europe, but also as a leader in forward-thinking, practical digital policies,” Silva told Portugal Startup News, referring to the country chairing the forum in the second half of 2025.
He noted that this role gives Startup Portugal – the non-profit organization promoting entrepreneurship and supporting the national startup ecosystem – a greater responsibility to act as a bridge between founders and policymakers, ensuring that Europe’s digital agenda reflects the real challenges and priorities of entrepreneurs.
This expanded role comes as Portugal continues to consolidate its position among Europe’s digital leaders.
According to the European Commission’s State of the Digital Decade 2025 report, Portugal continues to perform strongly in digital public services – particularly in e-health – and remains fully on track to meet the national targets it has set in line with the EU’s 2030 goals.
Some challenges remain though, such as slower AI adoption among enterprises and gaps in digital skills, even as the country maintains solid connectivity networks.
At the S9+ Lisbon Conference, discussions will center on Europe’s competitiveness in key areas such as AI investment, regulatory simplification, and digital inclusion.
The program includes sessions like “Simplifying to Compete” and “Europe as the AI and Startup Continent,” with speakers from the European Commission, Microsoft, Remote, Defined.ai, the Center for Responsible AI, and other organizations contributing to different panels throughout the day.
“’Simplifying to Compete’ is more than a slogan – it’s a call to action,” Silva emphasizes. “If Europe wants its startups to scale globally, it must remove the structural frictions that still exist in its Single Market.”
He adds that Europe also needs to strengthen its technological base: “Europe must accelerate its investment in AI startups by investing earlier and more quickly. It should also work to bridge the compute gap through sovereign infrastructure and greater access to GPUs. Regulations need to strike a balance, protecting citizens without hampering innovation.”
Registration for the event is open and subject to approval, with priority given to participants from S9+ member ecosystems and to stakeholders directly involved in the D9+ policy agenda.
As Silva puts it, the ultimate goal is to turn intentions into impact – bringing the startup voice directly into ministerial decision-making and showing that digital excellence and entrepreneurship can advance together.
He hopes Portugal’s chairmanship will be remembered for leading by example: “If Portugal’s presidency shows that digital excellence and startup leadership go hand in hand, then we’ve done our job.”
Read the full interview below to learn how Startup Portugal and the S9+ Coalition are helping ensure that founders have a lasting voice in Europe’s digital future, as well as why he believes “you don’t need to be the biggest to lead – you need to be the most committed to getting things done.”
Portugal currently holds the presidency of the D9+, a ministerial forum of Europe’s most digitally advanced nations. What does this presidency represent for the country, and how is Startup Portugal helping shape Europe’s digital agenda?
The D9+ presidency presents a unique opportunity for Portugal to position itself not only as one of the most digitally advanced nations in Europe, but also as a leader in forward-thinking, practical digital policies.
For Startup Portugal, this means stepping up our role as a bridge between founders and policymakers – ensuring that Europe’s digital agenda reflects the realities and needs of entrepreneurs on the ground.
Through the S9+ Summit, we’re bringing startup associations from across the D9+ countries to Lisbon, creating a forum where innovation leaders can speak directly to government representatives. It’s about putting startups at the table, not on the sidelines, and reinforcing our country’s position as a European innovative champion.
In your role leading data, tech, and public policies at Startup Portugal, what are some misconceptions about how data informs policymaking – and what changes if we start getting it right?
A major misconception is that more data automatically means better decisions. In reality, data without context leads to policies that are reactive, not strategic. The difference lies in knowing what to measure, why it matters, and how to act on it.
When executed effectively, data serves as a tool to prioritize investments, monitor the actual impact of public policies, and develop regulations that are fit for purpose.
At Startup Portugal, we have worked to enhance the national framework with a Startup Law, and we are building an ecosystem data infrastructure to ensure public policy is not only well-intentioned but also measurable, accountable, and responsive.
With Lisbon hosting both the D9+ Ministerial Meeting and the S9+ Lisbon Conference, what are your main priorities for ensuring these discussions lead to real improvements for startups?
Our main focus is to ensure founders’ voices are heard and reflected in ministerial commitments. This involves highlighting areas where regulation hinders growth and where red tape can be cut down, identifying quick wins in simplification and cross-border scaling, developing a European strategy on AI adoption to equip the economy for the present and future, and ensuring that access to talent and funding is regarded as a pan-European issue.
The S9+ is more than symbolic – it’s crafted to deliver a collective declaration, supported by startup associations from multiple countries, with specific proposals for the D9+ to discuss, and hopefully implement and lead.
Startup Portugal has emphasized Europe’s need for a “practical, founder-centric agenda” to compete globally – especially on AI, the Single Market, and smarter regulation. What does that agenda look like in practice?
It means shifting the policy focus from what sounds good on paper to what actually removes barriers for startups: Harmonized and simplified rules between Member States that allow us to reach our full potential together.
More efficient, quicker compliance options, especially for AI, data, and fintech sectors. Easier access to public procurement and European programs. Talent policies designed to enable founders to hire more swiftly.
This approach must characterize Europe’s strategy – competing not by copying Silicon Valley but by creating a new and shared model that enables balancing European values and innovation.
Many founders still feel disconnected from policymaking. How can the D9+ and S9+ platforms help close that gap – and how is Portugal’s presidency advancing that goal?
These platforms embed feedback by involving founders in policy discussions early on. At the S9+, we are not only hosting conversations but also presenting the S9+ declaration from the ecosystem directly to decision makers at the D9+ Ministerial Meeting.
This approach, we believe, helps close the gap by establishing direct, regular, transparent, and trusted channels between ecosystems and governments.
We must be vocal when we can, active in ecosystem events and policy areas, ensuring our voices are heard. While not every request may be accepted, the active involvement of founders, investors, and other stakeholders with policymakers is crucial for creating better policies.
“Simplifying to Compete” is a headline theme this year. What areas of regulatory simplification could most help startups scale across Europe?
“Simplifying to Compete” is more than a slogan – it’s a call to action. If Europe wants its startups to scale globally, it must remove the structural frictions that still exist in its Single Market. At Startup Portugal, we believe three areas of regulatory simplification stand out:
1- A European Legal Framework for Startups – the 28th Regime
Europe needs an optional legal identity for startups to operate across borders without setting up multiple entities. We support the idea of a 28th regime: a voluntary, harmonized corporate structure that allows startups to incorporate once and scale across the EU with shared templates, simplified reporting, and interoperable rules. This would drastically cut legal and administrative costs, especially for early-stage founders.
2- AI and Data Regulation Tailored to Startup Realities
Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the AI Act, and future rules must be designed with startup constraints in mind. We’re not asking for lower standards – just clear, practical guidance and proportional obligations. A regulatory sandbox embedded in the 28th regime, for instance, could offer startups a more predictable pathway to compliance without stifling innovation.
3- Operational Simplification – especially for cross-border scaling
From opening a company to hiring talent or granting employee stock options across countries, European startups face unnecessary hurdles. A startup shouldn’t need five different lawyers to enter five different markets. A unified approach to digital procedures, taxation thresholds, and equity incentives would be a game-changer.
Let’s be clear: simplification is not deregulation. It’s about making the rules understandable, implementable, and scalable – especially for smaller, fast-moving companies. A founder should focus on solving problems and building businesses, not on navigating bureaucracy designed for 50-year-old corporations.
Europe has the talent and ambition. What it needs now is an ecosystem built for speed and scale – and regulatory simplification is the lever to get there.
The conference also explores Europe as the “AI and Startup Continent” and the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy. What must Europe do differently to lead on AI, and what would meaningful implementation of Europe’s startup vision look like?
Europe must accelerate its investment in AI startups by investing earlier and more quickly. It should also work to bridge the compute gap through sovereign infrastructure and greater access to GPUs.
Regulations need to strike a balance, protecting citizens without hampering innovation. Regarding the Startup and Scaleup Strategy, it should provoke a significant shift in how the EU and its citizens deal with investment
We’re still very dependent on banking intermediaries to fund our companies, even though they lack the expertise and sensibility to invest in startups.
So this strategy must bolster alternative ways of funding that better align with founders’ needs, not solely banking or corporate interests. It also should foster real incentives for public sector procurement of startups.
Additionally, establishing KPI-driven national plans ensures that progress is systematic rather than left to chance.
Portugal is increasingly recognized as one of Europe’s most digitally advanced countries. What do you think Portugal does particularly well that Europe should pay more attention to?
Portugal excels in building digital public services that actually work. From citizen ID to business registration, we’ve achieved levels of efficiency many countries are still aiming for. In 2025, Portugal created one new unicorn – Tekever – placing us alongside Ireland, France, and Italy, and ahead of much larger European economies
On the startup front, we punch above our weight in deep tech, AI, and health innovation – with companies like Feedzai, Sword Health, and Defined AI as proof points.
What Europe can learn from Portugal is that small countries can scale smart policy, and that digital government and startup ecosystems can grow together – not in silos.
What do you see as Startup Portugal’s most valuable contribution so far – in Portugal and at the European level?
At the national level, our main contribution has been turning talk into action for founders. We built a One Stop Shop to help entrepreneurs navigate policy and institutions. We widened the talent funnel through the Startup Visa, Tech Visa, and the Tax Incentive for Scientific Research and Innovation (IFICI), making it easier for founders and skilled professionals to build from Portugal.
We established the National Network of Incubators (NNI) to enhance the quality of support provided to startups, ensuring consistency and professional standards nationwide. And we’ve helped founders go global through Road 2 Web Summit, international missions, and global exposure initiatives.
At the same time, we’ve focused on strengthening the ecosystem’s infrastructure – mapping the stakeholders nationwide, and building the kind of evidence policymakers can actually act on.
At the European level, our role has been about alignment and voice. We work to bring founders directly into public policy discussions and ministerial meetings such as the D9+, and we helped launch the Europe Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) – giving governments and associations a common platform to align definitions, data, and startup policy implementation.
In short, Startup Portugal’s value lies in execution at home and influence in Europe – reducing friction for founders, grounding policy in data, and making sure the people who build companies are finally in the room when decisions are made.
As Portugal prepares to hand over the presidency, what do you hope will be remembered as the legacy of this term – both for the D9+ and for Europe’s startup ecosystem?
I hope we’ll be remembered for turning good intentions into action. That we brought the startup voice directly into ministerial decision-making, and that the D9+ left Lisbon with a clearer, sharper, more founder-focused agenda.
If Portugal’s presidency shows that digital excellence and startup leadership go hand in hand, then we’ve done our job.
You don’t need to be the biggest to lead – you need to be the most committed to getting things done.
Is there any additional comment you’d like to make?
Europe can no longer afford digital strategies that treat startups as an afterthought. If Europe is serious about digital transformation, it must be serious about supporting startups.
And Portugal is proud to help lead that conversation – not just this semester, but for the long haul.
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