Portugal Startup News

The winners of the 2025 Entrepreneurship Awards by Unicorn Factory Lisboa have been announced, celebrating the people and startups driving innovation across Portugal’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Organized by Unicorn Factory Lisboa – a Lisbon City Hall flagship initiative – the annual awards recognize outstanding contributions to entrepreneurship, innovation, and community building. 

This year’s edition introduced two new distinctions – the Rising Female Award and the International Personality Award – expanding the program’s recognition of excellence and diversity within Portugal’s innovation landscape.  

The ceremony took place on Thursday at the Técnico Innovation Center, and the list of winners was shared on Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s Instagram page.

2025 award winners

Here’s the full list of winners, selected from a pool of nominees representing some of Portugal’s most promising entrepreneurs and startups.

Rising Female Award – Isabel Carapeta

Isabel Carapeta is the founder and CEO of Simplifyer, a fintech startup founded in 2024 that turns everyday receipts into financial clarity for Gen Z, freelancers, and microenterprises.

Its mobile app makes personal finance simple and rewarding, while its analytics dashboard converts millions of receipts into real-time insights for retailers and brands. 

Carapeta was featured on the Forbes Portugal 30 Under 30 for 2025 list for her contributions to financial technology and entrepreneurship.

International Personality Award – Veronica Costa Orvalho

Veronica Costa Orvalho is the founder and CEO of Didimo and a professor and researcher at the University of Porto. Through Didimo, she leads the development of advanced automated solutions for 3D character creation, enabling game studios and developers to generate thousands of unique, lifelike characters with ease. 

Her research in computer graphics has driven innovations in virtual interaction, trust, and empathy in digital communication, with her inventions adopted by companies such as Universal Studios, Sony, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Guided by this vision, Didimo is on a mission to make technology feel more human, bringing the richness of real communication into every virtual experience.  

Ecosystem Award – Ana Casaca

Ana Casaca is the global director of innovation at Galp, where she drives initiatives that support the company’s transition toward a more sustainable energy future.

Describing herself as a “corporate intrapreneur,” she focuses on building bridges between people and disciplines to encourage collaboration and advance innovation within the energy sector.  

Most Promising Startup – Lampsy Health

Lampsy Health supports families affected by epilepsy through intelligent monitoring technology. Its solution detects abnormal movements with “over 99% accuracy” and allows users to share video recordings, helping families and caregivers improve care and feel more at ease.

Youth Startup Award – ROOTKey

ROOTKey is reshaping cybersecurity with an innovative approach to digital protection. Rather than depending on traditional security methods, the company leverages blockchain technology to decentralize and secure digital assets, ensuring the integrity, ownership, and authenticity of information even against sophisticated cyberattacks.

Most Impactful Startup – ubbu

ubbu combines coding with play to teach children aged 6 to 12 essential problem-solving and digital citizenship skills. Through interactive lessons and games, it helps schools and families make coding both engaging and educational.

Entrepreneur of the Year (João Vasconcellos Award) – Felipe Ávila da Costa

Felipe Ávila da Costa is the co-founder and CEO of Infraspeak, a facilities management platform that streamlines operations by connecting teams, improving visibility, and enabling intelligent automation.

Highlighting innovation and community impact 

The event brought together founders, investors, corporates, and policymakers for a series of speeches, discussions, and networking sessions. 

According to Adolfo Magalhães, director and partner at Startup World Cup Portugal, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas emphasized the city’s ambition to become a global benchmark for innovation, while Gil Azevedo, executive director of Unicorn Factory Lisboa, reiterated the project’s mission to connect talent, ambition, and opportunity. 

A highlight of the program was the panel discussion “Unicorns Without Borders”, moderated by journalist Mariana Barbosa.

It featured Marcelo Lebre of Remote, Alex Santos of Startup Portugal and Chamaeleon, Cristina Fonseca of Indico Capital Partners, and Simon Schaefer of Factory and Allied For Startups, offering perspectives on the internationalization of Portugal’s startup ecosystem. 

As noted by the Startup World Cup Portugal official, the ceremony reflected the maturity of the country’s entrepreneurial community and the growing visibility of Lisbon as a European innovation hub. 

“It was an afternoon filled with ideas, energy, and a shared belief that Portugal is ready to lead the next chapter of global innovation,” he wrote.

Featured image: Courtesy of Unicorn Factory Lisboa