Portuguese startup Granter, which uses artificial intelligence to help organizations identify funding opportunities, prepare applications, and manage approved projects, has raised €1.6 million in an investment round to support its international expansion.
According to a press statement, the round was led by 3xP Global through its Impact Innovation Fund, under the Venture Capital Program of the Capitalization and Resilience Fund (FdCR), managed by Banco Português de Fomento, Portugal’s state development bank.
Other participants included Celtis Venture Partners, Gateway Ventures, which is backed by investors from Austria and Germany, and Deel, the U.S. human resources company.
The investment follows €400,000 previously raised from Techstars, Mission, and Angels Way, bringing Granter’s total funding to €2 million.
Expansion plans and customer base
The new capital will allow Granter to more than double its team by the end of 2026 and accelerate its expansion into Spain, Germany, and Italy, where the startup already has investors and initial commercial connections.
The United States is also a medium-term priority. Portugal remains the company’s main market.
Granter won PITCH, Web Summit’s startup competition, in November 2025. Since then, the company says it has supported more than 140 businesses in applications for over €30 million in funding.
Its clients include ANA Airports, MC Sonae, Galp, the Portuguese Navy, and Fidelidade, although its primary focus is on helping SMEs and startups access European funding.
Bernardo Seixas, co-founder and CEO of Granter, said many companies struggle to access public funding because they lack the time, resources, or expertise to navigate complex application processes.
“This capital will allow us to meet the demand we have been seeing,” he noted, adding that the investment would help prepare the company for expansion across the European Union and into the United States.
Rita Branco, Board Member at 3xP Global, said the investment aligns with the firm’s focus on companies that combine economic value with social and environmental impact.
She highlighted Granter’s role in helping organizations of all sizes access financing for innovation, energy transition, and social development projects.
AI platform relaunch
Alongside its expansion plans, Granter is relaunching its AI Grant Consultant with a more intuitive, chat-based interface designed to further simplify the application process.
The platform allows organizations to interact with an AI agent to identify funding opportunities, prepare applications, and manage approved projects.
According to the company, tasks that previously required weeks of work and often involved specialist consultants can now be completed in “under an hour.”
Granter also offers a free trial period, allowing users to begin preparing funding applications through the platform from day one.
Featured image: Co-founders Bernardo Seixas (CEO, left) and Bernardo Tavares (CTO) lead Granter’s mission to democratize grant funding with AI. (Photo courtesy of Granter)
