Funding, grants, accelerators, competitions, pilots, and visibility opportunities for AI startups, data products, automation tools, and AI-enabled SaaS teams.
29 current opportunities
Funding guide
AI founders often need a mix of funding, customer access, compute/data resources, technical validation, and investor visibility. This guide brings the AI-relevant opportunities together so you can focus on the best fit.
Current opportunities
29 opportunities shown.
Portugal-based, technology-focused early-stage startups with a live product and website that want Web Summit preparation, an exhibition presence, investor and ecosystem connections, and international visibility.
Selected startups receive a 50% discount on a Web Summit 2026 ALPHA or BETA package, including three or four tickets, a one-day exhibition booth, startup activations, app and lounge access, event preparation support, and a dedicated Startup Success team. Eligible participants can also compete for a €15,000 Most Promising Startup prize or a €5,000 bootcamp and conference performance prize. Build Up Labs can support founders with the Startup Portugal Recognition process.
Apply free by 30 Sep 2026, or earlier if all places fill. Applicants must be Portugal-based legal entities with a valid NIPC, a live website, a developed brand and their own technology product or connected hardware. Startup / Scaleup Recognition is required, except for startups incubated in a certified RNI incubator that have already started the recognition process. Companies must have under 10 years of activity, although Web Summit may reject companies older than five years. Consultancies, agencies, subsidiaries of large companies, public companies, and startups that already bought Web Summit 2026 ALPHA/BETA access are not eligible. Selected teams must pay the remaining 50% package fee within 10 working days and showcase physically at Web Summit.
Startups and SMEs in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries with a game-changing, high-risk innovation that has completed TRL 5 and is ready for TRL 6-8 activities, strong scale-up ambition, and funding needs that private investors alone will not yet cover.
A grant component below €2.5 million for innovation activities, plus €1-€10 million in direct equity or quasi-equity for blended-finance applicants. Selected companies also receive coaching, mentoring, investor and partner access, and other EIC Business Acceleration Services.
Submit a short proposal at any time; these are batched on the first Tuesday of each month at 17:00 Brussels time. A GO is required before submitting a full proposal, with the final 2026 full-proposal batch on 4 Nov. Eligible applicants include single startups and SMEs, people or entities establishing one before the full proposal, and small mid-caps applying for investment only; third-country applicants must relocate to an eligible country before Step 2.
Early-stage digital and deep tech startups in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries with a working prototype or proof of concept at TRL 4-5 or above, strong IP ownership, and a real industry challenge to validate with a corporate partner.
Selected ventures can receive up to €250,000 of 28DIGITAL financial support, co-create directly with industry partners, access fundraising assistance, join 28DIGITAL training and mentoring support, and gain visibility across its European innovation ecosystem.
Apply by the next cut-off on 8 Sep 2026 at 17:00 CEST. Applicants must be micro or small enterprises incorporated within the last five years, have at least two FTEs, own or control the relevant IP, request a maximum of €250,000, and offer 3.5-7% equity to 28DIGITAL. Open Challenge Track applicants need their own challenge partner and proof of commitment.
Technology startups and scaleups with an operational product, customer, revenue, or investment traction, and plans to expand into Hong Kong or wider Asian markets within the next 24 months.
Qualified companies can access market-readiness support, targeted networking, and matchmaking with 120+ corporate and investor partners. Shortlisted teams may join virtual pitching, while semi-finalists receive a Hong Kong event booth and eligible travel reimbursement.
Apply by 25 Sep 2026. Applicants need an existing product or solution, evidence of home-market traction, and a credible Asia expansion plan. The programme is free to apply, but selection for pitching, matchmaking meetings, travel support, and other benefits is not guaranteed.
Solo founders, teams, and aspiring entrepreneurs building a technology startup, including people still working full-time, who want a structured path from idea validation to an investor-ready company.
The four-month FI Core programme combines company-building sprints, mentor feedback, working groups, office hours, product and customer validation, and fundraising preparation, with access to Founder Institute's global network.
The early application deadline passed on 18 Aug 2026. Apply by the final deadline on 29 Sep. The hybrid Portugal cohort begins with onboarding on 1 Oct and includes required online and in-person sessions, weekly deliverables, and participation in Founder Institute's Equity Collective during the programme.
Early-stage startups, microenterprises, and entrepreneurs with an innovative, scalable solution who want a concise investor-facing pitch opportunity and visibility with the Fórum PME Magazine audience.
Selected teams get three minutes to pitch to an investor jury and the Fórum PME Magazine audience at Taguspark in Oeiras, with a €5,000 cash prize for the overall winner.
Applications are open through the official information and candidature form, but no closing date is stated. Applicants should be early-stage startups, microenterprises, or entrepreneurs ready to present a three-minute pitch. The final takes place on 28 Oct 2026 at Núcleo Central Taguspark in Oeiras.
Digital health startups working on prevention, patient empowerment, early detection, AI-enabled diagnostics, clinical decision support, or patient-facing health tools that want visibility with Bayer, healthcare experts, investors, and the Portuguese health innovation ecosystem.
Bayer's 11th STEM4Health edition gives selected startups expert evaluation, pitch and networking exposure with Bayer, investors, healthcare and technology professionals, plus a winner package with Medical Valley mentoring and a Web Summit ticket.
Applications are open through Bayer's form. Best fit teams should be digital health startups aligned with the 2026 theme: Digital Prevention and Patient Empowerment - Tools for Early Detection. Candidate projects are evaluated by a jury with Bayer representatives and external specialists, and the main programme/networking moment is scheduled for 23 Sep 2026.
Early-stage startups and SMEs with health-focused digital solutions that want healthcare stakeholder exposure, pilot or validation opportunities, clinical feedback, and visibility in Portugal's health innovation ecosystem.
Selected teams showcase at the IHT Conference HealthTech Showroom, join guided tours with expert groups, connect with clinicians, healthcare decision-makers and potential partners, get direct feedback, unlock pilot, validation and funding conversations, and receive two free full-access conference tickets.
Applications close 7 Sep 2026. Applicants should be SMEs with health-focused digital solutions and meet the startup criteria stated in the guidelines: established less than five years ago and annual revenue below €1M. Selected teams are expected to confirm participation between 14-21 Sep 2026 and attend the showroom at IHT Conference on 27-28 Oct 2026.
Early-stage startups with outstanding potential that want Web Summit visibility in Lisbon, investor and media exposure, startup activations, and a structured event preparation path with the startup success team.
Selected ALPHA startups receive three Web Summit tickets, a startup profile visible to attendees, investors, media, and partners, a one-day exhibition booth, a printed exhibition board, access to the Web Summit app, Startup Lounge, startup activations, and support from a dedicated startup success manager. Accepted startups can also apply for activations such as PITCH, Startup Showcase, 40 Words, Mentor Hours, masterclasses, roundtables, and investor-to-startup meetings. Startups selected through Build Up Labs' referral route receive 20% off automatically at checkout.
Apply through the Build Up Labs referral link with a business email address. Web Summit assesses applicants for high potential and programme fit; the 20% discount is applied only after selection, at checkout. PITCH is open to ALPHA and BETA startups exhibiting at Web Summit that have received less than €5M in funding to date and have not had a discernible change in business model in the last three years.
Startups with traction or fundraising momentum that fit Web Summit's BETA route and want concentrated access to investors, media, startup showcases, mentor sessions, and Web Summit's global founder network in Lisbon.
Accepted BETA startups can use Web Summit to build visibility with attendees, investors, international media, strategic partners, and potential customers. The startup programme highlights access to investor-to-startup meetings, Mentor Hours, Startup Showcase, 40 Words, startup masterclasses, PITCH eligibility, the Web Summit app, and startup success support to prepare for the event. Startups selected through Build Up Labs' referral route receive 20% off automatically at checkout.
Apply through the Build Up Labs referral link with a business email address. Web Summit reviews companies for high potential and fit; the 20% discount is applied only after selection, at checkout. BETA startups exhibiting at Web Summit may apply for PITCH if they have raised less than €5M to date and have not had a discernible business-model change in the last three years.
Agrifood startups and research teams with TRL 4-7 solutions that can address real company challenges in ingredients, greenhouse optimisation, pet-food drying, circular ecosystems, soil resilience, water treatment, or microalgae ingredients.
The programme connects solution providers with European agrifood SMEs and corporates to co-develop feasibility studies and pilot-ready solutions, giving startups direct customer validation, market credibility, and access to a pan-European agrifood network.
Applications close 30 Sep 2026. Applicants should review the listed company challenges, select the most relevant problem, and show a strong fit with agrifood needs, TRL 4-7 readiness, and ability to co-develop a pilot-ready or feasibility-study solution between Oct and Dec 2026.
Portuguese-registered deep-tech startups and scaleups with differentiated technology or protected IP, market validation, and a clear intent to enter the U.S. market.
UT Austin Portugal’s Startup2ScaleUp gives four selected companies 12 months of execution-focused U.S. market-entry support, including a dedicated U.S.-based Business Development Manager, lead generation for customers, partners, and investors, weekly touchpoints, monthly pipeline reporting, and access to the Texas/U.S. innovation ecosystem. The programme charges no participation fees and takes no equity.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and close once four companies are selected. Applicants should be Portuguese-registered deep-tech companies beyond pure R&D, ready for commercialization, and able to commit founder time, speed, accountability, and active collaboration with UT Austin Portugal and the Global Innovation Lab.
European SMEs, startups, and research organisations building defence or dual-use technologies, especially teams with AI, cyber, quantum, energy, surveillance, digital, hardware, advanced materials, or other deep tech that can be adapted to defence applications.
The EDF 2026 work programme allocates about €1B to collaborative defence R&D, including dedicated EUDIS non-thematic SME calls. SME-led research actions can fund projects up to €4M and SME development actions up to €6M, with business coaching support to help move R&D results toward defence products and market entry.
Applications close 29 Sep 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. EDF projects generally require cross-border consortia from EU Member States or Norway; the SME research call requires an SME coordinator, at least TRL 4, disruptive defence impact, and limits research organisations to 40% of the requested grant budget.
Portuguese technology startups legally incorporated for less than six years, especially teams with innovative industry 4.0/5.0 solutions in robotics, automation, industrial software, maintenance, manufacturing, composites, moulds, or related industrial technology.
Three selected startups receive free participation in the HubTech space at 360 Tech Industry Lisboa on 26-27 Nov 2026 at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, with exposure to industrial companies, engineers, managers, decision-makers, official event channels, and the Tecno Metal magazine.
Applications are submitted online by 25 Sep 2026 at 17:30. Applicants should attach the signed regulation and a PDF of up to 3 pages presenting the startup, the technology solution, and its market benefits or impact. Evaluation criteria cover innovation, market need, regional impact, and economic/scalability potential.
Investor-backed European founders and startups preparing to expand into North America and looking for structured market-entry support, ecosystem access, and guidance from Toronto Business Development Centre.
Market-entry programme support for founders expanding into North America, with a focus on helping European companies understand the market, build local connections, and prepare for commercial expansion.
Open call. Best fit for companies with investor backing and enough traction or readiness to justify North American market-entry work. Verify current cohort requirements and timing on the official TBDC Horizon page before applying.
Early-stage AI startups building the next generation of communications, customer engagement, developer tools, automation, or AI-enabled business workflows, especially teams already using or able to use Twilio.
Recognition as one of 30 honorees, potential co-marketing opportunities with Twilio, additional marketing/prize opportunities for strong demos, possible showcase in TwilioWorld, and consideration for invite-only Founders Connect Fellowship opportunities.
Applicants must have a Twilio account. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and close Friday, 11 Sep 2026, with final honoree selection in late September to late October and honorees announced in mid to late November.
Women-founded or women-co-founded early-stage deep tech startups in EU Member States or eligible Horizon Europe Pillar III Associated Countries, especially teams preparing to move from validated technology toward market readiness.
€75,000 equity-free grant funding plus personalised business development support, mentoring, training, expert guidance, matchmaking, networking, and help bridging toward other EIC funding and support schemes.
At least one woman founder or co-founder must hold a top management role such as CEO or CTO, and women founders must collectively hold at least 25% of company shares at submission. The company must be a commercial SME registered for at least six months and no more than five years, be before high-fidelity MVP stage (TRL4-TRL6), have raised less than €1M in equity, and must not have already benefitted from Women TechEU or EIC Accelerator. The eligibility strand has weekly Tuesday cut-offs at 17:00 Brussels time until 14 Jun 2027; the next near-term cut-off is 8 Sep 2026. Eligible applicants are then invited to a full proposal, with the next submission deadline on 16 Sep 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.
Early-stage and growth-stage founders, startup teams, operators, investors, and ecosystem builders who want a Lisbon-based event for practical learning, founder networking, startup visibility, and investor conversations.
Two days of talks across three stages, workshops and panels, startup showcase access, summit community access, and pass options that can include founder-only meetups, investor networking sessions, pitch competition eligibility, startup directory listing, or a startup booth.
Choose the pass that fits the goal: General for talks and expo, Founder for stronger networking and pitch eligibility, Startup Booth for exhibiting with two summit passes, Investor for curated deal flow, or VIP for premium access. Payment / Cost: early prices listed from €49 General, €99 Founder, €199 Startup Booth, €199 Investor, and €249 VIP; Build Up Labs partner link gives 50% discount.
Portuguese startups, SMEs, and eligible national entities needing advanced compute resources.; best for AI, simulation, scientific-computing, and compute-heavy startups.
CPU / GPU hours and storage on advanced computing infrastructure.
Eligible Portuguese entities with pre-commercial innovation projects.
Startups and SMEs supported by EIC, EIT, KICs, MSCA or related European innovation programmes that can host a 3-6 month innovation internship; also relevant for researchers, graduates and EIT talents looking for startup exposure.
Access to specialised research and innovation talent without financial burden for hosting companies, AI-assisted matchmaking with company needs, and practical knowledge-transfer between research and startup execution.
Hosting company eligibility is programme-specific: EIC Accelerator, Seal of Excellence, EIC Transition, EIT/KIC-supported startups and SMEs, MSCA companies, or startups/scaleups connected to EIT alumni/KIC activities. The official programme says applications are open and InnoNext has been extended until 31 Jul 2027, with new innovation internships activated until May 2027. Talents must also fit the listed EIC/EIT/MSCA/ERC/Horizon/EIT eligibility categories.
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving Cloud Computing, Digital Twins, AI / Machine Learning. Challenge owner: Grupo MCA.
Significantly reduces BIM design and modelling time, improves consistency between technical solutions and digital models, increases engineering and design productivity, optimizes cost and performance and supports scaling projects across geographies.
AI solutions that structure modular-construction catalogues, interpret project requirements, account for geography such as climate, regulation and local availability, recommend optimized solution combinations, generate BIM or parametric Revit components and support IFC interoperability. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-10-07 (90d).
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving SaaS, AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics. Challenge owner: Grupo MCA.
Reduces bid-preparation time, increases tender success rate, improves operational efficiency, reduces errors, makes better use of internal knowledge and history and increases the ability to scale participation in international tenders.
AI solutions that integrate with existing systems, analyse external tender platforms, filter tenders based on the company profile, compare tender requirements with internal data, identify gaps and automate pre-filling of bid documentation. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-10-07 (90d).
startups in Health, Manufacturing & Industry, Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving SaaS, Cloud Computing, Data & Analytics, APIs / Integrations, ERP / Enterprise Systems. Challenge owner: TMG Automotive.
Reduces spare-part search and identification time, lowers material-selection errors, increases maintenance-team autonomy, reduces machine downtime and improves out-of-hours operational efficiency.
AI and computer-vision solutions that identify parts from images, connect each part to the internal/SAP code, show stock and location data, work for non-specialist users, integrate with existing systems and keep improving through learning loops. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-09-18 (90d).
startups in Manufacturing & Industry; with solutions involving AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics, Data Infrastructure / Data Engineering, Internet of Things (IoT), APIs / Integrations, Robotics / Automation, Industry 4.0, Hardware / Embedded Systems. Challenge owner: AAC Têxteis.
Improves production traceability and data reliability, reduces manual control processes and identifies technologies with industrial application potential.
Solutions that improve monitoring, traceability and operational control on the factory floor, reduce manual records, increase operational-data visibility, adapt to industrial environments and use relevant technologies such as computer vision, MES, RFID or IoT. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-09-18 (90d).
startups in Health; with solutions involving SaaS, AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics. Challenge owner: Clínica Santa Madalena.
Reduces no-show rates, increases clinical schedule occupancy, improves absence prediction, enables faster reassignment of available slots, reduces operational disruption and improves the patient scheduling and confirmation experience.
Solutions with proven ability to reduce no-shows in clinical settings, using data or predictive models to anticipate absence risk, support real-time operations, manage schedules dynamically, improve patient experience, scale across a multi-clinic network and run a real-world pilot. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-10-07 (90d).
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics. Challenge owner: Grupo ACA.
Improves predictability of construction timelines and costs, identifies planning deviations earlier, supports site teams with data-driven decision tools and increases efficiency while reducing operational risk in complex projects.
Pilot-ready solutions for real operations that integrate and analyse multiple project-data sources, use predictive models to support construction planning and control and can scale across different project types. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-10-07 (90d).
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving Cloud Computing, Digital Twins, AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), APIs / Integrations, Robotics / Automation, Industry 4.0, Hardware / Embedded Systems, Sustainability / Climate Tech, Mobility / Smart Cities. Challenge owner: MEXT.
The expected benefit is to identify water-related solutions that support more efficient, resilient and circular water management across infrastructure and operations. Selected solutions should improve visibility over water use, reduce avoidable losses, enable reuse opportunities and support better resource planning, generating sustainability and operational value for more resource-efficient, future-ready infrastructure.
We are looking for startups with scalable, practical and measurable solutions applicable to infrastructure, construction, urban services or industrial operations. Solutions should improve water monitoring, efficiency, reuse or loss reduction, and ideally be tested in relevant environments or ready for pilot implementation. Relevant technologies may include IoT sensors, AI tools, leak detection, decentralized treatment, wastewater or greywater reuse and rainwater management. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-09-13 (90d); Pitch deadline 2026-09-23.
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT). Challenge owner: Grupo ACA.
Improves real-time visibility over construction progress, supports safety monitoring, automatically identifies potential non-conformities, reduces manual site-inspection effort and gives operations teams more frequent, structured information.
Pilot-ready solutions for real operational contexts, especially those that provide continuous or frequent site monitoring, use automatic image or video analysis and integrate information into dashboards or management platforms. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-10-07 (90d).
startups in Construction & Real Estate; with solutions involving Cloud Computing, Digital Twins, AI / Machine Learning, Data & Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), APIs / Integrations, Robotics / Automation, Industry 4.0, Hardware / Embedded Systems, Supply Chain Tech, Sustainability / Climate Tech, Energy Tech. Challenge owner: MEXT.
The expected benefit is to identify waste-to-energy solutions that support circular, resilient and low-carbon infrastructure and operations. Selected solutions should reduce landfill or low-value treatment, valorize waste into useful energy outputs, lower emissions and environmental impact, improve energy resilience and resource efficiency, create circular business models around waste and energy, and support sustainability and decarbonization goals.
We are looking for startups with scalable, practical and measurable waste-to-energy solutions for urban, municipal, industrial, construction or infrastructure contexts. Solutions may include biogas, biomethane, heat or electricity from organic waste, sludge, biomass or residues; waste-to-hydrogen; gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, RDF or alternative fuels; modular units; AI, IoT or digital monitoring; and should be tested or ready for pilot implementation. Deadline: Response deadline 2026-09-13 (90d); Pitch deadline 2026-09-23.
Founder guidance
No. Some provide grants or prizes, while others offer pilots, enterprise access, exposure, technical support, or investor visibility. The benefit field explains the practical value.
Only when the opportunity is explicitly relevant to AI, data, automation, machine learning, or AI-enabled workflows. Generic SaaS opportunities stay on the full Founder Opportunities page unless the AI fit is clear.
Check data requirements, technical maturity, target sector, demo readiness, customer proof, responsible AI requirements, and whether the programme expects a working product or accepts earlier prototypes.
