Start upwith us.
INOVAGAIA's think tank
WHAT IS IT?
The Start Up With Us programme is an ideation programme designed to bring entrepreneurship to the Vila Nova de Gaia area. It was conceived to bring real problems, as experienced by the local population, into a creative ideation environment within the higher education institutions of Vila Nova de Gaia. This is the first step on INOVAGAIA’s entrepreneurial journey. This is where it all begins: the moment when a concern turns into an idea, and an idea takes shape and direction. Throughout the programme, participants learn to look at their local area with fresh eyes, to identify opportunities where others see only difficulties, and to test their ideas with those who are actually living through them. In the end, the best ideas move on to the next stages of the INOVAGAIA journey, with support to develop, validate and transform them into businesses that have a real impact in Gaia.
How does it work?
Involvement
It all starts with the community. We identify the real challenges and problems faced by those who live and work in Vila Nova de Gaia, and bring together students, higher education institutions and local organisations in one place. It is this direct contact with the local area that gives the programme a clear purpose and ensures that ideas stem from real needs.
Training
Tools come before ideas. Teachers and pupils have access to training and support sessions that give them the foundations to think like entrepreneurs: understanding a problem in depth, finding out who is affected by it, working as a team and communicating a proposal clearly. You don’t need to know everything from the outset – that’s what the programme is for.
Ideation
It’s time to put ideas on the table. Working as a team in a creative environment, participants explore the challenges identified, generate solutions, test hypotheses and develop the most promising proposals. The result is a set of coherent ideas, ready to move forward on INOVAGAIA’s entrepreneurial journey.
Projects applying to the Start Up With Us programme may operate in the following thematic areas.
- Blue economy / sea
- Defence, security and civil protection
- Tourism and wine tourism
- Health, older people, wellbeing and sport
- Environment, the circular economy and sustainability
- Digital transition, Public administration and GovTech
- Energy, Biotechnology and
- Arts and creative industries
Let’sdream?
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
The first edition features four educational institutions from Vila Nova de Gaia
Timetable
- 1
Set 26
Presentation of the programme to pupils at the four schools
- 2
Out 26
Launch of the challenges/thematic areas and formation of the teams
- 3
26 November
Brainstorming in the classroom: Design Thinking, mentoring and submitting ideas
- 4
26 December
Selection of the top 3 ideas from each school (max. 12 projects)
- 5
26 December
A 2-day bootcamp and final pitch at INOVAGAIA, with prizes to be awarded
- 6
2027
Development of the solution throughout the second term
Why is this of interest to you as a student?
- Course account
- You take part as part of the curriculum, during lessons, at no cost to you.
- CV
- Design Thinking, teamwork, communication and pitching.
- Multidisciplinary Team
- You will be working in a multidisciplinary team with complementary skills.
- Follow-up
- Access to the INOVAGAIA network: companies, mentors, incubation and funding.
- Doing things differently
- You have the chance to do something a bit different during your studies
FOR YOUR TEAM: Leading up to the bootcamp: mentoring, contact with companies, prizes and free incubation at INOVAGAIA.
FOR YOUR SCHOOL: ISPGAYA, PIAGET, ISLA and ABS on a shared journey, with projects that move beyond the classroom into real-world application.
FOR INOVAGAIA: We support your projects from start to finish: ideation . development . scaling, with incubation in Gaia.
Awards
Start Up With Us: where ideas take centre stage.
The 12 best projects are selected for an idea validation bootcamp. The winners from each school come to INOVAGAIA for two intensive days of training and pitching, dedicated to turning their idea into a business. With a maximum of 12 projects, we ensure close support for each team.
- Pitch final
At the end of the bootcamp, the teams present their project to a panel of entrepreneurs. It is an opportunity to test their idea in front of people who have already been down that road, receive direct feedback, and practise communicating their proposal clearly and effectively.
- Awards
The best pitches are recognised with awards and gain visibility amongst companies and the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia, opening doors to contacts, support and opportunities to help the idea grow.
- Route
‘Start Up With Us’ is the first step. The best projects move on to ‘Create With Us’ and ‘Scale Up With Us’, continuing InovaGaia’s entrepreneurial journey all the way to market.
