Portugal Ventures just invested in Following Inspiration and BeyonDevices, through the +Innovation +Industry Programme.
Better known for wiiGo, an autonomous and self-driven shopping cart designed to follow people in commercial surfaces, Following Inspiration was created in 2012, as a spin-off of the University of Beira Interior. It focuses on the development of intelligent systems which can be applied in various fields.
According to Luís de Matos, CEO of Following Inspiration,
This investment will allow us to start the industrialisation stage of the product, applied to the retail and industrial segments, and will boost the company’s internationalisation process. It’s here that Portugal Ventures’ participation will be key, because of its experience and knowledge.
BeyonDevices is a spin-off unit of NEUTROPLAST, S.A. that aims at exploring niche markets in the Pharmaceutical Primary Packaging as well as Medical Technology & Device industries. BeyonDevices expects to sell over a million units of its vaginal applicator over the next year and become profitable in the short-term.
For Joao Redol, founder and CEO of BeyonDevices:
The investment made by Portugal Ventures validates our strategy for growth, providing us with the necessary resources to significantly accelerate our activity with regard to the introduction of a highly innovative vaginal applicator on the global market, as well as the implementation of this range of products in the women’s health market segment. In terms of Digital Health, we are aligned with Portugal Ventures on bringing a patient adherence and compliance monitoring platform, based on our concept of smart packaging.
What is the goal of +Innovation +Industry Programme?
Already in its 4th edition (applications are open until 16th July) the programme promotes the creation of new innovative businesses in more traditional sectors of Portugal’s economy, that can compete on global markets.