It will be from Porto – more specifically from Porto Design Factory (PDF), of Porto Polytechnic – that two pioneering acceleration programs at national level will be launched on January 3rd, 2017 at 10:00 am, with the presence of the Secretary of State for Industry, João Vasconcelos.
Porto Design Accelerator is a program that combines design with Portuguese manufacturing, supporting startups focused on the development of design-based consumer goods produced in industrial sectors, from fashion to metal-mechanics, from urban products to furniture or from the automotive field to cork and ceramics, among others. This accelerator will be developed by Porto Design Factory, in partnership with TICE.pt – the national ICT Cluster and with Porto City Hall.
Porto Design Accelerator is intended to support innovation in the design-based consumer goods industry through the creation, launch and growth of startups focused on physical products. This accelerator will provide support to entrepreneurs, connecting them to the critical community, educators, mentors, experts, manufacturers and retailers. The main goal is to transform ideas into high consumption physical products, combining design with Portuguese industrial sectors and others: new products for urban infrastructures, furniture, fashion, metal-mechanics and molds, automotive and aerospace, cork, ceramics and new emerging products, among others.
Beta Sound System is the first Portuguese program to accelerate new business ideas for the music industry, designed to support the work of the brightest artists, researchers and entrepreneurs and the most promising startups in the music industry. This accelerator was conceived and will be managed by Porto Design Factory and Casa da Música, with a close partnership with Antena 3.
Beta Sound System aims to support the emergence of a new generation of music businesses, music products and technologies, from music creation to new forms of music consumption, providing a 360-degree support to teams of entrepreneurs with innovative music-driven business ideas. The program will connect entrepreneurs with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, key players in the music industry, with mentors, experts, and prototyping resources needed to turn promising ideas into innovative products.
For both programs, applicants should apply between January 3rd and February 28th.
There will be an evaluation and decision period and the 10 winning startups will start working from April 1st, during a 6 months’ period. The first 12 weeks will be devoted to product development, with a tailor made educational program and specialized mentoring, culminating in a demo day; In the remaining 12 weeks, startups will receive a “ready to scale” program, focusing on funding, and fast track to production and retail.
Startups will work permanently at the Porto Design Factory, throughout the different phases of the project. PDF will also contribute with its extensive experience in the development of national and international projects.