Startup Lisboa partners with the world’s largest communications and marketing group, WPP, to launch the WPP Booster accelerator for communications startups in Portugal.
WPP Booster was born out of the desire to support communications startups with an acceleration program that has the support of WPP communication professionals in partnership with Startup Lisboa.
Since its opening in February 2012, Startup Lisboa has supported more than 250 projects and companies and has contributed to the raising of around 80 million euros of investment for the projects incubated.
Its mission is to foster and support innovative and scalable projects in the IT, Tourism and Trade areas.
The first open call to the WPP Booster accelerator was launched on July 10 and candidates may apply here through September 17. The acceleration program will run from October 15, 2018 through April 15, 2019.
The selection criteria that WPP Booster will take into account when analyzing the applications are as follows:
- Solution that generates value
- Relevant and unique potential
- Solidity of the business model
- Growth potential and scale
- Development stage of solutions for acceleration
- Assessment of reciprocal needs between candidate startup solutions and WPP Portugal’s strategic vision
- How WPP Portugal can give and create value
- Chemistry and complementarity between teams
Each edition of the WPP Booster program lasts up to six months and will support three to six startups per cycle that will require mentoring, networking and proof of concept.
During the six months of the program, participants will be able to use the Garage, a coworking space within the WPP building, and will have access to training sessions, workshops and mentors specializing in the group’s various areas of activity.
Mentors include:
- Representatives of Startup Lisboa
- Duarte Roquette, Strategic Planning Director at BAROgilvy
- Elisabete Ferreira, Digital Brand Transformation and Business Director at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide
- Francisco Teixeira, Director at Geral Hill+Knowlton Strategies Portugal
- Raquel Goncalves, Strategic Planning Director at Wunderman Portugal
- Ricardo Nunes, Head of Social Media at Mindshare and Co-Founder at O Benefício
- Sérgio Oliveira, Xaxis Director Portugal at GroupM
- Tim Solomon, Ex-CEO Ogilvy & Mather Portugal Advisor – Special Projects at WPP Portugal
At the end of each cycle a “Demo Day” is organized, presenting the startups to the decision makers of the WPP Group and potential investors.
WPP Booster is looking for solutions using technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, IoT, Big Data, and Analytics in the following categories:
- CREATIVITY
Digital, Social Media, Activation, Process Management, Content Development. - MEDIA / PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
Powered Analytics, Data Curation & Visualization, Self-Service Data Platforms, Predictive, Analytics, Media Strategy. - TECHNOLOGY
Marketing Automation, AI, Voice, VR and AR.
WPP is the largest communications and marketing group in the world. It is made up of leading and world-renowned companies with more than 200,000 employees, with 3,000 offices in 112 countries.
WPP Portugal integrates leading companies in Advertising, Media Investment Management, Data Management, Public Relations, Event Production and Marketing, Branding and Brand Identity, Digital, Social Networks, and Shopper Marketing.
Last March, after longing for an Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR), Startup Lisboa announced Hugo Augusto as the incubator’s first.
Read More: Startup Lisboa incubator names 1st Entrepreneur in Residence
Hugo Augusto, Startup Lisboa’s first EiR, decided to leave Chicago and return to Lisbon after successfully selling one of the first startups incubated at Startup Lisboa, MyChild.