Created in 2014 to support technological startups with global ambition, Startup Braga celebrates this Thursday, May 7, six years since its creation.

During its six years of activity, InvestBraga's innovation hub supported 146 startups in the areas of nanotechnology, health technologies and digital economy, which have boosted the creation of more than 600 jobs and more than 390 entrepreneurs.

For Luís Rodrigues, director of Startup Braga, these six years tell many success stories. "Startup Braga had the merit of positioning itself as a differentiated innovation hub, specializing in three verticals of operation, faithful to its technological matrix, and always seeking to stimulate close collaboration with the main research and knowledge centers in the region. All this has proved decisive in Startup Braga's ability to attract high potential projects and catapult them to international markets", he says.

"Throughout these six years of activity, Startup Braga has made an important contribution to strengthening Braga as a technological city. Supporting the entrepreneurial community has enabled the consolidation of a truly innovative ecosystem, which is reflected in the impact of Startups on the transformation of the rest of the Brazilian economic and business fabric", adds Carlos Silva, executive director of InvestBraga.

Looking to the future, the innovation hub is preparing a set of initiatives, taking place during this year, that intend to support entrepreneurs in the development of their businesses, as well as in their internationalization.

Already in the coming weeks, the Startup Braga facilities will receive nine of the 24 startups that have applied for the first phase of the innovation hub's 2020 physical incubation program. "These startups, which have very different projects and levels of maturity from the point of view of business development, will work from our facilities, with the daily support of our team, as well as our partners", advances Luís Rodrigues.

The history of the six years of Startup Braga also includes the 46.1 million euros in investments raised by the startups supported and the acquisition of five of the startups by other companies.