Led by two forward-thinking innovators and my good friends Francesco Berrettini and Christopher Lennon, the company is reshaping how international talent connects with Portugal’s growing innovation ecosystem. Their most recent milestone, the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) on September 23, 2025, marks yet another key step in this journey.

This new partnership expands the HQA® Visa Program an initiative officially endorsed by the Portuguese government into the heart of Portugal’s central region. It opens new doors for collaboration between international entrepreneurs and Portuguese research institutions, driving investment, innovation, and economic growth. But beyond the formalities, this agreement tells a much bigger story: one about how Portugal is becoming a true European hub for digital reinvention and innovation.

Since its launch, the HQA® Program has provided a bridge between global entrepreneurs and Portuguese academia, creating the conditions for transformative research and business ventures. It offers one of the fastest and most accessible pathways to residency in Portugal and the EU, while also ensuring that new ventures directly contribute to Portugal’s innovation landscape. For highly educated Portuguese students, researchers, and emerging founders, this means access to a richer ecosystem of ideas, mentorship, and international collaboration.

The collaboration with IPV is particularly significant. Founded in 1979, IPV is a cornerstone of education and research in Portugal’s interior. Its focus on technology, management, health, and agriculture makes it a vital player in the country’s development. Partnering with Empowered Startups not only brings new global opportunities to the region but also reinforces Viseu’s position as a center for sustainable growth and entrepreneurship.

Empowered Startups’ impact in Portugal goes far beyond a single partnership. The company has now built relationships with over 50 universities and post-secondary institutions across the country, including a recent agreement with the Associação Portuguesa do Ensino Superior Privado (APESP). This expanding network represents a nationwide commitment to innovation, connecting foreign investors and founders with Portuguese R&D teams, and channeling international capital into high-impact research projects.

What Francesco and Christopher are achieving through Empowered Startups is not just about business. It is about empowering the next generation of Portuguese innovators. By fostering partnerships between academia and entrepreneurship, they are helping to create the conditions where students and researchers can transform ideas into startups, and where Portugal’s young talent can grow without leaving the country.

In a time when artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and sustainability are redefining the global economy, initiatives like this matter deeply. They position Portugal as a country that does not just welcome innovation but actively builds the infrastructure to sustain it. Every new agreement, every university partnership, and every international founder who chooses Portugal through the HQA Program reinforces this vision.

For me, this story is personal not only because I know Francesco and Christopher and have seen their passion up close, because these initiatives reflect the best of what Portugal stands for: openness, creativity, and collaboration. Empowered Startups is helping to write a new chapter in Portugal’s innovation journey, one that connects local potential with global opportunity.

And as they continue to expand their network and build bridges between entrepreneurs, investors, and universities, I will be following closely and sharing each new step with my readers and with Portugal’s vibrant tech scene. Because this is not just about visas or partnerships; it is about the future we are building together.