Catarina C.

Two weeks tomorrow we will be at Web Summit in Lisbon. We are exhibiting in the Alpha Startup section on the first day, Tuesday 12th November. This will mark the official start of our fundraising campaign. We will demonstrate the tech stack we have built, which is in the market, and show the new version 2 features, which are close to release. This includes the first application of an AI layer to automate rewards and completely sidestep POS integration, keeping meed as a self-onboarding product, not an installed service. meed is changing how loyalty works, not just disrupting but completely dismantling a broken system as we know it and rebuilding it in a new model that removes customer fragmentation and frustration. If you are going to the Web Summit, please come and say hello! #WebSummit #loyalty #customerengagement

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Last Friday, we had a fantastic business breakfast: Success Stories of Businesses in Portugal Started by Expats. We not only delved into inspiring case studies but also discussed why companies often relocate as they scale. It was truly uplifting to hear statements like "You're surrounded by the top 1% of people" and "Lisbon Founders brings together the best and supports expats." A huge shoutout goes to Kalinde von Lohrmann for moderating the topic and sharing your invaluable experience, and to Eugene Zolotarevsky, Sabir Shaykhlislamov, Anna Pavlova and other participants for creating such an amazing vibe. Are you a forward-thinking founder in Portugal (whether expat or local) and not yet a member of the Lisbon Founders Club ? You're missing out on so much. Why wait?

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👨‍⚕️Tasks that 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 today 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 tomorrow, unlocking a new level of care to everyone🚀🏥 #AIinmedicine #healthtech #genAI #ComputationalCare #generativeai #LLMs #largelanguagemodelsinhealthcare #doctorAI #AIoperatingmodel #thecomingwave #competingintheageofAI

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#websummit Lisbon 2024 is just three weeks away and it’s time to prepare that perfect pitch 🚀 Pitching is all about telling a story that grabs attention and leaves investors wanting more. Be clear, know your stuff and have fun – you are creating something extraordinary, so show your passion ❤️ Here’s how to nail your pitch on that big stage: 1. Start with Why: explain why your startup exists. What problem are you solving, and why should people care? Your "why" connects emotionally with your audience and sets the tone. 2. Focus on the Market Opportunity: show that you know your market inside out. Highlight the size, trends, and why now is the perfect time for your solution to succeed. 3. Show Your Unique Edge: what sets you apart? Whether it’s your tech, a top-tier team, or exclusive partnerships, your competitive advantage needs to stand out. 4. End with a Call to Action: whether you're seeking funding or partnerships, make sure to ask for what you need. Confidence matters, so leave them with a clear next step. Remember, it's not just about the facts, it's about convincing people to believe in you and your vision. Where are you pitching next? #Pitching  #StartupTips #PitchPerfect #StartupPitch 

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Are Short-Term Rental Conferences A Worthwhile Investment? As a founder of a small tech company based in Portugal, I've always been mindful of ROI and resource allocation. Attending industry conferences often involves significant costs, from booth fees and travel expenses to the time investment required for preparation and follow-up. So, is it worth it? While the initial costs may seem high, the long-term benefits can be substantial. Attending conferences provides invaluable opportunities for: 1. Networking: Connecting with industry leaders, potential partners, and investors. 2. Knowledge Sharing: Learning about the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. 3. Brand Building: Increasing brand visibility and establishing your company as an industry leader. 4. Inspiring Innovation: Gaining new perspectives and sparking creative ideas. Beyond the tangible benefits, there's an intangible reward: the camaraderie, the shared passion, and the sense of belonging to a vibrant community with amazingly smart people as Matt Landau, José Santiago Vázquez Rojel, Marcus Räder, Travis Wheeler, Jess Toro, Maria Lopez Duran, Mikko Nurminen, Yannis Pasmatzis, Cali Bowen, Leo Walton, Javier Perez Arranz, Humphrey Bowles, Josh Loe, Steve Trover - Better Talent, Tim Wilson, James Caswell, Jane Churchill and many others! Thank YOU for making our trip to Miami a pleasure together with my fav human being Nuno Rodrigues What are your thoughts on the value of attending industry conferences? Share your experiences in the comments below. #Hostchella2024 #airbnb #conferences #airbnbcleaning #saas

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Are we expecting too much from developers? Thank you to Nuno Mateus-Coelho, PhD, for asking this during our fireside chat, and to everyone at #websummit who joined! Today’s engineers are being asked to wear many hats—not just developing the system, but handling deployment, security, QA, and more. There is A LOT they need to “get right.” It’s like expecting someone building a house to be a fantastic architect, contractor, every tradesperson, and the inspector all at once. I think these demands are here to stay, and we need to make it feasible for one person to wear all these hats productively: it needs to be easier to “get it right.” I shared a two-step approach, one we make possible with Semgrep: 🔹 Provide the right building blocks—Equip your team with secure, performant primitives and abstractions tailored to your organization. Start with essentials like authentication/authorization, role-based access control, and database access. These create a secure-by-default environment where developers don’t need to know every detail to build safely; they just need to use your primitives. To continue the house analogy: it’s like being given fire-resistant materials by default—a secure foundation without needing all the science. 🔹 Provide just-in-time guidance—It’s easy to overlook best practices or critical details when moving fast. A co-pilot or automation layer can provide just-in-time guidance, nudging teams toward best practices right when it’s needed most. Think of it like lane-keeping assist for coding: it helps developers stay on track or make intentional changes when needed. We also discussed the evolving role of security engineering, which I believe will focus increasingly on creating secure infrastructure and reusable tools to support developers across teams. I see security teams becoming engineering teams. Lastly, when asked about Semgrep, I shared what excites me most right now: our new Assistant Memories feature in the Semgrep AppSec Platform. Our vision? Level 4 autonomy for code security—a self-driving platform that proactively manages and enhances security, reducing the need for constant oversight. WebSummit was a terrific conference; thank you all!

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Making the most of #WebSummit: here`s how to maximize your experience 🚀 I’ve been to WebSummit twice: once as an attendee and once as a partner. And let me tell you, preparation makes all the difference.👇 1. My first time: just an attendee 🎟️ I went in solo, no team, and no plan. I thought I’d find clients or investors just by being there. Spoiler: It didn’t work. ✔️ Lesson learned: start your outreach months in advance. The best connections happen before and after the event. No prep = no results. 2. The second Time: as a Partner 🏆 This time, we had a booth, a plan, and a strategy. Here’s what worked: ✔️ Prep is key: have your pitch decks, merch, and meetings lined up well before arrival. ✔️ Side events = gold: the real networking happens here. Pick them wisely! ✔️ Follow up: after the summit, follow up with everyone you meet. Relationships take work. Since it's challenging to cover everything in one post, I've prepared an insider's guide filled with tips, tricks, and hacks to help you save both time and money at WebSummit. Want a sneak peek? Give this post a like! WebSummit can be a game-changer, but only if you're prepared. This year, I'm back with not one, but two startups! Let's connect and make the most of it 🚀 #WebSummit #StartupLife #Networking #FoundersGuide #GrowthHacking #WebSummit2024 #Founders #app #startup #techstartup

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𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿: 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 #𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿! 🇵🇹 After speaking at their 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩 event last year, I'm thrilled to be back at #WebSummit this November, buzzing through the halls, catching up on the latest trends, and connecting with innovators and creators from all over the 🌍 Looking forward to seeing what Unicorn Factory Lisboa and Startup Portugal have lined up for this edition— Ready to uncover the next wave of unicorns at #WebSummit 2024 Are you attending too? ➡ Let's connect and share insights on entrepreneurship, growth, and sustainability. ------------------- 📬 About Me: I'm Carole, founder of 𝐒Ø𝐃𝐄 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫. I have been helping startups and scaleups, as a Fractional CMO and Marketing advisor tackle growth challenges, refine their branding, expand internationally, and build sustainable Marketing strategies. 🌱 If you want to chat about 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, let's connect. I'm always up for a discussion about finding balance as a founder (plus, we can talk yoga and pets! 🧘‍♀️ 🐶 🐈). ➡️ Feel free to reach out! #WomeninTech #Entrepreneurship #Sustainability #Growth

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We realised 5 years ago that tech companies have a really HUGE problem telling their stories in a compelling way! Since then, we've learned how to fix that problem. And now we're ready to make a big proverbial Dojo-style splash at Web Summit in Lisbon in November! Dubbed "where the future goes to be born", this event is anything but your average networking mixer. And this time around, Dojo will be attending in full force like we never have before. 💪  What's changed? In recent years, we've grown from a fledgling startup to a developed video production consultancy. We now know exactly who we are, what we offer that's unique, and where we fit in the market. 💪 We're still growing, but unlike previous years, we will be attending as a confident and empowered enterprise with a clear vision for where we want to go and what we want to get out of the event. We like to think of it as prom night. And Web Summit is the perfect debut for the next phase of our development. 💫 Amidst a backdrop of global uncertainty, Web Summit gathers policymakers, heads of state, and the masterminds behind cutting-edge technology companies and startups. It's a place where big questions are asked and even bigger ideas are born. For those looking to see the future unfold in real-time, this is the place to be! We will be meeting old friends, making new connections, attending events, and looking for any tech-related opportunities. More than anything, we're going to be telling everyone our origin story and why we think we can make tech storytelling less mind-numbingly boring! If you're thinking of attending from 11-14 November, get in touch, and let's make the most of it together! 👊

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1st day. Totally overwhelming. A lot of activity happening at the same time. There are 3,000 startups exhibiting this year and 44% are women led which is really cool. 70,000 people will attend Web Summit 2024 Lisbon. There are pitch competitions, conferences, major companies, investors, media, startups and people from all over the world. Here is a small taste: AI #marketintelligence #onlinecampaigns #politicalstrategy #SWAY #onlinereputation #Reputationmanagement #BrandReputation #ORM #MarketIntelligence #BrandMonitoring #SocialListening #CompetitiveAnalysis #CrisisManagement #ReputationStrategy #CrisisResponse #RealTimeMonitoring #QuickResponse #ProactiveManagement #InstantFeedback #websummit2024

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It's that time of year again when I'm at Web Summit in Lisbon. Why do I keep coming back when most talks and exhibitors are delivered by, and aimed at, much larger companies than mine or my clients? First, I can use the information to pass on to my customers, and I can see where the trends are heading to prepare clients. And also for my own CPD - I want to make sure I'm keeping up with the rest of the world! This year the message so far seems to be; think more about sustainability and the environment, AI isn't going away so if you're not using it - you're going to get left behind, and finally the focus should be more on customers rather than chasing sales/data goals. Listening to what potential clients want using personalisation and conversation, and ensuring existing customers are getting what they need is key, rather than desperately trying to keep up with trends (thirsty marketing). More tomorrow if I remember!

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⬇️ Today, let’s talk about the #Payments ecosystem in #Portugal from our latest white paper, "Key Players in the EU Payments Landscape 2024": https://lnkd.in/dVYy5rTP With over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal boasts one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe, making it an attractive market for businesses, including payment service providers. Card penetration is particularly high, thanks to a 30-year-old culture of chip-and-PIN usage. It is estimated that over 29 million debit and credit cards are in circulation. 💳 The primary card schemes proposed by Portuguese banks are Visa and Mastercard, with UnionPay International and American Express also playing a role. A partnership between SIBS, the parent company of Multibanco, and UnionPay has enabled the card scheme to be accepted at 80% of merchants and all ATMs. 🌐 Despite nearly 20% of the population being cardless, Portugal offers several well-established payment methods for both online and in-person transactions. The most common are Multibanco and MB WAY, both developed and managed by SIBS. Payshop is another widely used local payment method. Portugal is also home to cross-border payment solutions such as Maxpay , RealTransfer, and Unicâmbio. 🏦 Portugal’s banking system comprises 123 credit institutions, 31 EEA branches, and 1 non-EEA branch. The five largest banks in Portugal by total assets are CGD, Millennium bcp, Santander Portugal, NOVO BANCO, and Banco BPI. These institutions control three-quarters of the market and hold nearly €320 billion in total banking assets. Other notable players include ActivoBank, Banco Finantia, BNP Paribas, ING, and Bankinter. Additionally, the Spanish financial institution ABANCA Corporación Bancaria secured the purchase of Portuguese bank EuroBic Grupo ABANCA, making it the eighth-largest bank in the country. 📶 Several companies offer payment processing and gateway services in Portugal. UNICRE is a key player, operating through two brands: UniBanco, which specializes in card issuance and credit, and Reduniq (formerly Redunicre), which focuses on payments. Easypay and Eupago are also important gateways. Other local processors and gateways worth mentioning include Lusopay, Altice Portugal Pay, ifthenpay, Thinkpay - Tech Payments Platform., Paycritical, and ivendPay. Key Takeaway💡 : “The Portuguese payment ecosystem is a leading hub of innovation within the European Union, characterized by a diverse array of payment solutions and services. As regulatory landscapes evolve at the EU level, it will be crucial for industry players to adapt their internal processes and service offerings to maintain competitiveness.” Alexandre Melo | Associate Partner – Deloitte Portugal 

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Can we scale up love? We all have our own ways of developing innovation. Last week, at a Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute event I got to know a singular one - and "love" is at its heart. The Patient Innovation Bootcamp by EIT Health and Carnegie Mellon University focuses on scaling up medical and care solutions that patients and their close partners developed for their own health problems. Solutions that people developed for themselves and loved ones, to solve serious medical issues and that those people tested on themselves - and, that they believe can solve the same problems in other people. There are "electronic eyes" developed by parents for their vision-impaired children. There is a story of a deadly cardiac diagnosys on a smart engineer that considered it "just a plumbing problem". There are serious problems - and people that faced them head-on and decided they wanted to share their solutions with the world. The Patient Innovation Bootcamp ( https://lnkd.in/dHy8Ja2m ) helps these innovators to scale up their solutions. In a way, I really do think they are "scaling up love" - is that possible?

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Are you going to one of the largest and most influential tech conferences in the world, Web Summit in Lisbon? If yes, don’t miss a chance to meet Sigma Software Group team there. Our CEO and co-founder, Valery Krasovsky will speak at the panel on "East to West: The Shifting Face of Innovation." He'll discuss how partnerships between the Gulf, Central Asia, and the Caucasus are building prominent tech hubs and transforming the global IT landscape to open up new paths for growth. Eman Ahmad, Qatar's Ministry of Communications & IT, Aziz Tleumuratov, Astana Hub, and Hanna Myshko, StrategEast, will join the discussion.   Ping me if you want to meet & mingle at Web Summit 2024   #SigmaSoftware #WebSummit

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🤘 Let's rock at Lisbon Web Summit 2024! Top 8 Reasons to Join #WebSummit2024 1. The largest number of startups ever will be at the Web Summit this November. 250 companies from 🇺🇸USA (+100 in comparison to #websummit2023 300 startups from 🇬🇧UK & 🇩🇪Germany (each) +50% startups from 🇮🇹Italy & 🇪🇸Spain, 🇫🇮Finland & 🇷🇸Serbia have doubled their startup quantity Thanks, Richard Forde, for sharing these stats. 2. Art in motion: Museums reimagined session by Constanze Mitterhuemer, Head of Innovation at Belvedere Museum, and Paul van Raak, Creative Director of The Brand Father. 3. Reinventing Fender Musical Instruments Corporation: From iconic guitars to a lifestyle brand by Evan Jones. 5. Europe in orbit. What sets Europe's space tech industry apart? Session by Rafel Jorda Siquier, Founder and CEO of the Open Cosmos 6. Launching a new space economy keynote by Nokia Bell Labs President Thierry Klein 7. Can Europe build a SpaceX? Discussion by Christian Mittermaier, co-founder of constellr and Skyrora Ltd Co-founder & CEO Volodymyr Levykin 8. The corporate innovation track in general This year, a team of XME.digital Anna Tyschenko Victor Kmita Lesya Kasyan Evgeniy Aleksandrenko Anatoliy M. will proudly present an omnichannel self-service builder for telecommunications as a part of the #websummit Alpha #startup program. Stella#5 aims to make 5-star self-service available for any connectivity provider of any size. We aim to build accessible self-service to help the elderly generation & neurodiverse people to use the full power of digital technology. Let's grab coffee or chat between sessions! #WebSummit  #Innovation #startup #SelfService

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Proud moment. Big opportunity. 😎 Super excited to be speaking at Web Summit next week in Lisbon 🇵🇹 Participating in the startup showcase, we will have the chance to share our story of BidScript under the topic of: "The power of SaaS". What to expect: 👉 Major issues defining the future of SaaS 👉 Major issues defining the bid management space 👉 How BidScript is combatting and plans to combat these future changes Roll on next week :) #BidScript #Tendersmarternotharder

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One of the things I’ve been working on in the past weeks is The CTO blueprint, a newsletter we recently launched at Appolica | Venture studio. 🦄 While I'm definitely not on the tech side of things, I think we're doing good at understanding what keeps founders, CTOs, and engineering managers up at night. So, we've decided to start sharing what we know and how we do things - in the best-case scenario, it might help someone. If you find value in it - you can subscribe or share it with someone who might benefit from it. And if you have thoughts, feedback, or topics you’d like us to cover, feel free to share - it’s a (constant) work in progress. 👉 Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/d8t-DtZM PS: This week's edition includes my favorite piece so far and it's about how meetings kill (engineering) productivity (thanks, Martin).

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