Bridging Growth Ecosystems| UK – Portugal pathways for scaleups
Join us for an evening at Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s AI Hub, bringing together founders, investors, corporates and ecosystem builders shaping the innovation landscape across the United Kingdom and Portugal.
This unique gathering marks one year of successful collaboration between London & Partners, the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in Portugal and Unicorn Factory Lisboa. It’s designed to unite both ecosystems and explore scaling up between our geographies - sharing founder success stories, practical insights on cross‑border innovation, and joint perspectives on the AI landscape.
We’ll kick off with a short opening moment from the three organisations, followed by two high-impact panel conversations. After that, we move into a relaxed networking reception with drinks and finger food — designed for real introductions and conversations that can turn into partnerships.
AGENDA
6:00 PM — Welcome drinks & networking
6:35–6:45 PM — Opening session
Gil Azevedo, Executive Director @Unicorn Factory Lisboa
Ana Cristina Abreu, Country Director @Department for Business and Trade
Thibaut Barde, VP - Business Development Europe @London&Partners
6:45–7:05 PM — Panel 1: 🇬🇧 Bridging Ecosystems — UK and Portugal (and beyond)
Featuring:
Ceri Morgan, HM Trade Commissioner for Europe
Markus Facklam, Director for Europe & Middle-East @London & Partners
Bruno Lacey, Strategic Projects Manager: EU Funds & Youth Initiatives @ Unicorn Factory
7:05–7:25 PM — Panel 2: 🤖 AI as a bridge — scaling between the UK and Portugal
Featuring:
António Calçada, Founder Associate @ Noxus
Isabel Carapeta, Founder & CEO @ Simplifyer
David Gilgur, Founding Partner @Blue Lake VC
7:25–9:00 PM — Networking reception (drinks + finger food)
✨ Extra highlight: we’ll share an inside look at London Tech Week 2026 (June) and routes for Portuguese tech to plug into the UK ecosystem.