Since it was founded in 2021, the World Talents platform based at the University of Algarve’s business incubator in Faro has already secured €2.8 million in investment – and it continues to grow
World Talents has an ambitious yet simple goal: to create a “bridge between highly qualified individuals, foreign entrepreneurs and Portuguese universities to help them develop projects in Portugal,” explains CEO Bernardo Saraiva.
By attracting international investors to the Algarve, World Talents hopes that they will bring their companies, expertise and knowledge with them. “They can also start new companies or mentor those who are launching their own,” the CEO told Barlavento online newspaper.
Thanks to its “innovation ecosystem,” the Algarve is already known as a region that “attracts talent and investments”, adds Hugo Barros, head of UAlg’s CRIA – Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer Division (CRIA).
These attempts to attract investment and boost local companies started with the Algarve Tech Hub and have been bolstered by the creation of associations such as Algarve Evolution and Algarve STP.
Portugal has also implemented active policies in recent years to attract and retain talent, Barros says, highlighting programmes like the Startup Visa and Tech Visa.
The cooperation protocol between UAlg and World Talents was signed in January, marking the start of a fruitful partnership.
“(World Talents) has been a fundamental partner, as it has allowed us to identify business projects and attract entrepreneurs. At CRIA, we run soft-landing programmes to help these entrepreneurs settle in the region, from providing hosting to supporting business plans and securing funding,” said Barros.
Meanwhile, World Talents oversees supporting entrepreneurs in relocating to Portugal. “We handle all logistics and legal matters. For instance, we’re currently working to bring a marine sciences researcher from the Seychelles,” says Bernardo Saraiva.
João Rodrigues, vice-rector in charge of Technology Transfer, Innovation, and Digital Transformation at UAlg, has also celebrated the partnership. “It aligns perfectly with us, particularly on the research front. Entrepreneurs bring ideas for new products and seek help from our researchers to develop and study them”.
Recently, UAlg welcomed a Japanese entrepreneur working on a project to improve international student mobility and promote academic exchanges between Japan and Portugal. “This is the kind of project we aim to foster as an incubator to attract talent and investment,” says Hugo Barros.
Another example is an entrepreneur from Switzerland developing a technology in partnership with Google Maps. The project involves a device installed in taxis or buses to measure air quality along travel routes. The more devices in operation, the better the data. “For a tourist region like the Algarve, this could be a highly interesting project,” explains Timur Sitdikov, founder of World Talents.
Beyond UAlg, World Talents has also partnered with institutions like the University of Coimbra and the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal. Through the Global Talent Portugal programme, it has attracted around 80 entrepreneurs and companies to the country, with a total investment of €2.8 million, with a forecast to attract another €2 million in the short-term.
