TechLaunch 2025 Cohort
The first cohort of TechLaunch brings together 11 entrepreneurial teams from across Portugal for an intensive innovation and customer discovery journey under the UT Austin Portugal Program.
The TechLaunch 2025 Cohort includes the teams selected for the first edition of this advanced entrepreneurship training program. Over two months, participants will engage in customer discovery, workshops, weekly feedback sessions, and a fully funded Closing Week at The University of Texas at Austin.
The cohort reflects the Program’s commitment to helping research-driven teams explore the real-world application and commercialization potential of their technologies.
At-a-glance block
Edition: 2025
Selected Teams: 11
Program Period: September 19 – November 14, 2025
Format: Virtual + Closing Week at UT Austin
Meet the 2025 TechLaunch Teams
Eleven teams selected for the first edition of TechLaunch.
| Group | Affiliation | Representative Members |
|---|---|---|
| 4SymHive | INESC TEC |
Pedro Senna (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Romão Santos (Technical Lead (TL)); Henrique Piqueiro (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)); Ana Silva (co-Technical Leads (co-TLs)) |
| @depth | Atlantic International Research Centre |
Kristen Davis (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)); Tomas Faria (Technical Lead (TL)); Joao Pinelo (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)) |
| BodyBoost | Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto |
Manuel Cerqueira (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Ana Sofia Teixeira (Technical Lead (TL)) |
| CarbonLayers for Buildings | Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon |
Sara Parece (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Ricardo Resende (Team Mentor (TM)); Tiago Pedro da Costa (Technical Lead (TL)) |
| DroneMist | Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute |
Pedro Torres Fraga (Technical Lead (TL)); Sandra Rodriguez (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)) |
| GuardPeptides | Polytechnic Institute of Bragança |
Nathalia Fernandes (Technical Lead (TL)); Sabrina El Metenani (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)) |
| IS-ABS | INESC TEC |
Pedro Marques (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); António Carneiro (Technical Lead (TL)) |
| NeuroSoV | Universidade da Beira Interior |
Dina Pereira (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Ana Cristóvão (Technical Lead (TL)); João Leitão (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)) |
| SLIM-G | CIIMAR - University of Porto |
Ana Catarina Fonseca (Technical Lead (TL)); Ana Rita Vieira (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Carlos Filipe Gomes Henriques (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)); Mariane Bittencourt (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)) |
| STOPneumo | Universidade NOVA de Lisboa |
Catarina Candeias (Technical Lead (TL)); João Lança (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)); Pedro Pedrosa (Team Mentor (TM)) |
| XyGuard | International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), University of Aveiro, University of Minho |
Renato Gil (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)), Samuel Silva (Technical Lead (TL)), Tiago Moura (co-Entrepreneurial Leads (co-ELs)), João Barbosa (Entrepreneurial Lead (EL)) |