Lisbon Venture Studio

Build Fast. Launch Global. From Lisbon.

A hands-on venture studio that builds and co-builds startups from concept to market. Deep operational experience meets Lisbon's thriving tech ecosystem.

Work with us Our approach

Stage

Idea through first revenue — we're the first team on it, not a later investor

What we bring

Product, engineering, design, legal/company setup, go-to-market

What we take

Equity, not fees — the split depends on the venture

Where

Lisbon-based ventures, built and run from our own office

How we build

Identify

Spot an underserved market and validate it with the people who'd actually buy.

Design

Architect the product and the business model before a line of code is written.

Build

Assemble the founding team and ship a working product in weeks, not quarters.

Scale

Stay hands-on — hiring, fundraising and go-to-market — as the company grows.

Ventures we're building

StageLink Music tech
AI-powered career intelligence for musicians and podcasters: scoring across 8 categories, costed action plans, peer benchmarks and curated opportunities.
Startup Portugal: certified
Live
LinkedUp Community
An AI-powered community for global founders, expats and professionals: relocation support, connections, learning and experts in one platform.
Startup Portugal: in progress
Live
FastForge Wellness
An AI-powered health companion: intermittent fasting, exercise, hydration and nutrition tracking, with an AI coach, XP and streaks.
Startup Portugal: in progress
Live
RealVest Proptech
An investment workspace for teams investing in Portuguese real estate, taking deals from listing to committee decision with deterministic pricing and AI-assisted underwriting.
Startup Portugal: in progress
Building

Who's building it

Albert, co-founder
Albert
Co-founder

Albert has spent his career building brands and businesses at the intersection of culture and consumer products, from artist management to beverage and fashion. He focuses on brand positioning, partnerships and customer relationships.

Sean, co-founder
Sean
Co-founder

Sean has spent over 15 years founding and running companies across fashion tech, hospitality and global distribution. He has a background in business and tax law and speaks English and French.

Kevin, co-founder
Kevin
Co-founder

Kevin has spent his career building and scaling technology-driven products. He's hands-on with every venture the studio builds, from first prototype to first customers.

For founders

Have a specific idea?

We co-found with operators: product, engineering, design, legal and company setup, go-to-market. Equity split depends on the venture.

Talk to us

For investors

A private conversation

We don't run a public deal-flow list or take pitches for "deal access." Co-investment happens alongside the studio, by invitation.

  1. An introduction, usually from someone we both know
  2. KYC and a conversation about which venture, and why
  3. Documentation under NDA — no figures published here beforehand

This is general information, not an offer or solicitation.

Talk to us

Insights

Market notes

Monthly take on SMB & vertical-software investing

What funds, studios and holdcos did last month, and why it matters for a small-company investor.

Playbooks

How the studio actually builds

Real timelines and checklists from our own ventures, once we have the numbers to share.

About the studio

Lisbon, Portugal

We want to build a small number of companies that actually work, not a long list of ideas that didn't. That means staying hands-on past the first demo: real products, used by real people, built to last past the first year.

Lisbon is where we do it. It's inside the EU, in a time zone that overlaps the US morning and the European afternoon, with direct flights to both. English is the working language of its startup scene, Startup Portugal backs early companies with real programmes, and building here costs a fraction of London or Paris — which means the studio's money goes further and lasts longer.

Portugal · Insights · Portugal guide

IFICI, in plain terms

IFICI (the regime most people still call "NHR 2.0") is a Portuguese tax incentive for people moving their tax residence here to work in defined high-value activities. This page explains how it generally works. It is not tax or legal advice.

20%flat rate on qualifying PT income
10 yrsduration, usable once
15 Janregistration deadline, year after residence starts

Summarised from the law (art. 58.º-A EBF) and official guidance — general information, confirm before acting.

Common questions.

Drawn from the law and official guidance. Tap a question to open it.

Do I qualify?

A two-minute indicative self-check against the main IFICI conditions. Nothing is stored, and it isn't a legal opinion.

The rules, in short.

The core of the regime, from the law and the Tax Authority's own guidance. Tap a card for the detail and source.

What's changed.

Not advice

This guide gives general information about Portugal's IFICI regime and are not tax or legal advice. It doesn't take your personal circumstances into account and eligibility depends on the Tax Authority's own decision each year. Lisbon Venture Studio is a venture studio, not a law firm or tax adviser — confirm your position with an independent Portuguese tax adviser before acting.

We don't charge for IFICI information, don't prepare or submit applications, don't take referral fees, and don't offer roles, board seats or investments in our ventures as a way to qualify for the regime.

To find an independent professional: Ordem dos Advogados (lawyers) · Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados (certified accountants)

Sources: Estatuto dos Benefícios Fiscais art. 58.º-A, Portal das Finanças, Startup Portugal — each rule above shows its source.