How can young people take their first steps into the world of entrepreneurship? What does it take to develop a business idea from scratch? These are some of the questions that will be explored on 30 September at 5p.m., in an online talk dedicated to youth entrepreneurship.

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Organised by UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto and the António Pargana Foundation, the event marks the launch of applications for the School of Startups: Students, a free programme designed for students from the Portuguese diaspora who want to immerse themselves in the national entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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The session will be moderated by Raphael Stanzani, coordinator of entrepreneurship programmes at UPTEC, and will feature Diogo Feio, member of the board of the António Pargana Foundation and former Member of the European Parliament; Kelwin Fernandes, CEO of nilg.ai andPortuguese-descendant entrepreneur; and Ana Rita Magalhães, founder and CEO of SODIGITALLY. The speakers will share their experiences and insights on the first steps of the entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of launching a startup, and the role of programmes and incubators in supporting new business ideas.

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The School of Startups: Students offers an immersivefour-day experience that combines workshops, mentoring, visits to incubators and R&D centres, conversations with founders, and project ideation and validation activities. The initiative is open to higher education students in Portugal and does not require applicants to already have a defined business idea — only a genuine interest in entrepreneurship.

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Registration for the talk is free and can be done here. Applications for the programme run from 30 September to 16 November 2025, via the initiative's official website.

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