Olá and Welcome back to your Startup Digest Portugal!!
Journalist and Founder Elham Mohammadi recently shared an insightful reflection on a question that many in our ecosystem have asked at some point: Why doesn’t Portugal have a flagship startup media publication?
As someone curating the Startup Digest Portugal, I’ve witnessed firsthand both the hunger for this type of content and the limitations of our current setup. Startup Digest Portugal is a grassroots effort—it gathers, amplifies, and connects. But as Elham rightly points out, we need something deeper: a consistent, independent voice that reports, questions, celebrates, and connects the dots across the Portuguese innovation landscape.
Yes, market size and funding are hurdles. But as Elham argues—and I fully agree—this shouldn’t be seen purely through a commercial lens. A dedicated media platform could serve as an intellectual infrastructure, helping Portugal’s ecosystem mature, gain visibility, and attract talent and capital. Think deep dives on founder journeys, policy impact breakdowns, critical opinion pieces, and international storytelling that reaches beyond our borders.
The ecosystem is growing, the initiatives are multiplying, and the ambition is there. What we now need is a home for our collective story, told in the language the world’s Startups understand.
I was honored to be part of the conversation and share a few thoughts on why I believe this could be a powerful next step for Portugal’s innovation landscape.
Thank you, Elham, for raising the topic and for your thoughtful article and LinkedIn post. Let's keep this conversation going.
Maybe it’s time we stop wondering “why not?” and start asking “how?”