Lisbon, June 4, 2024 – Portugal Ventures, the venture capital company of the Banco Português de Fomento Group, is pleased to announce the creation of the Fund Região de Leiria Crescimento – Fundo de Capital de Risco Fechado (FCRF), to promote access to venture capital funding for innovative projects, embodied by companies based in one of the 10 municipalities of the Intermunicipal Community of the Leiria Region (CIMRL), or which intend to establish a presence and significant operations there.
With the launch of this regional initiative, Portugal Ventures and its local partners aim to boost the entrepreneurial ecosystem by focusing on projects with a high potential for growth and value, preferably in strategic areas and sectors for the geographical region that is part of CIMRL, and which can generate significant impact there. This initiative also represents a commitment to innovation and human capital to promote the region’s exports and, consequently, positively reinforce CIMRL’s image abroad.
The Fund will invest in projects in the following areas:
- Digital & Technology;
- Industry & Technology;
- Health technologies;
- Tourism;
With a preferential focus on companies operating in the areas of the green economy and energy efficiency; ICT and smart mobility; Life sciences and biotechnology and other projects impacting the Leiria Region.
The creation of this fund represents Portugal Ventures’ commitment to the growth of companies in the Leiria Region, enabling them to obtain financial capacity and equity so they can reach stages of greater development.
Teresa Fiúza, Executive Vice-President of Portugal Ventures
Teresa Fiúza, Executive Vice-President of Portugal Ventures, said: “The creation of this fund represents Portugal Ventures’ commitment to the growth of companies in the Leiria Region, enabling them to obtain financial capacity and equity so they can reach stages of greater development.” She also praises the role played by local partners who have worked over the last few years to create and develop the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “From the application stage to the fund’s establishment, the partners have been fundamental in putting the Leiria Region on the national and international entrepreneurship map and we are very excited to learn even more about the innovation potential that the region has to show.”
According to Engineer António Poças, of President NERLEI CCI, “the existence of the ‘Região de Leiria Crescimento’ Capital Fund, which is the result of a partnership between NERLEI CCI, CIMRL and Portugal Ventures, with the strong involvement of the Leiria Polytechnic and Startup Leiria, was an important milestone in signalling to local companies the possibility of compensating for ‘market failures’ in terms of access to financial and capital instruments by SMEs. The aim is to support projects with growth potential and an impact on exports, company succession projects and projects based on concentration operations and the investment tickets will be between 250,000 euros and 1.5 million euros per company.”
The “Região de Leiria Crescimento” Venture Capital Fund is a partnership between Portugal Ventures, CIMRL and the Leiria Region Business Association / Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NERLEI CCI). The result of an application approved for the Venture Capital Programme promoted by Banco Português de Fomento (BPF) as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), the “Região de Leiria Crescimento” Fund aims to help mitigate the difficulties faced by companies in the region in accessing capital and to develop a strong and globally competitive innovation ecosystem.
The Intermunicipal Community of the Leiria Region (CIMRL) is a non-profit association made up of 10 municipalities (Alvaiázere, Ansião, Batalha, Castanheira de Pêra, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Leiria, Marinha Grande, Pedrógão Grande, Pombal and Porto de Mós). Its main goal is to promote the integrated and sustainable development of projects and activities of common interest to the municipalities, helping to increase competitiveness, cohesion and economies of scale in the Leiria Region.
