The startups cracking North America with Web Summit

Startups from around the world have used our Canadian event as a means of entering the North American market. Here’s what these Portuguese startups had to say.

The global nature of Web Summit is reflected in the journeys of startups such as GoParity and Nearsoft. These Portuguese startups have successfully utilized the opportunities provided by our North American event to establish themselves in Canada.

GoParity

A platform facilitating crowdlending investments in projects aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, GoParity launched its app during Web Summit 2019 in Lisbon and expanded to Canada in 2023.

The company announced the establishment of its Canadian branch during that year’s ALPHA startup program at Collision, in the hope of contributing to sustainable investment opportunities in North America.

“We decided to bet on Canada because it has a huge potential user base [in terms of] purchasing power, high environmental sensitivity, and a propensity for digital investments,” said GoParity co-founder and CEO Nuno Brito Jorge.

While explaining the benefits of locating to a market close to the US, “making it an ideal testing ground for future expansion”, Nuno went on to say that the startup also has renewable energy projects “to help Indigenous communities generate their own electricity using locally available resources”.

Nearsoft

Nearsoft focuses on digitizing financial institutions and modernizing public institutions to enhance access to government services and ensure transparency.

After participating in the 2023 edition of Collision through Startup Portugal, Nearsoft found the feedback from visitors and potential clients invaluable. Co-founder and CEO Pedro Camacho noted that returning to Toronto was “inevitable” given the positive reception and opportunities the company identified.

For Nearsoft, participating in Collision was an opportunity “to have a first contact with the North American market”.

“The main takeaway was the feedback from visitors and potential clients, who raised questions that allowed us to rethink some decisions in terms of roadmap and communication,“ observed Pedro.

“The fact that after the event we continued to have interactions with some of the contacts led us to consider Canada as a market where we should bet differently.”

These success stories highlight how Web Summit has served as a bridge for Portuguese startups entering the North American market.

Exploring the North American landscape

Another Portuguese startup, Getboarded, said that, despite not putting down roots in Toronto, its participation in the 2022 event offered invaluable insights into this market.

Getboarded is a platform providing career tools to help universities match students with early-career opportunities. According to chief operations officer Raquel Magalhães, participating in Collision allowed the startup to gain a better understanding of both the North American and Portuguese startup ecosystems.

“Canada is a very different country, and it broadened our inventory of experiences to have seen the synergy they have with the North American economic space, especially with the United States,” said Raquel.

Travelling with Startup Portugal also “generated a deep connection with the Portuguese business ecosystem,” for the company.

As Collision held its final event in 2024, the next frontier is Web Summit Vancouver. StartupBlink ranks Vancouver as the second “the best startup ecosystem in Canada”, and according to Startup Genome, the west coast city has an ecosystem value of US$39.71 billion.

Don’t miss out on Web Summit Vancouver 2025. Pre-register here for tickets.

Main image: Web Summit