The BIC Africa Soft-Landing Programme for six Angolan Business Incubation Managers successfully took place between the 17th and 20th of March 2025 in Portugal! The visiting incubators had a chance to:
- Connect with European counterparts for knowledge sharing, partnerships, and explore the possibility of developing exchange programmes.
- Gain experience to successfully launch and run sustainable incubation hubs.
- Strengthen knowledge and capacity in designing and executing incubation programmes to help entrepreneurs build scalable businesses.
- Identify and develop business models that align with their local realities to drive growth and sustainability of the business incubator.
- Access different markets, investors, and partners through the EU|BIC wide network.
The soft-landing carried out by EU|BIC IPN Incubadora, led by Alexandre Almeida, Project Incubation Project Manager, and EU|BIC Startup Leiria, led by Vítor Ferreira, CEO, supported by EBN team, and Krisztina Dax, BIC Africa Project Manager, who accompanied the mission.
Instituto Pedro Nunes Incubator located in Coimbra, Portugal, hosted three Angolan BI representatives, Evaldo Chindele from RINOVAC, Eduardo Sette Câmara Silva from Acelera Angola and Juelma Forquilha from INAPEM Incubator. The programme began with an in-depth presentation of IPN’s incubation model, including its history, sectorial focus, core services, and strategic partnerships. The delegation visited key IPN infrastructures such as the IPN incubator and Materials Lab (LED&MAT). They also visited UC Business, the Technology Transfer Office of University of Coimbra, gaining insight into how incubation can be linked with R&D and academia.
A strong emphasis was placed on financing models and sustainability strategies for incubators, along with IPN’s methods for deal flow sourcing and stakeholder engagement. Sessions on mentoring and startup internationalisation were particularly impactful, as IPN shared its long-running INEO Start programme and its approach to building global networks. In the final day, participants also visited HIESE – Smart Rural Incubator in Penela – and ESA BIC Portugal, deepening their understanding of niche incubators operating in rural innovation and the space tech sector.
I had the honour of participating in the Soft-Landing Program in Portugal, as part of the BIC Africa initiative. This experience exceeded all expectations. Direct contact with solid, rooted and constantly evolving innovation ecosystems allowed us to closely observe good practices, sustainable strategies and effective management models that we feel ready to adapt to the Angolan reality.
Evaldo Chindele, Project Manager, RINOVAC – Rede de Inovação e Valorização do Conhecimento
We had the opportunity to learn, in detail, about the operation of IPN – a European reference in science, technology and business incubation – and to visit its unit located in Penela, Smart Rural HIESE – Habitat de Inovação Empresarial nos Sectores Estratégicos. we exchanged valuable experiences and understood the differentiating elements.
Startup Leiria hosted another three Angolan BI representatives, Maria Diaz from ISPTEC (Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tecnologias e Ciências), Dimonekene Ditutala from Founder Instutute Luanda, and Valdemiro Tchissola from INAPEM Incubator. The first day introduced participants to the Leiria startup landscape, with an overview of Startup Leiria’s services, including pre-incubation, acceleration programs, and collaboration with other organisations. Financial models and funding strategies were explored, followed by a networking session with local startups. Day two centered on deal-flow strategies, highlighting how incubators attract and support early-stage startups through partnerships and events. A session on marketing examined effective communication and reputation-building for business support organizations. The day concluded with travel to Coimbra, where a joint session was held for all the Angolan incubator managers at IPN, and a visit of incubatees was held.
Participating in the soft landing for incubator managers was undoubtedly an enriching and transformative experience, the opportunity to exchange knowledge directly with experts in the incubation area provided valuable insights that gave me a new perspective on the development and management of startups.
Juelma Forquilha, Consultant, Project Manager, INAPEM
On the third day, discussions focused on stakeholder management, exploring how incubators create value and build relationships. The afternoon sessions revolved around quality assessment, assurance, and benchmarking, with insights into monitoring tools and certification systems. The final day revisited financial strategies before shifting to social and impact entrepreneurship, highlighting the national and regional innovation ecosystems.
This milestone highlights the vital role of business incubators in accelerating Angola’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. INAPEM’s active participation in the BIC Africa project reinforces the urgent need to continuously strengthen incubation capacities, ensuring managers have the knowledge, networks, and strategies to drive high-impact startups. Strengthening international connections, particularly with Portugal, is not just an opportunity—it is a necessity for sustainable growth and global competitiveness for our SMEs. The empowerment of our incubation ecosystem must remain a priority.
Bráulio Augusto Executive Director – INAPEM
The Soft-Landing programme successfully achieved its objectives, including enhancing the strategic capacity of the visiting BIs, fostering knowledge exchange, exploring how some of the principles could apply to the organisations and local realities in Angola, and identifying avenues for future collaboration between Angolan and Portuguese incubation ecosystems.
We thank our host organisations and experts, the IFC Angola team, and inapem for supporting the programme and for the commitment to strengthening entrepreneurship in Angola.