In the previous episode of Tech Odyssey, we visited Coimbra to see how university research, applied R&D, and entrepreneurship come together in a small Portuguese city. This time, we head north to Braga, where Startup Braga is helping founders build companies for global markets from an affordable starting point.

A workstation at Startup Braga costs just €30 a month. ChemiTek, one of the companies that started there, now sells its solar-panel protection products in 70 countries, with local inventory in 50 of them.

Braga is not usually the first Portuguese city associated with startups. But inside Startup Braga, the city’s ambition is clear: companies may begin locally, but they are expected to think internationally from the start.

Startup Braga is based in GNRATION, a former building used by a national police force. After its rehabilitation project won Portugal’s National Rehabilitation Prize in 2014, the building was transformed into a public space for culture, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The incubator is part of InvestBraga, a municipal agency established in 2014 to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, investment, and economic development. It has since built a community of around 300 startups across software, AI, health technology, medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and nanotechnology. Around 20 startups are currently incubated on site.

Startup Braga runs programs for different stages, from ideation and pre-acceleration to incubation and open innovation. It also works closely with the University of Minho, the Clinical Academic Center of Braga, and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory.

One example is the Global Health Accelerator, developed with 2CA-Braga and INL. More than 40% of Portugal’s clinical trials are carried out at 2CA-Braga, giving health-focused startups access to a strong local research and clinical network.

ChemiTek is perhaps the clearest example of Braga’s global outlook.

Founded by César Martins in 2018, the company develops cleaning products, anti-static coatings, and hydrophobic coatings for solar panels. It started at Startup Braga, while the SBS Fund and other Portuguese partners joined its seed round in 2019.

Martins said Braga offered proximity, energy, and access to universities and research centers. But he also understands that Portugal’s domestic market is too small for most startups to stay local.

“Portugal is a small country,” he said. “You have to think about the global market from the beginning.”

Other companies at Startup Braga are taking different routes from research to market.

eDynamics is developing a digital health system that uses sensors and a smart insole to assess physical fatigue and predict injury risk. Its potential users include athletes and workers in physically demanding sectors such as logistics and retail.

The company was founded by three researchers whose work in rehabilitation robotics and wearable technology began at the University of Minho. After facing delays with manufacturing partners in India and China, the team decided to work with manufacturers closer to home in Portugal.

IPLEXMED is working on a more research-intensive challenge. The company is developing a graphene-based diagnostic device that could reduce the time needed to identify bacteria responsible for respiratory infections from more than seven hours to around 20 minutes.

It is still at the prototype and preclinical validation stage, with plans to enter the market in 2027. Like eDynamics, IPLEXMED began with university research before becoming a startup.

Startup Braga receives around 200 applications a year from international startups and works with Portugal’s Startup Visa program to support technology companies looking to establish or expand in the country.

For founders looking toward Asia, Macau and Hong Kong may offer potential entry points into the Chinese market. China’s manufacturing base and the application potential of AI, drones, and robotics are also attracting interest from Portuguese startups.

Braga is not trying to become another Lisbon or Porto. Its model is more focused: connect research institutions, incubators, and founders, then give companies enough support to take their first steps.

The €30 desk is only the starting point. The ambition, from the beginning, is global.