The University of Lisbon (ULisboa) has long stood as Portugal’s largest and most prestigious university. Today, it stands for much more: it is the most entrepreneurial university in the country, shaping not only Portugal’s innovation landscape but influencing Europe’s broader knowledge economy.
This strength is now clearly captured in the ULisboa Startup Impact Report 2025, developed with Dealroom, which positions the University of Lisbon as a driving force in the country’s entrepreneurial and technological transformation. The numbers are compelling — and they illustrate why ULisboa is a strategic anchor for innovation-driven collaboration within the Unite! alliance, particularly for institutions in widening countries seeking to accelerate their own entrepreneurial transformation.
A University that moves markets
The 2025 report confirms ULisboa’s unprecedented impact on Portugal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem:
- 4 of the 6 national Unicorns are founded by ULisboa alumni
- +1000 startups with ULisboa DNA
- 550 startups raised €4 billion (70% in the last 5 years)
- Presence in over 40 countries
ULisboa also plays a central role in creating value from research, with more than 170 academic spinouts created to date, 130 of which are based in Lisbon, representing around 75% of all spinouts in the city.
These figures position ULisboa not merely as a national champion, but as a southern European innovation hub with global reach.
For Unite! Widening, this momentum offers a model of how long-term investment in innovation infrastructures, entrepreneurship support, and translational research can reshape an entire regional ecosystem.
A Strategic example for Widening institutions
The Unite! Widening project aims to empower universities from widening countries by strengthening institutional capacities in innovation, deep-tech entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and collaboration with industry.
ULisboa’s trajectory offers several relevant lessons:
- Ecosystem building as a long-term mission
ULisboa’s success comes from decades of coordinated work: incubators, technology transfer offices, research institutes, and alumni networks aligned toward a shared vision.
- Academic research as a value creation engine
With more than 170 spinouts, ULisboa demonstrates how world-class research can evolve into market-changing ventures, even in ecosystems with historically low access to capital.
- Globalisation of entrepreneurship
ULisboa-backed startups operate across 40+ countries, reinforcing the idea that innovation from widening countries can compete — and lead — internationally.
- Strong participation in international alliances
As a member of Unite!, ULisboa acts as a multiplier, opening pathways for shared entrepreneurial programs, joint incubation, talent circulation, and cross-border innovation projects.
Visibility at Europe’s Largest Tech Event: Web Summit 2025
Reinforcing this position, ULisboa was present at the Web Summit 2025, from November 10th to 13th, becoming the first Portuguese university to have its own stand at one of the world’s largest technology and innovation events.
At the same time, ULisboa was promoting “UniVerse: Entrepreneurial Academy” on November 11th, at the Pavilion of Portugal, an event dedicated to the impact of academia on the Portuguese entrepreneurship ecosystem.
What this means for Unite!Widening?
ULisboa’s achievements are not isolated success stories — they are transferable insights that can strengthen the entire Unite! network. Through structured collaboration, widening universities can:
- adopt tested models for startup incubation and spinout creation
- engage with ULisboa’s innovation experts and infrastructures
- co-develop entrepreneurial programmes
- share best practices on attracting investment and building global networks
University of Lisbon Startup Impact Report 2025:
ULisboa shows what is possible when a university mobilizes its scientific excellence toward societal and economic impact. Through Unite!, this experience becomes a shared resource — transforming not only one institution or country, but the innovation capacity of Europe as a whole.
