Fintech House and Fundação Santander partner to accelerate 90 fintechs
The Fintech House and Fundação Santander Portugal have joined forces to accelerate 90 Portuguese fintechs and support more than 110 entrepreneurs, giving them new opportunities to grow and expand internationally.
At the heart of the partnership are mentoring sessions, known as “Office Hours”, with Santander specialists in areas such as digital transformation, payments innovation and compliance. These are delivered through the Santander X platform, which acts as an entry point to a global network of entrepreneurs, investors and scale-up opportunities. The mentoring is available exclusively to startups based at the Fintech House and to participants in the SPRINT programme, covering fintechs at every stage, from early projects to more consolidated companies.
Beyond mentoring, the startups gain free access to the Santander Open Academy, with more than 1,000 courses and scholarships in innovation and technology. The collaboration also includes initiatives open to the whole ecosystem, such as a joint event held during the Web Summit in Lisbon, and aims to help Portuguese startups expand beyond borders by tapping into the Santander Group’s presence in 11 countries and the international reach of Santander X.
“This collaboration with Santander Portugal represents a natural milestone in the evolution of the Fintech House as a hub of excellence for startups. By combining our innovation ecosystem with Santander’s experience and international reach, we are creating the ideal conditions to accelerate the growth and competitiveness of resident fintechs,” said Mariana Gorjão Henriques, director of the Fintech House.
“We are committed to creating opportunities for companies at the different stages of their life cycle and to helping them thrive. The partnership reinforces our commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, in a sector we consider strategic for Portugal’s competitive positioning,” added Inês Rocha de Gouveia, President of Fundação Santander Portugal.