9 new startups in Portugal worth knowing (2026)

Some of the newest startups in Portugal in 2026 are Humanos, DOJO AI, Ekiden, FRANK, Usawa Care, DeskAmigo, Coalex.ai, Intuitivo and BRAINR. They work on risk scores for AI agents, marketing software, blockchain trading infrastructure, insurance back-office automation, paediatric care over WhatsApp, flexible workspaces, a safety layer for AI in production, digital tests for teachers and software for food factories, and each announced funding this year. This page lists young Portuguese startups with recent, publicly reported news, newest first, and is updated as new ones appear. Last updated: 23 October 2026.

Intuitivo (Porto): digital tests that give teachers their time back

Intuitivo is a digital assessment platform on which teachers create, schedule and grade tests and give feedback, from primary school to higher education; students open a test through a single link, without an account. Founded in 2021 by João Guimarães (CEO), Duarte Oliveira and Diogo Silva, it announced a 1.35 million euro seed round led by Caixa Capital and the Impact Innovation Fund, with Techstars, COREangels Lisboa and Porto and Angels Way, on 23 October 2026, to expand into Brazil. Website: intuitivo.pt. Sources: EU-Startups, Portugal Startup News.

FRANK: an AI operator for insurance brokers' paperwork

FRANK builds an AI operator that does the back-office work of insurance intermediaries: it reads emails, WhatsApp messages and documents, fills in insurer portals and returns the result, such as a proposal or a claim update. Founded in December 2024 and led by co-founder and CEO António Castro, it said in October 2026 that it had raised 2.9 million euro from Armilar and Start Ventures, and that the platform has more than 1,500 users across 350 branches. Website: frankinsurance.ai. Source: Portugal Startup News.

Humanos (Lisbon): a live risk score for AI agents

Humanos builds a network that monitors AI agents and gives each one a live risk score from 0 to 100, based on who controls the agent, what it may do and how it behaves, plus a "risk passport" that records its controls and incidents. Founded in 2025 and led by CEO Pedro Andrade, it announced a 3.2 million dollar seed round led by Anthemis, with Springbank, Critical Ventures, Start Ventures and Transatlantic Highway Ventures, on 28 September 2026. Website: humanos.tech. Sources: Portugal Startup News, Sifted.

Usawa Care: a paediatrician on WhatsApp

Usawa Care is a digital paediatric clinic: families get unlimited consultations with a dedicated paediatrician over WhatsApp for 12 euro a month, with a free version with reduced hours. Founded and led by Luís Almeida Fernandes, a former director of the SNS24 health line, it said in September 2026 that it works with 23 paediatricians for more than 12,000 registered children, and announced a 3 million dollar seed round led by Armilar, with Start Ventures, Oxy Capital and angel investor Jorge Marques, to launch an adult service in October and start in the United States. Website: usawacare.com. Sources: Portugal Startup News, ECO.

DeskAmigo: a desk in the café around the corner

DeskAmigo is a marketplace for short-term workspace bookings that connects remote workers with cafés, restaurants and other businesses that have unused space at certain hours of the day. Founded by Charles Whitmee (CEO) and Dayse Brilhante (CSO), it announced a 350,000 euro pre-seed round from Portuguese and British entrepreneurs in hospitality, food and real estate on 15 September 2026. Website: deskamigo.com. Source: Portugal Startup News.

BRAINR (Leiria): software that runs food factories

BRAINR makes an AI-powered manufacturing execution platform for the food industry, with real-time execution, traceability and planning; the company says its software already supports a quarter of Portugal's meat production. Founded by Paulo Gaspar (CEO), Rui Batista (COO) and Ricardo Granada (CTO), it announced a 1.5 million euro extension from Portugal Ventures on 3 July 2026, on top of an 11 million euro seed round in 2025 led by C2 Capital Partners, then the largest seed round for a Portuguese startup. Website: brainr.com. Sources: Portugal Startup News, ECO.

Coalex.ai: a decision firewall for AI in production

Coalex.ai sits between an AI system and the real world: it blocks risky actions, routes doubtful cases to a person and keeps an auditable record of every decision, so companies can run AI agents in production with less fear. Led by co-founder and CEO Carlos Lebre Ribeiro, it announced an investment of undisclosed size from the angel fund Angels Way on 22 June 2026. Website: coalex.ai. Sources: Portugal Startup News, ECO.

Ekiden (Lisbon): on-chain trading built for professionals

Ekiden builds blockchain-based trading infrastructure for professional and institutional traders, with the execution, reliability and risk standards they are used to from traditional markets. Founded by Vitali Dervoed, it announced a 1.7 million euro seed round with investors connected to GSR, Flowdesk, Pyth, Aptos and others, and Keyrock as a strategic partner, on 4 May 2026. Website: ekiden.fi. Source: EU-Startups.

DOJO AI (Lisbon): marketing software that acts on the data

DOJO AI is an AI marketing system that analyses a brand's marketing data in context and then acts on it, so teams are not left with dashboards and no decisions. Led by co-founder and co-CEO Duarte Garrido, it announced a 5.1 million euro seed round at a 25 million euro valuation, led by Armilar with Heartfelt VC, on 22 April 2026, to grow in the United States. Website: dojoai.com. Source: EU-Startups.

Quick facts

• Intuitivo: digital tests for teachers, 1.35 million euro seed (October 2026)
• FRANK: AI operator for insurance intermediaries, 2.9 million euro (October 2026)
• Humanos: risk scores for AI agents, 3.2 million dollar seed (September 2026)
• Usawa Care: paediatric care over WhatsApp, 3 million dollar seed (September 2026)
• DeskAmigo: short-term workspace marketplace, 350,000 euro pre-seed (September 2026)
• BRAINR: software for food factories, 1.5 million euro seed extension (July 2026)
• Coalex.ai: decision firewall for AI, angel investment (June 2026)
• Ekiden: on-chain trading infrastructure, 1.7 million euro seed (May 2026)
• DOJO AI: AI marketing system, 5.1 million euro seed (April 2026)

FAQ

Which Portuguese startups raised money in 2026? Among others Intuitivo, FRANK, Humanos, Usawa Care, DeskAmigo, BRAINR, Coalex.ai, Ekiden and DOJO AI, all listed above with the amount, the investors and a source.

Which investors are active in Portuguese startups? Armilar and Start Ventures each appear in three of the rounds above; Portugal Ventures, Caixa Capital, Anthemis and the angel community Angels Way also invested in 2026.

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