Amílcar Falcão is the current Rector of the University of Coimbra. He has a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, a PhD and an Aggregate Degree in Pharmacy from the UC, where he is a Full Professor. He has been Director of the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Vice-Rector of the UC.

He has an extensive scientific output (more than 230 scientific articles, more than 5000 citations) and extensive experience in supervising research work. He is on the editorial board of several scientific journals, where he is a regular reviewer. He has already received several national and international awards that reinforce the visibility and quality of his work.

Amílcar Falcão is also the Technical Director of the company ICNAS Produção, having actively participated in obtaining the first radiopharmaceutical drug developed and registered in Portugal and the first Portuguese drug to be commercialised.

Economist and university professor, she holds a Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate in Economics from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra. Member of Parliament from 2 April 2024, to 2 May 2025. She was president of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Member of the Parliamentary Education and Science Committee, and Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Public Works, and Housing.

She was also Minister of Territorial Cohesion in the XXII and XXIII Constitutional Governments, from 26 October 2019, to 2 April 2023. She has been a professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra since 1995.

António Grilo is a Full Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management at the NOVA School of Science and Technology. He currently serves as the President of the National Innovation Agency (ANI), representing the Agency for Research and Innovation.

He has held several key academic leadership positions at the NOVA School of Science and Technology, including:

• Head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
• Director of the UNIDEMI research center.
• Board Member of NOVA.ID.
• Director of the Doctoral Program in Industrial Engineering.
• Chairman of the Board of the Madan Parque Incubator.
• Board Member of UNINOVA.

As a professor, he teaches subjects such as Technological Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Product Development, Information Systems, Decision Models, Digital Supply Chains, and Strategic Management across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs.

More recently, he has focused on bridging the gap between academia and the corporate world through executive education. He serves as the coordinator for the Postgraduate Program in Supply Chain Management, the Postgraduate Program in Agile Project Management, and the Inspiring Tech Safari Executive Program.

António Grilo has managed over 20 R&D and innovation projects, primarily in partnership with private companies. He has published more than 110 articles in international scientific journals, conferences, and book chapters in the fields of Interoperability, Digital Platforms, and Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain applications in Industry and Services, earning over 2,000 citations. He is also deeply passionate about supporting startup development and entrepreneurship within the academic environment.

Elisa Tarzia is Co-Founder and Vice President of 351 – Portuguese Startup Association, the largest independent organisation supporting entrepreneurship in Portugal.

She is also VP of Growth at BRIDGE IN, supporting international companies expanding into Europe, and a Board Member of the European Startup Network (ESN), contributing to policy-making at the European level to advance entrepreneurship.

Recognised on Sifted's "100 Women in Tech in Europe 2025" list and EU-Startups' 100 most influential women in the European startup and VC ecosystem (2026), she is an active voice for building more inclusive and competitive ecosystems.

Partner and Executive Director of Bynd Venture Capital, an Iberian venture capital investor with more than 35 active investments across multiple funds.

At Bynd Venture Capital we invest in companies: - Pre seed & Seed stage - IT/Digital, Consumer Goods, Sustainability - Startups with a strong connection with Iberia - Portugal and/or Spain (founders, tech hub, market priority).

Hannah Franklin is a British neuroscientist and VC investor focused on early-stage biotech. She is an Associate at Biovance Capital, a €60M+ fund investing in transformational therapeutics across Europe.

Hannah completed her PhD in neuroscience at University College London, studying astrocyte-driven neurodegeneration in ALS, and later conducted postdoctoral research at the Francis Crick Institute.

Before joining Biovance, she worked as an Investment Analyst at SCI Ventures.

Heitor Benfeito brings over 20 years of experience as a venture capital executive across Europe and US. He specialises in supporting early-stage companies in generating and closing strategic deals as lead negotiator - commercially, through funding, and via M&A transactions.

Heitor has held board positions in 20+ companies across Europe and the USA, frequently serving as Interim CEO, Interim CFO, and Head of International Operations in sectors including clean energy, electronics, advanced materials, software, and cybersecurity.

He has been involved in more than 70 venture capital deals totaling over $200M and has led successful more than 20 M&A exits of early-stage companies. Heitor also led or co-led the fundraising $100M+ for investment funds from institutional limited partners in the different funds he was engaged in his career to date.

Heitor is a PhD candidate in Finance at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto, specialising in startup valuation under the supervision of Professor Jay Mitra (University of Essex) and Professor Hélder Vasconcelos (University of Porto). He lectures in Financial Management at European University in Porto, Finance at ISAG European Business School, and High Technology Commercialisation at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship).

Since 2017, he has served as an external expert for the European Commission on innovation, entrepreneurship, and finance, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Scientific Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies (SAGE).
Heitor is currently Managing Director of Critical Ventures, a deep-tech venture fund with a focused and differentiated investment thesis: dedicated to software and software-enabled hardware, backing startups with strong IP moats across six core verticals: Cybersecurity, AI/ML and Edge Computing, Defense Tech and Dual-Use, Industrial Automation, MedTech, and Mobility and Aerospace. The fund is specially focused on backing companies solving real problems in large, growing markets where regulatory tailwinds and infrastructure resilience create defensible moats. Critical Ventures invests from first check at Seed through Series B, and acts as a proactive follow-on investor at portfolio inflection points. Beyond capital, Critical Ventures operates as a full-stack builder-investor platform: providing hands-on operational support across go-to-market, product strategy, compliance-by-design, and technical roadmaps; leveraging the Critical Ecosystem to connect portfolio companies with strategic customers, co-investors, and partners across Europe, the US, and Asia; and actively facilitating customer introductions and proof-of-concept deployments with blue-chip and Tier 1 players.

Heitor also currently serves as a board member of current portfolio companies in the UK, the Netherlands and the USA.

A polyglot, Heitor is a native Portuguese speaker and is fluent in English, with advanced proficiency in Spanish, Italian, German and basic knowledge of Mandarin and Russian. He is a sought-after international keynote speaker on topics including finance, entrepreneurship, technology commercialisation, venture capital, and early-stage company operations.

Senior Associate at the investment team of Armilar, a venture capital investor with over 25 years of history in Portugal. We invest in companies where Digital, Data, and Connectivity play a central role, with successful business models, strong differentiation, and defensible positions. We look for companies that offer excellent, highly scalable products that frequently leverage advanced engineering innovations for their commercialisation. Our scope is European, with a strong focus on the Iberian region.

Holding a Degree in Law and Economics (1985) from the Universidade Livre de Lisboa, she also attended a Master’s in Commercial Law at the Catholic University of Lisbon (1986). She further complemented her legal education with various courses and seminars in European Union Law.

As a Lawyer and Corporate Consultant, she balances her legal practice with the management of STAR BUSY INVESTIMENTOS E INOVAÇÃO LDA, a firm dedicated to supporting new companies and high-innovation projects (startups).

She currently holds the following positions:

• Coordinator and Professor of the Postgraduate Program in Business Entrepreneurship at Universidade Europeia.
• Coordinator and Professor of the Postgraduate Program in Succession Planning for Family Businesses at ISLA Santarém – Polytechnic Institute of Santarém.
• President of the Lisbon Business Angels Club.
• Board Member of Investors Portugal (Portuguese Association of Early-Stage Investors).

A mentor and Advisory Board member for several national incubators, she is a frequent participant in projects promoting entrepreneurship and a regular speaker at conferences on themes such as Entrepreneurship, Business Angels, Funding Sources, and Business & Human Rights.

Her strategic influence includes serving as a:

• Member of the Strategic Council for REVISTA LÍDER and the LEADERSHIP SUMMIT.
• Member of the Advisory Board for Territórios Criativos.
• Member of the Advisory Board for Women in Tech Portugal and the Pink Circle City Network.

She was a jury member on Shark Tank Portugal (Season 2) and currently serves as President of the Board of UNA – United Nations Portugal, a private institution dedicated to supporting UN organizations, initiatives, and projects.

In 2024, she was named one of the Top 5 Most Influential Women Business Angels in Europe by Business Angels Europe (BAE). Most recently, in January 2025, she was honored as Woman of the Decade by the Women3.0Awards.

João Gabriel Silva has been president of the Instituto Pedro Nunes since April 2022. A full professor at the University of Coimbra, he was also Rector of this institution between 2011 and 2019. He holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences, specialising in Computer Science, from the FCTUC. In the course of his scientific research activity, he has developed projects funded by organisations such as JNICT, FCT, EU, Innovation Agency, European Space Agency and NASA.

He was one of the founders of the UC Centre for Information Technology and Systems - CISUC, of which he was president from 2002 to 2006. He led the Research Group on Dependable Systems (1991-2005), and was Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the most important conference in his area of research: IEEE International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (June 2003, San Francisco).

He coordinated the design of the first Portuguese computer, designed and produced in Portugal, the ENER 1000. Subsequently, João coordinated various projects developed at the IPN's Computer Science and Systems Laboratory and the development of software packages that gained international visibility, such as WPVM and WMPI.

Maria Burpee is a Venture Partner at Transatlantic Highway Ventures (THV.vc) and a marketing consultant and startup coach. With 25+ years of experience scaling growth-stage companies, she brings deep commercial and go-to-market expertise to her clients and to THV's portfolio. Maria has consulted and advised 40+ companies globally — from seed-stage disruptors to unicorns — and is a frequent pitch contest judge and invited speaker at top accelerators including Instituto Pedro Nunes (top 20 globally). An American based in Europe for nearly two decades, she brings a truly transatlantic lens to building market share and mind share.

Maria Oliveira is the Executive Business Director at UPTEC and Co-Director of the Master in Innovation Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Porto Business School, where she also teaches. With over 20 years of experience in technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and innovation management, Maria has held various roles in Portugal and abroad, including in innovation consulting, leading the technology transfer office at the University of Porto, serving as a visiting fellow at Boston University, and as Executive Director of UTEN, a component of the UT Austin | Portugal Program. She is regularly invited as an external expert to evaluate proposals for the European Research Council and the European Innovation Council, and frequently participates as a speaker at conferences and seminars.

Paulo Marques is an entrepreneur, engineer, and investor. He co-founded Feedzai, where he served as CTO for 13 years leading product and technology, and where he still serves on the board of directors. He is a founding partner of TUMO Portugal and currently serves as Scientific Director of the CMU|Portugal program. Previously, he held a dual appointment at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Coimbra. Paulo holds a PhD in Distributed Systems and has authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers and a book.

Pinar Ozcan is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She is also the academic director of the Oxford Entrepreneurship Centre and the Oxford Future of Finance and Technology (Fintech) Initiative.

A globally recognised expert in fintech, strategy, AI governance, and digital transformation, Pinar advises governments, regulators, and boards on innovation strategy in fast-moving, highly regulated sectors. Her current work focuses on AI-enabled business models, digital platform and ecosystems, the role of technology in financial inclusion, and the evolving role of Big Tech in regulated industries.

She brings 20+ years of strategic insight working with organisations ranging from Silicon Valley startups to European regulators and global financial institutions. She has served as advisor to bodies including the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), European Commission, OECD, and the Bank of England on fintech, data, and AI regulation.

Pinar holds a PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, where she also earned her master’s and dual bachelor’s degrees. Her academic work has received multiple international awards and is widely cited in management, technology, and policy circles.

Since completing her PhD, Pinar had the honour to be selected to the Top 40 Business School Professors under 40 by Poets and Quants. She was also selected to the global Thinkers 50 list for emerging thinkers with the potential to make lasting contributions to management theory and practice in 2018.

In 2021, Pinar was chosen to the Global Women in Fintech Powerlist by Innovate Finance. In 2023, Pinar was selected to the Advisory Committee of the OECD Digital for SMEs Global Initiative (D4SME), which aims to help SMEs seize the benefits of digitalisation. In 2024, she was selected as an Academic Advisor to the Bank of England Digital Pound Initiative, and in 2025, she started her role as member of the World Economic Forum Global Council on Financial Education.

In addition to her academic work, Pinar brings strong industry experience as a former management consultant at Siemens in Germany and through her advisory roles with startups, scaleups and investment firms in Europe and the US.

Pinar is multilingual (English, Turkish, Spanish, German, Dutch) and selectively engages in non-executive and advisory board roles.

Expertise:

• fintech and digital transformation strategy
• AI governance, regulation and ethics
• platform business models and innovation ecosystems
• inclusive finance and ESG-driven technology innovation
• scaling tech ventures across regulatory boundaries

Raquel Gaião Silva is a senior associate at Faber. For the past years, she has been mostly working in the blue economy space, helping promising deep tech early stage startups grow and connect to the ecosystem. She also serves on the executive board of BlueBio Alliance, contributing to efforts to strengthen and scale the blue bioeconomy.

Sónia Ferreira is the Founder and CEO of BestHealth4U, a Portuguese DeepTech company in the healthcare sector.

She holds a Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Catholic University of Portugal and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics from the University of Lisbon. Additionally, she earned an MBA from INDEG-ISCTE.

She further specialized in pharmaceuticals, medical device certification, clinical trials, management, internationalization, and entrepreneurship, including executive training at MIT-Boston.

In 2023 and 2024, she served as a member of the Working Group on Economy and Health for the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and Maritime Affairs.

She is a semi-finalist for the 2026 European Prize for Women Innovators. Her career seamlessly combines scientific expertise, strategic vision, and personal experience, all transformed into global innovation through BestHealth4U.