Applying a product mindset to test VC platform initiatives
01.09.2022This article reflects a talk delivered at the 2022 VC Platform Global Summit in New York. Minor adaptations have been made to accommodate recent updates and the written medium. As Head of Platform at MAZE, a European impact investing firm based in Lisbon, we have been applying a product mindset to test our platform initiatives […]
How we built a VC platform to serve impact founders across Europe — part 2 of 2
04.05.2022This article is the second of two posts for VC platform managers and investors, explaining how we have built a platform to help deliver global social and environmental outcomes.
How we built a VC platform to serve impact founders across Europe — part 1 of 2
14.04.2022This article is the first of two posts for VC platform managers and investors, explaining how we are building a platform to deliver bolder social and environmental outcomes. Our mission as an impact fund is to help build ventures solving global social and environmental challenges. We do that by investing in startups that scale successfully […]
What we mean by platform
19.05.2021plat·form: female noun, which refers to a horizontal and levelled surface, higher than its surrounding floor. In Lisbon’s colourful trams, the platform is the step that supports the departing and arriving passengers. In the entrepreneurial lingo, it has a technological connotation, referring to a computing system. In abstract, it is also a collective of meaning […]
Katrien Buys is the 2021 MAZE runner
29.03.2021Katrien is the 2021 MAZE Runner award winner. This ward distinguishes the relentless efforts of an individual or a collective in tackling social or environmental challenges.
Four growing impact businesses that were accelerated by Maze X Startup Accelerator
10.11.2020Last year, EU-Startups posted an article with 4 recommendations to help you get into Maze X. In 2020, it shared four success stories of four Maze X alumni, why they were chosen and how the programme helped them boost their impact. We are resharing it here too. Vytal, a smart reusable packaging-as-a-service for takeaway Convenient […]
🌱Knok healthcare closes a €1.7m investment to accelerate the democratisation of access to health, through video consultations
05.11.2020We are proud to lead this round for the Porto-based startup that improves access to essential healthcare services, along with Fundo de Inovação Social.
🌱Kitch seals €1 million Pre-Seed Funding to build sustainable delivery-first virtual kitchens
05.06.2020We are proud to lead the pre-seed funding round for the Lisbon-based startup that wants to bring everyone’s favourite food to their homes sustainably was along with Seedcamp.
🌱Omocom raises €3.7 million to provide micro-insurances for the circular economy
14.05.2020We are proud to lead Omocom latest €3.7 million investment round along with Inventure.
🌱 Rnters, a marketplace for everyday items, raises €200k to tackle overconsumption
03.05.2020We are proud to participate in Rnters latest 200k pre-seed round following Techstars, in partnership with Semapa NEXT.
🌱Platypus prepares companies for the future of work
03.04.2020We are proud to lead Platypus latest $2.5 million investment round along with Inventure and Vækstfonden.
First annual unit holder meeting from MSM fund
25.02.2020First annual unit holder meeting of the anticipated Portuguese impact venture capital fund – MSM – received its 26 investors in Lisbon.
Interview with Bernardo from MyPolis
12.02.2020MAZE sat down with Bernardo, founder and CEO of MyPolis, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with Udai from Tuki
06.02.2020MAZE sat down with Udai D., founder and CEO of Tuki, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with Reinaldo from Springkode
22.01.2020MAZE sat down with Reinaldo Moreira, co-founder of Springkode, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with Todor from Goodbag
10.12.2019MAZE sat down with Todor Lazov, CTO of Goodbag, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with RNTERS
04.12.2019MAZE sat down with Guilherme Guerra, co-founder of RNTERS, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with Sara Gonçalves from Trigger Systems
22.11.2019MAZE sat down with Sara Gonçalves, co-founder of Trigger Systems, to learn how it all came to be.
Interview with Mursal Hedayat from Chatterbox
29.10.2019MAZE sat down with Mursal Hedayat, co-founder of Chatterbox, to learn how it all came to be.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 12
07.08.2019On week 12 of Maze X, we invested our time in acknowledging and celebrating our work throughout acceleration and in planning the months ahead.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 11
29.07.2019On week 11, the founders renewed their hope on entrepreneurship with a breakfast with the fearless impact entrepreneur Domingos Guimarães and sat down for a second round of meetings with investors. Adding on to that, the founders benefited from 1-to-1 meetings with Google Adwords expert Sebastian Bartling.
Interview with Michael from Bios
26.07.2019MAZE sat down with Micahel Parkes, Founder and CEO of Bios, to learn how it all came to be.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 10
23.07.2019On week 10 of Maze X, the founders learned to see GDPR as an opportunity with PLMJ. They also learned the first-hand experience from Diogo Cruz getting to Silicon valley at the age of 21.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 9
15.07.2019On week 9 of Maze X, the founders overcame the fear of selling, My Polis and PLMJ accelerated the corporate pilot and the reminiscent founders met with investors from MAZE network.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 8
11.07.2019On week 8 of Maze X, the founders pitched to an audience of investors, corporates and partners at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a founding member of this startup accelerator.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 7
02.07.2019On week 7 of Maze X, we celebrated Maze X partner and host Casa do Impacto and learn valuable tips on raising investment with Valerie Konde, our entrepreneur-in-residence.
Interview with Anna-Lena Gerber from SitEinander
28.06.2019MAZE sat down with Mursal Hedayat, co-founder of Chatterbox, to learn how it all came to be.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 6
24.06.2019On week 6 of Maze X, the founder hustled at Pitch Practice, a 48-hour event to master the pitch to the Demo Day happening on July 4th at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 5
18.06.2019On week 5 of Maze X, MyPolis kicked-off the corporate pilot with PLMJ and Eric Chan, founder of Chargebee, shared a few insider tips for a successful subscription model.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 4
10.06.2019On week 4 of Maze X, Chatterbox kicked-off the corporate pilot with BNP Paribas and Alexandra Monteiro, VP of People at Outsystems, shared some of the strategies that supported the growth of this Portuguese unicorn.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 3
04.06.2019On week 3 of Maze X, we had two sessions with experts to talk about recruitment and culture, one of the crucial startups’ success factors and one of the most difficult to get right.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 2
27.05.2019After diagnostic and goal-setting, in the second week of Maze X, founders invested their time in office hours with mentors and experts to sprint towards their weekly goals. Given the diversity of the cohort, the sessions were tailored around specific topics, such as product, comms, funding, tech and strategy.
AMPLIFICA announces the final cohort of its second edition
22.05.2019Meet the final cohort of AMPLIFICA’s second edition. The 9 selected projects will participate in the 6-week pre-acceleration programme focused on tech-based ideas that address social and environmental challenges.
Maze X startup accelerator – Week 1
17.05.2019The first week of a startup accelerator is crucial to align expectations towards the program. Thus, the goals were set, and they were accomplished.
SPEAK won third place at the Chivas Venture Tournament
10.05.2019SPEAK, the tech platform that promotes language and culture exchange of migrants, went to Amsterdam to the global final of the Chivas Venture Tournament, and won third place.
Demo Day of AMPLIFICA’s First Edition
25.04.2019On AMPLIFICA’s first edition Demo Day, the 9 selected startups presented the work developed to the several partner entities that attended the event at Fábrica de Santo Thyrso.
Edmond de Rothschild and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundations celebrate partnership
08.03.2019Edmond de Rothschild Foundations and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Maze X founding members, celebrate their new partnership to strengthen and disrupt the impact ecosystem in Europe
AMPLIFICA announces the 9 participants for its first edition
08.03.2019AMPLIFICA selected the final cohort of 9 projects for its first edition. The 6-week pre-acceleration program focused on tech-based ideas focused on solving social and environmental problems was launched on March 8th
André Figueiredo e Bruno Ferreira are THE MAZE Runners of 2019
01.03.2019Each year, MAZE awards a MAZE Runner. This year, there are two people who stood out for their tireless role that allowed the success of MAZE and supported projects.