They’re still unsure about what will happen, how they will show who they are, and where they will sit on the first day. As far as that’s concerned, there’s nothing to worry about. We choose the seats. The rest is always unknown. We always know what points we have to touch on in a boot camp and what topics we really have to talk about, and we’re always expecting a lot of energy, motivation, and ideas to channel during those two days of intense work.

It’s funny how we always start the first day with silence in the room, quiet conversations, but only between members of the same Team, heads stuck in the computer, and nervous glances around the room. It never ends like this, but we’re there!

From the ninety-three applications that came in during the Open-Call, we had the difficult task of selecting just thirty Social Sustainability Projects to go forward to the Bootcamp. Thirty different projects, but with a strong focus on the themes of Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Mental Health.

As always, MasterClasses and Mentorships should be diverse and rich in different perspectives that add value to Entrepreneurs. Miguel Muñoz Duarte – Co-Founder of NoCode Institute; Francisco Miranda – Founder and CEO of Class of Wonders; and Elena Dúran, Founder and CEO of 55+, are already familiar faces to generations and generations of RISE alumni when it comes to Masterclasses that are always dynamic and up-to-date, no matter how much time passes.

The Entrepreneurs in Residence at Casa do Impacto are always a sure-fire invitation for good mentoring. They proved it in this edition: Catarina Maltez – Head of Risk, Incentives, and Sustainability at Code for All; Cristian Bricead – Director of B2G Operations and Sales at MyPolis; Margarida Quinhones – Executive Director of Pedalar Sem Idade Portugal and Anabell Acevedo – Founder & CEO of Equivalence who has also been through RISE for Impact, in the same edition as Marta Cerqueira – Co-Founder of Peggada and Lígia Gomes – Co-Founder & COO. Our Team also gave their feedback and added value to the projects; thank you, Ana Arroz, Carla Contreras, Caterina Foà, Manuel Gaspar, Miguel Fontes, and Sónia Silva!

 

Over the two days, the energy in the room changed, and the nervousness dissipated. We could feel the enthusiasm rising, the blood in the gills, and the will to fight to continue in the program. All the information was written down and studied over and over again. In a Pitch, you can’t say everything there is to say, but it’s essential to get the message across. These were the ten projects that did it best and will continue to do so in the next phase, Capacity Building:

 

• Curious Cotton – Vanessa Esteves, Mário Rodrigues e Rodrigo Farinha:

Curious Cotton is a project that focuses on promoting stress-free routines, encouraging self-care practices through digital tools and sustainable physical reminders, and helping Companies and Social Institutions to take care of the Well-Being of their people through fashion. The central innovation is the NFC button integrated into the garments, which opens the Curious Up app on the cell phone and offers resources such as challenges, Mindfulness exercises, and stress assessments.

 

• DAT – Dança, Arte e Terapia– Maria Eugénia Brandulo, Ana Stange Klix and Irene Labar Pirez:

This project aims to promote individual and community well-being through art, especially dance, as a tool for social transformation. DAT develops therapeutic programs for vulnerable sectors, led by an interdisciplinary and multicultural team, encouraging inclusive and integrative practices. Programs include TangoTherapy for active aging, Inclusive Dance, activities integrating dance, art, and healthy practices, and programs encouraging creativity and self-knowledge in young people and children.

 

• GreenDash – Rita Pinhol e José Nave:

GreenDash is an AI-powered web-based platform designed to simplify and automate the creation of sustainability reports in compliance with the European CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive). By leveraging advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, GreenDash empowers companies—especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs)—to meet legal obligations while promoting greater transparency, accountability, and positive environmental and social impact.

 

• Impacte – Philip Kriekhaus, Panajot Baka e Luís Lopes:

Impacte is a sustainable finance platform that empowers users to create positive social and environmental impact by automatically linking a portion of their everyday spending to diversified investment portfolios aligned with their values. Designed to make sustainable investing accessible and effortless, Impacte aims to redefine how people engage with their finances while contributing to a more equitable and eco-friendly future.

 

• Lampsy Health – Vicente Garção e Leonor Pereira:

Lampsy, a patent-protected device, enhances safety and quality of life for individuals with epilepsy. It notifies family and emergency contacts immediately during a seizure, ensuring prompt medical attention. Discreetly integrated into a lamp, Lampsy helps users avoid stigma, empowering them to live independently and confidently.

 

• Lask Portugal – Francisco Esteves, Rajan Khanal

Lask Portugal addresses the significant social problem of limited access to affordable and reliable legal assistance for migrants. Navigating immigration can be complex, so we simplify the process and ensure access to legal expertise. At Lask, we believe in fair and equal representation for all. Our platform connects clients from diverse backgrounds with experienced, compassionate lawyers for various immigration cases. We provide a secure, user-friendly platform to easily find and engage with qualified Migration lawyers. Whether you need help with visa applications, family sponsorship, work permits, or other immigration matters, we are here to assist.

 

• NOSHAME Movement – Tiago Valente

NOSHAME Movement is a social initiative focused on demystifying men’s Mental Health and fighting the stigma associated with depression in men by uniting through endurance sports, dialog, and inclusion. The mission is to create a space where men feel safe to address vulnerabilities, promote Mental Health literacy, and create a more inclusive society.

 

• Royaltea – José Maria Sarmento e António Vidinha:

Royaltea is the first 100% guilt-free soft drink line on the Portuguese market. The founders, who faced obesity as children, understood early on the impact of consumption choices on health. So they created Royaltea, which offers soft drinks with zero calories, zero sugars and a 100% natural and responsible composition, in line with new trends in healthy consumption.

 

• The Queer Spot – Roger Junior:

The Queer Spot is an innovative app created to help the LGBTQ+ community explore new spaces and events, offering a gamified experience with artificial intelligence (AI)-based curation of events. We aim to connect people, promote a safe and inclusive environment, and support the community in finding venues and events that celebrate their identity.

 

• Usawa Care – Luis Almeida Fernandes, Mafalda Castelão e Miguel Ferreira:

We integrate pediatricians with technology to allow each doctor to support 10x more patients, making care affordable to families in need and helping address the global shortage of clinicians. We offer parents unlimited access to our pediatricians in under 15 minutes.

 

Without the group of people who asked the right questions during the Pitches and encouraged our Entrepreneurs to give their all, it wouldn’t have been possible to conclude the ten we reached. Thank you for your hard work, but always so incisive, Nuno Comando – Director of Casa do Impacto; Gustavo Freitas – Director of the Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Unit of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Social Economy; Maria João Teixeira – Director of the Community Development Center of Bairro dos Lóios at SCML; Rui Catalão – Co-Founder of Kitchen Dates; Joana Afonso – CEO of Careceiver and Mónica Sanfeliz – Partnership Manager at Ashoka.

In the next phase, there will be no more excuses for silences that don’t fill the room. We want to hear the gears thinking and lots of banging of balls. That’s how we work here at Casa!

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