Before we built bridges to others, we also had to find our own. When we started building Equivalence, we were trying to understand our own place: which spaces were truly open to listening to us, and who valued difference as part of the value we brought?

Casa do Impacto was one of the first doors that opened for us. On the organizational side, Açúcar Hub was also our first Official Partnership. Those early Individuals and Organizations that believed in us before everything was fully clear carry enormous weight: they help us build confidence, understand the local landscape, and turn an idea into a path forward.

In the last 12 months, a lot has changed. We won the Lisboa Innovation for All award in the Migrant Integration category, with recognition from the Lisbon City Council. For us, this was not just institutional validation: it was Migrant, Latinx, and female representation, the confirmation that there is space for other stories, other accents, and other ways to build Impact.

With this awareness, we joined Latin Business Connections, a gathering driven by Açúcar Hub and the Association of Ecuadorian Women. The goal was to bring Latin American Migrant Enterprises closer to the local Ecosystem, creating connections, visibility, and sharing. When the opportunity arose to bring this initiative closer to Casa do Impacto, we had no doubts. It made sense to build that bridge.

At the end of April, we gathered in an intimate and human setting. We were left with the image of Latin American women (and one man), in a new country, sharing what they are building and what they need to take the next step.

There were projects that give concrete form to this diversity: Angélica, with Just Digi Mark, using digital marketing as a tool for visibility and growth; Martha, with Martha Tomé, promoting Mexican cuisine in Portugal; Blanca, with Nena Selected Coffee, bringing specialty coffee and Colombian heritage; Florencia, with Agência La Ola, helping Projects find their voice; Alexa, with Docaria Madeira, demonstrating the persistence of those who turn a dream into a sweet journey; and Raymond, with Açúcar FM, a radio station that creates a voice and cultural connection for the Latin community. And there were also Anabell and Daniela, sharing Equivalence’s vision: recognizing international paths, building connections, and making the unknown more familiar. 

This gathering arose from a need we see time and again: people with talent, experience, and projects who still lack sufficient networks to navigate the local Ecosystem. That’s why it was important to make this connection with Casa do Impacto, which once again opened its doors to present Programs and opportunities, and to show how these ventures can engage with and connect to the Ecosystem.

And why does this matter? Because it’s not just an individual perception. It’s a pattern: invisible barriers and gaps in social capital. Data from our Integration Scale (a tool we use with migrants to understand their barriers to integration) confirms this reality: among those who completed the initial assessment, 75% reported having limited or non-existent networks, and 86% indicated low knowledge of local resources.

Creating conditions for others to join isn’t just about opening a room or extending an invitation. It’s about making things visible, informing, bringing people together, and understanding what each person is building. This meeting showed how networking among Civil Society Organizations, a Social Innovation Hub, and a Startup can help level the playing field, connecting concrete pathways to the spaces where they can move forward.

Nor do we want to romanticize these meetings. A single event does not solve the barriers to migrant entrepreneurship. But it can be a concrete starting point: it builds trust, sparks an initial conversation, and brings together those who previously viewed the Ecosystem as distant.

Twelve months ago, we were trying to get in. Today, we’re also starting to create the conditions for others to join us. It’s not enough to open doors: we need to build bridges that allow people to enter, but also to stay.

The talent is already there. Connecting it can change everything.

By: Daniela Sanabria, Co-Founder and Director of Impact at Equivalence

Daniela Sanabria is Co-Founder and Director of Impact at Equivalence, an Impact Startup that recognizes the international journeys of Migrants and builds bridges with the local Ecosystem, transforming those journeys into opportunities.