Are all Demodays the same? Practice makes processes become automated, with the alignment steps following one after another naturally, and a series of checks necessary for the day’s success. The schedule has been set for weeks, invitations sent, attendance confirmed, and pitches rehearsed countless times. Everything we can control is done.
But a Demoday is never just about that, and thankfully, there are things we can’t predict.
People remain the unpredictable, uncontrollable factor in a process as well-oiled as this one. The energy each group of entrepreneurs brings is uniquely their own, and everything they’ve experienced together,all their internal dynamics, unrepeatable and distinct, is brought to this day. There is an unbreakable bond that unites each Cohort in the here and now, at the moment of truth. The way they are all there for the same purpose, how they feel nervous and anxious for one another, how they share words of pride and hope that everyone can move on to the next phase to continue working together in that small ecosystem they have created over the past few months.
A jury panel is also made up of People. People with diverse experiences who bring different perspectives to the table and ask the right questions. People who accepted the challenge of helping us make the difficult decision to select just three Projects and who represent the Partner Organizations that have accompanied us in this edition, making a point of getting to know all the Entrepreneurs and their Projects up close, helping them answer difficult questions through personalized mentoring and ongoing support. Thank you to Ana Luís Reis, from Galp’s Startups & External Ecosystems division; João Campos, Social Impact Coordinator at EDP; Filipa Saldanha, Sustainability Director at Crédito Agrícola, and Bárbara Leão de Carvalho, Director of the Impact Innovation Fund at 3xP Global.
The final decision? Difficult, but convinced.
These are the three Finalists of the 4th edition of Triggers, Casa do Impacto’s training program dedicated to Environmental Sustainability solutions:
- > Action – Jaime Santos, Jini Cheriyan, Ekaterina Kuzmina: Ai.Action is developing a powerful solution for the early detection of fires and floods. It is designed to save time, resources, and, above all, lives by continuously and automatically analyzing camera images, identifying early warning signs within seconds, issuing contextual alerts, prioritizing critical situations, and reducing false alarms. It is a scalable digital infrastructure, already in the pilot phase and growing through strategic partnerships. It is an essential tool for climate resilience.
- > Hydro AI – João Pimenta, João Fernandes, Eduardo Carvalho, Sérgio Capela: Hydro AI is an intelligent platform for monitoring and forecasting water volumes in reservoirs, replacing costly, difficult-to-scale traditional methods and supporting sustainable resource management.The platform forecasts reservoir volumes up to 30 days ahead, and compiles results in a dashboard with maps, time series, and reports, helping vulnerable regions and water-dependent sectors manage resources efficiently.
- > ai-Holistic Waste Management – Francisco Sousa, João Sáàgua, João Coelho, Nuno Ventura: L.AI is revolutionizing waste management by combining Artificial Intelligence with community participation to turn waste into value. The platform enables intelligent optimization of waste collection and processing, the dissemination of verifiable impact data to support decision-making, and the promotion of more sustainable participatory practices. This is an essential tool for cleaner, more efficient, and circular cities.
And because no Demo Day is ever the same and we continue to be surprised by its unpredictability, on this day, four projects were invited to take the stage. Because dedication and progress throughout the program should be rewarded, and because the Entrepreneur’s Profile matters greatly when considering a project’s longevity and scalability, this edition of Triggers is marked by an Honorable Mention awarded to the “Empresta Aí” Project (André Grácio, Bárbara Tavares and Filipe Ferreira), which is based on a collaborative marketplace that democratizes access to goods, reduces consumption, and activates local communities through rental. Although they are no longer in the running for the top three spots, “Empresta Aí” will continue to receive all the support the program can still provide.
To those who are no longer with us in the Program, Aurora Desperta, BinBot, GraCity, Mukuaskincare, Planta Smart Homes, and TextileLab, we remain here, ready to help you on this journey that has only just begun, and we are so proud to have been a part of it. We truly believe that the market needs your ideas to become increasingly sustainable, and we have recognized, from the very beginning, the enormous potential impact of your solutions.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Luísa Aldim, Councilor of the Lisbon City Council and a partner of the CONNECT Consortium, Dr. Rita Prates, Deputy Ombudsman of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, and Administrators Dr. Luís Rego and Dr. Ângela Guerra, who joined us on this important day for Casa do Impacto.
There are always things that aren’t planned, aren’t rehearsed, and can’t be predicted. We want it to stay that way, and we hope that all these special days continue to be filled with all the idiosyncrasies that make us who we are: People coming together for the same purpose: to make a positive impact on the world.
In this edition of Triggers, we are joined by our Partners Galp, EDP, and Crédito Agrícola, with support from 3XP Global.
The 4th edition of Triggers is one of the initiatives that are part of the CONNECT Consortium.
The CONNECT – TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE INTO IMPACT is a Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (IIES) that is the result of the application submitted by a cohesive Consortium made up of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa as the Coordinating Entity and the Partner Entities Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Universidade Católica Portuguesa (through the Yunus Social Innovation Center at Católica-Lisbon) to the Call for Applications No. LISBOA2030-2024-16 – Centers for Impact Entrepreneurship of the Lisbon 2030 Regional Program / Portugal Social Innovation Mission Structure (EMPIS). The CONNECT Consortium is funded by the European Union, and its Social Investors are Lisbon City Council, the Galp Foundation, and the Santander Foundation.
