The Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) has just been distinguished as the most entrepreneurial university in the country by Portugal's Ranking of Entrepreneurial Universities'24, released this week at the Web Summit.
For Isabel Capeloa Gil, UCP's Rector, "this distinction is a reflection of Católica's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. We are proud to see our alumni driving transformation and progress through their entrepreneurial projects, contributing to a vibrant ecosystem of start-ups in Portugal".
This achievement reflects the strong growth in alumni founders of start-ups, with a total of 409 entrepreneurs having graduated from UCP - an increase of 55 per cent compared to 2023, which places UCP at the top of this national ranking.
Created by Startup Portugal in 2022, Portugal's Ranking of Entrepreneurial Universities annually evaluates Portuguese universities based on the number of alumni who found start-ups and their impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The ranking is based on data from Startup Portugal's Ecosystem Mapping Platform, in partnership with Dealroom, and includes criteria such as the number of start-ups founded, the volume of funding raised and the creation of unicorns. Any higher education institution in the country can register for this analysis tool and contribute data on their start-ups.
This ranking recognises and highlights the growing role of universities in promoting entrepreneurship in Portugal, encouraging the inclusion of innovative projects in academic programmes and positioning Universidade Católica Portuguesa and Católica Porto Business School as leaders in training entrepreneurs.
The ranking presentation ceremony took place on 13 November at the Startup Portugal stand at the Web Summit, where Rector Isabel Capeloa Gil received the trophy for the country's Most Entrepreneurial University on behalf of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Startup Portugal is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in Portugal, collaborating with the government in implementing the National Strategy for Entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of the national start-up ecosystem.
