“A culture of collaboration”: the driving force at VougaPark

Located in Sever do Vouga, VougaPark – Centro de Inovação has positioned itself as a key regional player by supporting entrepreneurs and companies across various sectors. With a focus on collaboration and strategic partnerships, the incubator offers tailored support to help innovative ideas grow. We spoke with Andreia Fonseca, Incubator Manager, about the space, its approach, and what makes it stand out in the central region of Portugal.

 This content is available in Portuguese.

– How did VougaPark come about? What kind of projects do you incubate?

VougaPark – Centro de Inovação is a business incubator located in Sever do Vouga, created as a strategic initiative by the municipality of Sever do Vouga. Its main goal is to foster an innovation ecosystem that boosts productivity and business competitiveness in the region.

VougaPark was born out of the need to energize the local business community, providing support to entrepreneurs and companies at various stages of development. The incubator welcomes projects in metalworking, agribusiness, tourism (with a focus on health and sports/adventure), and forestry.

– What does your incubation model look like?

VougaPark’s incubation model is tailored to different business stages, offering physical and virtual incubation, coworking spaces, scaleup areas, R&D labs, and training/workshop rooms. It also provides technical and logistical support, business advisory services, an innovation observatory, and helps foster networks and partnerships.

– Can you tell us the story of a startup that stood out in your incubator? And where did incubation make a difference?

Graphenest is an excellent example of how a startup can stand out in an incubator and benefit from an innovation ecosystem in Portugal.

Founded in 2015, Graphenest is a Portuguese cleantech company specialized in the production of graphene and advanced composites for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. The company developed an innovative thermomechanical method that produces high-quality graphene at costs up to 1000 times lower than traditional methods, without relying on hazardous chemicals or polluting processes. Its solutions are used in sectors like electronics, telecommunications, automotive, and aerospace, offering benefits such as weight reduction, cost savings, and lower environmental impact.

Graphenest began its journey at VougaPark – Centro de Inovação, a space located in Sever do Vouga that is part of the Aveiro Region’s incubator network. The environment provided ideal conditions for the startup to develop its technology.

Incubation at VougaPark was one of the factors that helped Graphenest attract investors and gain national and international recognition. Graphenest is a clear example of how an incubator can make a difference in a startup’s journey, offering the right conditions to transform an innovative idea into a successful project. With a strong team, differentiated technology, and institutional support, the company is positioning itself as a leader in sustainable graphene-based solutions for multiple strategic industries.

– Failure is also part of the journey. What’s the biggest lesson from something that didn’t go well?

Although there are no specific accounts of failures, it is recognized that incubation involves risks and challenges. Continuous learning and adaptation are essential to overcome obstacles and turn failures into opportunities for growth. Not all projects reach success — and that’s part of the journey. Over time, we’ve seen initiatives that didn’t move forward as expected, whether due to flaws in the business model, market difficulties, or lack of alignment among founders. The main takeaway is that resilience and adaptability are crucial. Failure, when properly analyzed, becomes a powerful source of learning for both entrepreneurs and us as an incubator.

A striking case was that of NBS Group – NBS Efficient Engineering Solutions, a company specialized in engineering solutions focused on sustainable water and environmental management. Founded in 2014 in Sever do Vouga, it now has offices in Aveiro and Lisbon.

During the incubation period, NBS Group showed ambition and technical capability, but it eventually became clear that its business model was not fully aligned with the local ecosystem’s dynamics and needs. The company ended up leaving the space and taking a different path.

This experience helped us understand the importance of evaluating not only the technical or commercial potential of an idea but also how well it fits with the territory, the support network, and the profile of the entrepreneurs. The main lesson was to strengthen our strategic monitoring from the start, helping projects test their assumptions early and adapt when needed. We also learned that to retain projects with scale potential, it’s essential to ensure a quick response in terms of space and logistics, but also policies that attract and retain talent in the region.

The departure of NBS Group was not a failure in the negative sense but an experience that showed us where we could and should evolve as a regional incubator.

– What makes your incubator stand out? In other words, what do you have that helps startups succeed?

VougaPark stands out for its integrated approach, which combines technical support, access to knowledge networks, and strategic partnerships, all within an innovation-friendly environment. Its location in Sever do Vouga also offers a unique setting, with strong ties to nature and quality of life — attracting entrepreneurs looking for balance between work and well-being.

– What kind of projects or startups are you looking for right now?

VougaPark is looking for innovative projects in its areas of specialization: metalworking, agribusiness, health and adventure-related tourism, and forestry. We are open to startups at different stages of development, from idea to scaleup, that show potential for growth and impact in the region.

– Community is one of the key elements that separates an incubator from a shared office space. How do you nurture yours, and what plans do you have to make it even stronger?

VougaPark promotes a culture of collaboration through coworking spaces, networking events, workshops, and training programs. These initiatives aim to strengthen ties between entrepreneurs, encourage knowledge sharing, and create an environment that fosters innovation and collective growth.

– What are the main challenges for incubation in your specific context?

Key challenges include attracting and retaining talent in inland regions, securing funding for early-stage startups, and keeping up with rapid technological changes. VougaPark works actively to overcome these barriers by offering tailored support and promoting strategic partnerships.

ABOUT #INCUBXDISCOVERIES

#IncubXdiscoveries is Startup Portugal’s monthly feature that will help you discover Portuguese incubators. What projects they incubate, how they manage their community and what success stories they’ve had and future projects are some of the topics covered in these interviews.

If you’d like to find out more about VougaPark, either because you’d like to see your project incubated in this region or because you’d like to establish a partnership, contact the Startup Portugal team at incubadoras@startupportugal.com.