The Hottest Startups in Lisbon

Serial entrepreneurs Mila Suharev, Nils Henning, and Mitya Moskalchuk had been involved in the German startup scene for more than 15 years, successfully exiting four companies with valuations above €100 million (around $98.5 million) before deciding to launch their new startup in the Portuguese capital. "Lisbon has several ingredients making it a unique and efficient tech ecosystem," says Suharev, CEO of proptech company CASAFARI, listing factors such as quality of life, governmental programs designed to attract foreign entrepreneurs, and its Silicon Valley-like business mindset. Lisbon is increasingly becoming the tech hub of choice for many European entrepreneurs: Of the 10 CEOs profiled here, half are expats. "A new ecosystem such as the one growing in Lisbon is fascinating to experience firsthand," says Amir Bozorgzadeh, CEO of Virtualeap. "It is a melting pot of foreigners and Portuguese, working hand-in-hand amid a very sunny setting in which work-life balance is always a priority for founders."