PORTUGUESE STARTUP FOCUSED ON DIGITAL EDUCATION RAISES 150 THOUSAND EUROS THROUGH THINK BIGGER CAPITAL INVESTMENT FUND
Lisbon, April 27th, 2022
TheStarter is an edtech born in 2021, focused on the personalized teaching of digital technologies, such as Research, UX Design, UI Design and Digital Marketing, through 100% practical and progressive teaching programs. TheStarter, unlike the expository format of current classes in other schools, makes practice the main engine of its method, not just an extra detail. Separated in challenges, as in game phases, TheStarter’s students learn in micro-groups through the construction of projects, having simultaneous contact with theory and its practical application.
Influenced also by the current panorama of the UX/UI Design industry in Portugal, a growing but underdeveloped area, the project was shaped to bring more specialization to the Design ecosystem, with the introduction of specialized courses, pioneers in Portugal, and the creation of career programs with direct connection to the labor market. The mission is to help the new generation of talents to succeed in the market and to increase the maturity of companies in the processes of research, design and development of digital products.
TheStarter was created in Lisbon, in the startup incubator Demium, by three founders: Miguel Coelho, born in Marinha Grande, Portugal, UX and UI Designer, graduated in Management by ISCTE Business School; Abel Rodrigues, born in Belém, Brazil, 22 years old, Software Developer and Community Manager; and Filinto Girão Osório, born in Lisbon, 35 years old, Engineer, with a professional career as Operations Manager, from SMEs to multinationals. The advisors are Francisco Banha, chairman of the Gesbanha Group and Director of the World Business Angels Association, and Pritesh D. Kotecha, CEO of Amplicercanias and University Professor at IADE.
Supported by a strong and growing Lusophone community of students, trainers and partners, TheStarter shapes its content and goals according to their needs. By the end of 2022 it aims to become the largest community in Portugal in its areas of expertise, by creating more and better content, events and initiatives with a strong practical component.
With some courses already running, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive, with 9.7 out of 10 students saying they would return and recommend the courses to their friends and acquaintances. With a list of partnerships that includes everything from Portuguese techies like YTech to design student hubs in Brazil, such as UX em Casa, TheStarter bets on integrating the entire Portuguese-speaking ecosystem as a way to generate talent.
TheStarter team is growing. We already have 3 employees and 22 specialists in key areas developing courses and content available. TheStarter is in the process of gathering more partnerships that lead to the employability of our students and in this sense we appeal to all companies to bring real challenges to our virtual classrooms, enriching our training.
Focused on the generation and discovery of new talents, TheStarter is concerned with democratizing access to digital education, having in mind 05 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): quality education (4), decent work and economic growth (8), reduce inequalities (10), no poverty (1), and partnerships for the goals (17).
To date, TheStarter has raised €150,000 pre-seed in a round led by Spanish investment fund Think Bigger Capital (through Demium), and a contribution from French startup program Hook. With the growth and demand it has been experiencing, it is expected to execute a seed investment round early in the forth quarter of 2022.
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Contacts:
Miguel Coelho — CEO
+351 911 837 836
Abel Rodrigues — Head of Community
+351 935 157 664
