Founder and developer at Bloco.
Technician at Rádio Baixa. Host of Posto.
Member of Coimbr'a Pedal.
After having to learn a bit of Android development for a consulting job, I’m releasing my first app.
Caderno is a minimal notepad for Android. I couldn’t find the most basic note taking app on the Android marked, so I started building one myself. Take a look at bloco.io/caderno
…or just get it straight on Google Play.
There is one final trick to getting the most from relationships with mentors. It’s not enough to find great mentors, ask a few questions, and move on. You have to engage them. By definition, they’re not a mentor until they’re actively engaged.
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Find and engage great mentors by David Cohen
I usually talk about how finding good mentors is hard, specially in a place without a big startup background. We’re already have some important companies created in Coimbra, but I haven’t seen their founders giving back to the community and making a difference. Probably, is still too soon for that, but it’s an important step on building a startup ecossystem.
I helped organize a weekend workathon called Improve Coimbra. The goal was to come up with concrete solutions for some of the city problems in just two days.
You can see here the results: Improve Coimbra #1 (in Portuguese).
I teamed up with Tiago Serra to build UrbanFlow, a simple Android app and server to spot the city buses position. The goal is to crowdsource the data gathering, release more accurate timetables and distribute the data openly. If you live in Coimbra, give us an hand ;)
Tags: improve coimbra, urbanflow
Me and couple of friends are bringing the Beta Talks to Coimbra. They’re informal conversations with two guests and a moderator, happening on the 16th of each month, on several cities across the country. Each time, we’ll pair someone who started their own company with an investor.
The first one is already this Tuesday. Know more about it and join us
Before, in Portugal, everybody complained no one wanted to startup their own company. Now everybody complains entrepreneurship is being oversold.
I agree that there are people taking advantage of the recent wave to make a quick buck. But that happens all the time with any sort of hype. And everywhere, not just in Portugal.
I do believe that in order to have a couple of great startups, we will need to have a lot of startups. And the same goes for mentors, investors incubators, accelerator programs…
What I do notice is a subtle but important difference. I regularly speak with graduate students about my experience of starting Bundlr. Before, they wouldn’t even consider opening a company as a possibility after finishing their degree. It would just be research or working for a bigger company.
Now, they consider turning an idea into a company a possible career path. They’re not all running to start their own companies, like some overstate. Just a small percentage, but bigger than before.
So, the next time you feel like bashing another entrepreneurship event, try helping the ones you believe are doing a good job at helping improve the ecosystem. Help them rise above the noise. I know I will.
Tags: entrepreneurship, startups