VougaPark was present at SIM Conference 2026, held on 14 and 15 May at Alfândega do Porto, where Andreia Fonseca, Project Manager at VougaPark, officially introduced Forge 48h VougaPark to the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem.

SIM (Startups & Investment Matching), organised by Startup Portugal, is the country's leading event for those building, funding and supporting innovation. Over two days, Alfândega do Porto became the meeting point for the national and international startup ecosystem: founders, investors, corporates, incubators, accelerators and science and technology parks shared the same space in a format designed to make the right conversations happen. In its third edition, the programme featured curated matchmaking, pitch competitions, connecting circles, workshops and side events, having brought together over 3,500 participants and 230 investors in the previous edition. For VougaPark, being at SIM means strengthening ties with the ecosystem and the partners it works with throughout the year.

It was in this setting that Andreia Fonseca, alongside partners Hugo Macedo, José Rocha and Filipe Cordeiro, presented Forge 48h VougaPark, a programme developed in partnership with The Forge that has no equivalent in the Portuguese landscape.

Forge 48h is an operational sprint designed for pre-seed and seed startups that are already in the field and need to make decisions they have been putting off. It is neither a retreat nor a workshop. It is an intensive 48-hour programme in Sever do Vouga where 10 selected teams bring a real challenge and leave with decisions made, priorities aligned within the team and a 90-day plan with metrics and owners.

The format is built on two integrated components. The first is a strategic sprint in a working room, covering rapid diagnosis, challenge clarification, prioritisation and trade-offs, structured planning and a pitch to a jury. The second is a structured outdoor programme in the field, featuring canyoning, abseiling, kayaking and mountain biking in the Vouga region, designed as a stress test for leadership, alignment and decision-making under pressure. The integration between the two is deliberate: decisions are made in the room, tested in the field, and revisited with greater clarity.

Within the partnership, The Forge designs the methodology and selects the mentors, operators and founders with a real track record. VougaPark provides the ecosystem, the logistics and the connection to the territory, as one of the most active innovation hubs outside Portugal's major urban centres.

The inaugural edition of Forge 48h VougaPark is scheduled for 18 and 19 September 2026. Selection is based on the startup's fit with the format and the quality of the challenge presented. The waiting list is open and grants priority in the evaluation process.

More information at forge1000.com/48h-vougapark.