CV Labs Lisbon becomes our fourth European hub!

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Portugal & Switzerland, 1 March 2023. CV Labs, the renowned ecosystem builder and the heartbeat of Crypto Valley in Switzerland, has announced the opening of a fourth European hub in Lisbon, Portugal, just four months after launching in Berlin, Germany. CV Labs’ mission is to build a globally connected blockchain ecosystem, where mutual learnings and successes can be shared. CV Labs opening in Lisbon cements the city's position as a dynamic blockchain and Web3 industry hotspot.

• Portugal's blockchain and web3 industry is booming, and Lisbon is at the forefront
• Decentralized top-tier talent is available to grow the industry
• Infrastructure is emerging to support the sector

Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, has emerged as the country's technology hub with highly skilled decentralized talent and welcoming infrastructure. A 2022 study by Dealroom.co., shows the startup ecosystem in Lisbon valued at €21bn, representing a remarkable 26-fold increase since 2016. Unicorns who have emerged from the 1000-strong network of startups include OutSystems, TalkDesk, and Farfetch. Lisbonʼs flywheel is well in motion with talent from its unicorns now driving the next generation of startups. Allied to that is the arrival of many notable foreign pioneers, decentralized thinkers, companies, scaleups, and other unicorns setting up offices in Lisbon.

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Nicolai Reinbold, CV Labs Global Head of Expansion said “We have recognized that the global footprint in Lisbon is strong and that there is immense local expertise, brilliant minds, and deep commitment to evolve Lisbon as a global strategic player in technology, notably blockchain and the other underlying techs of Web3. We are excited to become part of Lisbon's journey.”

International investors have an increasingly important role in the emergence of the ecosystem, contributing to 70% of rounds raised by Lisbon-based startups in 2022. According to Olaf Hannemann, Co-Founder and CIO of CV VC, "As an investor in the utility of blockchain, CV VC is deeply impressed by the Lisbon ecosystem, which has shown great achievements in many utility aspects of blockchain technology. Our accelerator and ecosystem builder, CV Labs, shares our enthusiasm, especially regarding what is emerging in Lisbon's foodtech and impact startups."

The Lisbon startup ecosystem accounts for 67% of Portugalʼs tech value which goes a long way to explaining why so many global tech and innovation pioneers are attracted to Portugal. Lisbonʼs universities are a breeding ground for tech entrepreneurship, so there is top-level talent available locally too. Hugo Bettencourt, CV Labs’ newly appointed Ecosystem Manager in Lisbon, said “Lisbon's scene is thriving, and as a result of the many tech endeavors, over 60% of available job opportunities are in sales, marketing, and communications within startups. As a respected and experienced ecosystem builder situated at the heart of Crypto Valley, CV Labs is uniquely equipped to share its knowledge and expertise with Lisbon's rocketing blockchain and web3 industry. By leveraging its experience and global network, CV Labs can help Lisbon's ecosystem establish a strong global presence and effectively market and communicate its message to a wider audience, paving the way for great success.”

Specific infrastructure for the blockchain and Web3 ecosystem in Lisbon is emerging, such as regulated custody providers like Bison Digital Assets, the first entity in Portugal owned by a Bank, authorized by the Bank of Portugal for the activities of custody and exchange of virtual assets. António Henriques, CEO of Bison Bank, commented “The future of Blockchain within Portugal and the world itself shall be brought with unity. We should build bridges. We believe this and that's why Bison Bank, in tandem with Bison Digital Assets, is effectively building the perfect bridge where traditional meets digital in the most holistic possible manner.”

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At the opening event at CV Labs in Lisbon, there was a determined sense from other blockchain incumbents of the possibilities ahead for Lisbon. Including:

Antonio Beja, COO of Consensus Capital, said "Portugal is in the position to be for Web3 what Ireland was for Web2". João Gonçalves Pereira, Former deputy at the Parliament and former councilman at Lisbon's City Council added “CV Labs is clearly the accelerator that Portugal needs to expand our blockchain and Web3 ecosystem. The togetherness and the high number of registrations at this first CV Labs initiative is a good demonstration of the importance of this hub in Lisbon for our Web3 industry. Our great national goal must be to attract and retain talent, and I know that CV Labs will strongly contribute to this. Portugal, and Lisbon in particular, should thank and cherish the arrival of the CV Labs technological hub.”

A hora é agora!

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About CV Labs.

CV Labs is the heartbeat of Crypto Valley, the world's most mature blockchain hub. CV Labs helps global start-ups, corporates, and investors to leverage blockchain technology and to transform the way the world interacts and transacts.

CV Labs is the ecosystem business pillar of CV VC, the Swiss-headquartered global blockchain investor. With locations in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Germany, and Portugal, CV Labs nurtures a global ecosystem through various activities, including acceleration programs, community-centric co-working spaces, industry events & summits, and advisory & research reports.

About CV VC

As a private venture capital company, CV VC offers seed funding and an acceleration program to global tech teams in exchange for equity or tokens. In addition, CV VC provides blockchain industry consulting and advisory to corporates and governments. Among the founding fathers of Crypto Valley, which is the birthplace of Ethereum and home to the largest herd of blockchain unicorns, CV VC & CV Labs is the hub of Crypto Valleys' acumen and a global force driving the dynamics of Web3.

CV VC has already invested in over fifty blockchain startups and is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit as epitomized by its founders and board members who represent its ethos - Founders for Founders. These include industrialist Alex Wassmer, entrepreneurs Mathias Ruch and Florian Kohler, investment banker Olaf Hannemann and financial expert Ruth Salvisberg, former Finnish Minister Anne Berner, and Philipp Rösler, ex-Vice-Chancellor of Germany & Managing Director of World Economic Forum.