Cleanwatts awarded Investment of the Year prize from Investors Portugal

The Portuguese Association of Early Stage Investors – Investors Portugal – once again gathered national and international investors to celebrate the year’s most successful investment rounds. This year, the award went to Cleanwatts, a climate tech company based in Coimbra, a pioneer in Portugal in Renewable Energy Communities.

The association also distinguished the early-stage investor (Early Stage Investor of the Year), in a meeting that aimed to “discuss the panorama of the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem, promote the recognition of the activity and give visibility to the players in this industry”. These annual awards are intended to recognize, encourage and promote the excellence of the sector in Portugal, while also highlighting examples that may inspire new actions.

Michael Pinto, Cleanwatts’ CEO (right) and Basílio Simões, Cleanwatts’ vice-president (third from the right).

This second edition of Investors Portugal Dinner brought together over 100 participants to discuss the many different and innovative companies in Portugal, mostly national and international investors. For the first time, an award based on ESG criteria – Ecological, Social, Government (the ESG Award of the Year) was attributed, in addition to the awards to investors and startups and scaleups.

Lurdes Gramaxo, President of Investors Portugal said,

Early-stage investment is essential for transforming the Portuguese economy and promoting the development of innovative technology companies with ambitions for international growth and the ability to attract and retain talent in the country. As investors, we play a key role in driving the growth of these startups, and these moments of meeting are important to reflect on the ecosystem, its challenges and opportunities. These annual awards are intended to recognise, encourage and promote the excellence of the sector in Portugal, as well as make public examples that can inspire new actions.

In addition, this was the first year in which the ESG Award of the Year was given to recognize a startup, a founder, an investor or another player in the ecosystem who has distinguished themselves in the adoption and promotion of good governance, environmental management and social practices.

Michael Pinto, CEO and cofounder of Cleanwatts said,

We are very proud and happy for Cleanwatts to be distinguished with the Investment of the Year award from the Portuguese Association of Early Stage Investors. It is another recognition of the pioneering path we are taking, and it is great to see our work bear fruit and be recognized. For a start-up company, with a plan as ambitious as Cleanwatts’, it is crucial to be able to attract investment that allows us to continue our path towards growth and innovation. Fortunately, we have managed to awaken the interest of important investors, both national and international, and this is a path we will continue to follow.

Investors Portugal was inaugurated in 2021, from the convergence of APBA (Portuguese Association of Business Angels) and FNABA (National Federation of Business Angels), to represent early-stage investors in Portugal, with the goal of “disseminating and defending their interests, both with the political power and national and international institutions. Currently, it represents more than 300 business angels and about 30 venture capital companies that, globally, have more than 2 billion under management and more than 500 startups and scaleups in their portfolios”.