Programme announced at Web Summit by Unicorn Factory Lisboa, Hub71, Instituto Caldeira and Q-Branch
Up to 12 scaleups will be selected for the international programme, offering growth opportunities in Europe, the Middle East, Brazil and the United States.
Applications are now open for Global Scaling Up, a six-month scaleup acceleration programme developed by Unicorn Factory Lisboa in partnership with leading innovation organisations covering key growth markets: Hub71 (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Instituto Caldeira (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and Q-Branch (Austin, United States).
Global Scaling Up builds on Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s flagship Scaling Up acceleration programme, which has supported 88 scaleups across 10 editions. These companies have raised more than €500 million and created over 2,700 jobs.
Unveiled on Thursday at Web Summit Lisbon, the initiative will select up to 12 international scaleups. It is designed to equip their senior management teams with skills in areas critical to successful growth and support business expansion into Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Brazil through contacts and business opportunities in each market.
The programme is open to companies from any country that have begun, or are about to begin, expanding internationally and can demonstrate growth traction. Applications close on December 13.
Running from January to June 2027, the programme targets the senior management teams of selected companies and follows a hybrid format.
It combines in-person workshops and business development visits with online soft-landing sessions across four key innovation markets: Lisbon, Portugal, home to Web Summit; Austin, United States, host of SXSW; Porto Alegre, Brazil, where South Summit Brazil takes place; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, home to AI Everything Abu Dhabi.
The programme begins in Lisbon in January with one of its principal training modules, led by Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn’s first Chief Human Resources Officer, an author and adviser to CEOs worldwide. Soft-landing sessions will also prepare participants to enter the Portuguese and European markets.
It then moves to the United States, with an online soft-landing session followed by an optional immersion in Austin’s innovation ecosystem during the SXSW conference in March. RedBridge, a cross-border community with deep roots in Silicon Valley, will also lead online soft-landing sessions connecting participating companies with founders and key figures in the Bay Area ecosystem.
Brazil follows, with an online soft-landing session focused on the Brazilian market and an optional immersion in Porto Alegre during South Summit Brazil in April 2027. Between February and April, dedicated online modules will also address international expansion strategy and global sales development.
The joint initiative concludes in Abu Dhabi with an international fundraising module led by François Mazoudier, a global leader in fundraising, and an immersion at Hub71’s Impact Event. A graduation ceremony in Abu Dhabi will be followed by final online advisory sessions in June.
The programme will also provide practical training from leading international experts, mentoring from a board of C-suite executives, soft-landing sessions and immersion opportunities across the four regions. No equity stake is required to participate.
“Most high-potential scaleups do not fail because they cannot build a product or launch in their home market. They fail when they try to expand abroad.
Global Scaling Up gives founders the practical know-how to get it right and puts them on the ground in four key markets, with partners who understand each one from the inside,” says Gil Azevedo, Executive Director of Unicorn Factory Lisboa.
“As technology companies expand internationally, their ability to adapt to different market dynamics becomes increasingly important. Understanding the commercial realities of each market and building the right local relationships can make a significant difference to their growth.
This is where collaboration between innovation ecosystems can play a valuable role. The Global Scaling Up Program draws on the experience of partners in four markets to help founders make more informed expansion decisions, while creating opportunities for Abu Dhabi to deepen its connections with the international technology community,” adds Basma AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Growth and Value Creation at Hub71.
“Brazil is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic technology markets, but entering it takes more than a good product.
It requires local knowledge, trust and the right relationships. That is what Instituto Caldeira brings to Global Scaling Up: a community of companies, scaleups, investors and universities ready to open doors for international scaleups in Brazil and Latin America.
And the bridge works both ways, bringing our ecosystem closer to Europe, the United States and the Middle East,” says Carolina Cavalheiro, Director of New Business and Community at Instituto Caldeira.
“The bridges between our innovation ecosystems have already been built. Now we need to ensure they carry real business in both directions, with companies entering new markets and bringing value back through customers, capital and partnerships.
That is what Global Scaling Up was designed to deliver. Q-Branch is here to help founders turn those connections into commercial traction in the United States,” says Marc Cervantes, Founder and CEO of Q-Branch.
Through this initiative, Unicorn Factory Lisboa, Hub71, Instituto Caldeira and Q-Branch are extending their support for high-potential companies and reinforcing their commitment to creating the right conditions for innovation to scale in each ecosystem.
The partnership will broaden access to new geographies, investors and strategic partners while reducing barriers to entry in each market.