From Ideas to Impact: Entrepreneurship Demo Day at UMAIA

📅 2026 📍 University of Maia 🎓 Universidade da Maia / TROPHY

Executive Summary

Universidade da Maia (UMAIA) hosted the Demo Day of its Entrepreneurship Labs—the culmination of an intensive learning journey delivered within the framework of the TROPHY (The Next Generation of Deep Technology Leaders) project. The event brought together student teams to defend their validated business solutions in front of a jury of academic and innovation-ecosystem experts.

The Entrepreneurial Pipeline

Students from diverse academic backgrounds—including Business Management, Marketing Management, Communication Sciences, Sports Management, and Digital Transformation—pushed their ideas through the complete venture lifecycle:

01
Solution Validation
02
Business Model Refining
03
Jury Pitch & Defense

Innovation Domains

The six student projects tackled pressing real-world challenges across various high-impact sectors:

  • Industrial Digitalisation & Process Automation
  • Startup Ecosystem Management & Talent Recruitment
  • Digital Media & Sports Innovation

Impact and Highlights

6 "Idea to Startup" Scholarships
Awarded six dedicated scholarships to help students carry their projects forward into master's studies and potential startup launches.
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
Fostered cross-departmental teams spanning management, communications, technology, and sports sciences.
Integrated Support Ecosystem
Combining education, continuous mentoring, hands-on development, and incubation support under a single university umbrella.
EIT HEI Framework
Implemented under the TROPHY project, supported by the EIT Higher Education Initiative and co-funded by the European Union.

Learn More

Discover how Universidade da Maia and the TROPHY project empower students to do more than learn entrepreneurship—helping them actively build what they imagine.

Follow the Event
See full highlights and pictures from the Entrepreneurship Demo Day at UMAIA on LinkedIn.
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