Conceição Lucas
Conceição Lucas is a seasoned investment banker and financial manager across multiple geographies. She currently chairs Banco Atlantico Europa (Lisbon, Portugal), with a focus on return and purpose and is a non-executive director with EDP Renováveis. Previously Conceição held corporate and Investment banking executive board roles in Banco Millennium BCP in Portugal, and non-executive board membership in the affiliated banks of Millennium BCP in Africa and Switzerland, together with a supervisory advisory role in Poland and a directorship in Macau.
Conceição advises on how financial entities can play a role in providing value for Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Conceição is an alumna of CATÓLICA-LISBON and holds an MSc degree in Operations Research from London School of Economics, a Post-Graduate degree in Economics from the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium) in addition to her Management degree from Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Nuno Vaz Neto
With degrees in Management, several executive programs (Católica, Insead, AESE, Singularity University, Porto Business School) and digital education (Wharton Online, DartmouthX, Darden School of Business, Google Digital Marketing), Nuno has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of Marketing, Sales & Customer Operations. He started his career as a Private Account Manager in banking and joined Gas de Portugal in marketing functions for the natural gas market. Then, he embraced a commercial transformation and sales project in Lisboagás, where he spent 4 years, before coordinating projects both in the area of renewables (micro-generation/decentralized energy production) and in customer service after the unbundling in Portugal, managing contact centers and stores.
After 6 years leading the team that created and launched Galp's commercial and sales operation in the electricity and gas liberalized market, having reached the second position in market share, and having had the privilege of coordinating a transversal team that launched the bases for cultural change at Galp (with a new set of values, attitudes and behaviors of reference) he assumed the Loyalty area. Before becoming head of Business Development and Market Intelligence, as Head of Loyalty & Customer Centricity, he diversified his experience, conceiving and implementing transformational programs in the context of the gas stations, with responsibilities in the Portuguese and Spanish markets. Now, as head of Omnichannel, he is focused on optimizing the integrated offer of services and products, adapting to new consumer patterns in an open, digital and sharing economy, towards a market share growth and a sustainable business.
Nuno is characterized by enormous energy, method, and pragmatism, he is a passionate mentor for young people starting their career, with strong sense of purpose as a team player, forging solid relationships with strategic partners and building consensus across multiple organizational levels. Always with a strong focus on the results and performance growth of his teams, his personal moto is “Whatever you are not changing, you’re choosing”.
André Albuquerque
André Albuquerque is the former Head of Product at Uniplaces, a tech marketplace startup disrupting global student housing. As Head of Product, André Albuquerque was in charge of building the product strategy and roadmap across every product of the company, reaching more than one million monthly users, alongside managing a multi-disciplinary product management team and co-leading the engineering, design and data teams.
Before leading the product team, André built the consumer, data and mobile products, led the growth team, responsible for discovering and developing new user acquisition strategies, product lines and revenue streams and led the performance marketing, brand and communications teams. Prior to joining Uniplaces, André Albuquerque held multiple roles at Google, both at the European HQ in Dublin as well as at the Global HQ in Mountain View, California. Currently, André Albuquerque is building a tech startup based out of Lisbon as well as advising startups, young product teams and high-potential product managers.
Frederico Fezas Vital
Graduated in Law at Universidade Católica, he also studied Marketing Management at ISG, Project & Leadership Management at INSEAD, IESE e Heriot Watt and Positive Leadership at the UN University, in Costa Rica. In 2011 he attended the first ISEP (International Social Entrepreneurship Programme) in Portugal, a program promoted by IES-SBS (Social Business School), powered by INSEAD. Since then he was Bootcamp leader, Trainer and Mentor in more than 25 Social Entrepreneurship Bootcamps powered by IES-SBS. In 2017 he attended the first EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association) program for “Scaling Impact for Social Investors”, promoted by Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.
After working as a lawyer for 3 years, he launched and managed a Private Banking Department in Bank BCP (1998 a 2002). In 2002 he started a series of projects and startups, in several different sectors (2002-2007). In 2007, he began looking for more purpose in his life, and founded Terra dos Sonhos (Land of Dreams), an NGO dedicated to working with the emotional health of children with life-threatening chronic diseases, children at risk and the elderly. In 2009 he received the Citizenship Award by Rádio Clube Português. In 2011 his Project was recognized as a High Potential Social Entrepreneurship Project by the Map of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, developed by IES-SBS and IPAV. In 2016 he started working with Ashoka Portugal, as the responsible for Education Programs and, in 2017, as Director of Changemaker Skills for Portugal. In Ashoka he launched the Changemaker Schools in Portugal as well as the MOU for prototyping the first Changemaker Learning Ecosystem in the world, together with OECD and the Global Change Leaders, with the support and facilitation of the Portuguese Government. Since November 2017, he is the CEO for Junior Achievement Portugal, the biggest organization in the world for Education in Entrepreneurship, with a global impact in more than 10 million students spanning 120 countries. He also has a stake at a consultancy and training company working with Social Innovation and Social Impact, through which he continues to increase the impact of people and organizations. Since January 2018, he is also a teaching assistant at CATÓLICA-LISBON on “Building Impact ventures” for master graduates supported by the Chair in Social Entrepreneurship and the first ever Social Entrepreneur in Residence at CATÓLICA-LISBON. Since 2011 he has been a mentor, trainer and bootcamp leader in social entrepreneurship working with IES and INSEAD in a methodology developed specifically for starting social projects. He is now leading social entrepreneurship bootcamps and seminars, together with Prof. Filipe Santos, at INSEAD for Executive Masters’ students, at the Fontainebleau Campus (Paris, France).
He has been a key note speaker and invited to participate in several conferences and forums for the last 11 years, mostly related to social entrepreneurship, impact, sustainability, education and emotional health, in companies like Microsoft, McDonald’s, Johnson, Unit 4 and several others.
He describes himself as being passionate, obsessed with impact and positive change and a focused in doing more and better kind of person. He has an inner child who doesn’t let him rest but makes him laugh when everything gets complicated. A dreamer with his feet on the earth, he loves challenges and hates injustices.
Silvia Taveira de Almeida
Silvia has a degree in Economics from Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. She has over 20 years of international professional experience, namely in the financial sector. She has worked in five different countries in recognized multinational groups such as UBS, Tractebel and General Electric; and in national groups such as EDP and Millennium BCP.
She has cross-sector experience in the financial area, namely in managing financial institutions, business development, mergers and acquisitions, project finance and asset management. As a representative of UBS Global Asset Management in Portugal, she has supported major Portuguese institutional investors to implement the best strategies for allocating their financial assets. She is now available to make her extensive international financial sector knowledge and network available to the objectives of BAUC and its affiliates.
She has been linked to entrepreneurship since 2011, as an advisor and as a businesswoman. She is currently a shareholder, Managing Director and CEO of Business Angels Universidade Católica, SA. She was President of the Associação BVS (Social Stock Exchange) between 2014 and 2015. She is an associate of APBA (Portuguese Business Angels Association) and member of the Portuguese Institute of Corporate Governance (IPCG).
Pedro Cerdeira
Degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering by Instituto Superior Técnico, and 2 executive programs, Advanced Management Program for Executives, and Advanced Program in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management, by Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Over 25 years of experience in the Enterprise Information Technology market, held several senior international business development, sales management and alliances and channel management positions in companies like Oracle, Brocade, EMC2, Compaq/HP, Alcatel and Accenture.
Active and passionate about the startup ecosystem, as a business angel, mentor (TechStars, StartupLisboa, BGI, Demium), European Union Expert, Denmark Innovation Fund Advisor, and Member of the board of APBA - Associação Portuguesa de Business Angels
Founder and managing director of Businessplug.com, supporting startups, investors and corporates to scale and develop business internationally.
Business Angels Universidade Católica, AS
- What is BAUC?
- How and when was it born?
- What is it for? What are its goals?
- How is its work structured?
- Who can benefit from it and how?
- Who is it addressed to?
- What does it add to other business angels?
- What sets it apart?
- Are there projects that can be unveilled?
Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) promoted the creation, in 2017, of a Vehicle Entity for investment in qualified and creative entrepreneurship projects that may arise in the universe of people linked to UCP and in particular to the Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics (CATÓLICA- LISBON), either Undergraduate, Master, MBA or Executive Education - Business Angels Universidade Católica, SA (BAUC).
This organization aims to further enhance and energize the current entrepreneurship ecosystem within Universidade Católica, which already includes several relevant initiatives developed in recent years by the various faculties, namely in the incentive and support phase in the launching of high potential innovative projects by students, not only from a national perspective, but mainly from an international perspective.
BAUC contributes to the creation of conditions for the promotion of entrepreneurship projects, namely as regards to:
- Funding for the testing of ideas and business models, in the stages prior to the creation of new companies;
- Promoting effective collaboration between complementary areas of competence - such as science, technology and management - by providing effective mechanisms for fostering multidisciplinary teams that can become teams of successful founders.
BAUC's priority goal is to encourage the creation of new startups, with investment in the pre-seed, seed and early stage phases.
BAUC is dedicated to investing in startups that originate from Universidade Católica, giving priority to businesses created by current students, alumni and faculty members.
But this orientation is not exclusive. BAUC may also invest in startups originated by other initiatives as long as they are consistent with its investment policy.
In terms of sectors, given the privileged link to Universidade Católica, greater focus will be given to its areas of expertise, namely: Life Sciences (MedTech), Fintech, Education, Sustainability, Tourism, Lifestyle and Sea.
Shareholders
BAUC's shareholders are entrepreneurs linked to the University itself - former students and faculty. Today they are already 25.
The organization has the ambition to grow in the short term to respond to the multitude of investment opportunities presented to it.
Universidade Católica is present in the organization through the CATÓLICA-LISBON Alumni Association.
The governing bodies of the organization:
Board of Directors
• Sílvia Taveira de Almeida
• Emídio Pinheiro
• José Carlos Tudela Martins
• Paulo Vila Luz
Chairman of the Shareholders’ General Meeting
• Alexandre Relvas
A Smart Money Vision - Mentoring Beyond Investment
For an entrepreneur, BAUC has great competitive advantages over its counterparts. In addition to being close to the University ecosystem, which facilitates the whole contact process, as well as access to a pool of distinguished mentors who will support new businesses at various levels.
Mentoring of the new businesses will be provided not only by the people included in BAUC's Governing Bodies, but also by the universe of people associated with Universidade Católica Portuguesa and its international partnerships, highlighting the teachers who guarantee excellent theoretical and technical knowledge, as well as the shareholders that assure practical experience in the development of projects and businesses at national and international levels.
These mentors ensure a high diversity of skills and areas of expertise and can provide real impact support by industry, growth stage, business size and geographic market.
Finally, to support the development of these projects, the vehicle entity will use the partnerships and networking already existing in the ecosystem of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, as well as partnerships to be established with other national and international entities, which strengthen the ability to offer their own services to the businesses in creation.
Successful application for the Business Angels Vehicle Financing Line from IFD (Instituição Financeira para o Desenvolvimento, AS).
BAUC successfully competed for the second phase of the aforementioned tender for the financing line, promoted by IFD in 2017, the result of which was published in the second quarter of 2018.
Ongoing Projects
BAUC is currently analyzing the projects that will constitute its first investments.
Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica
It is noteworthy that there is already in UCP, and in particular in CATÓLICA-LISBON, a set of initiatives in this field that led to the creation of several successful projects, either in the scope of undergraduate and masters students (eg. Uniplaces, Surfstoke, OLX ) or advanced training. For example, under the Advanced Program on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (PAEGI) several companies were created (e.g. AnubisNetworks, WyGroup, etc).
Also at the research level, relevant entrepreneurial projects have emerged. Perhaps the most relevant project is Patient Innovation, which emerged from a research project on the role of patients as innovators, having evolved into “Non-Profit Health Startup of the Year 2016”.
And other Universidade Católica schools and institutes also have a track record that serves as an important basis for the project. BioSpin, at the Biotechnology School, already has a business incubator that has been promoting business projects since 1994.
There is also MARE Startup - a consortium launched in 2015 by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the Oceano Forum and the Strategic and Risk Assessment Society and whose objective is to promote entrepreneurship and business innovation at sea, in order to contribute to fuel the sea economy.