If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
Key Facts
Impact
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August 1, 2024
Why Innovation Communities need to get involved
Maria Miguel Ferreira
Opinion
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If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
If you have followed us over the years, then you know of our undying love for the east side of Lisbon. We couldn't feel more honored by this invitation. For many years now, we’ve been living and breathing Beato and, in the meantime, have become very involved in the local community.
But how exactly does Factory fit alongside NGOs like the Salvation Army, Doctors of the World and the European International Club? Groups who work to support and integrate the homeless, fight for the fundamental right of all human beings to have equal access to medical care and work to upskill children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
Over the past few years, we discovered the common vision that links us all together: a commitment to serving the Beato community.
What we do - designing, developing and operating great innovation hubs - is inextricably linked to how these projects positively impact the people who inhabit the neighborhoods where we operate. In fact, most of our projects focus on working closely with the municipalities and governments to do just this.
Factory Lisbon: Where Neighbors, Officials, and Startups Connect
Stars aligned
Lisbon is no different from other European cities where we've curated such projects. The municipality had the vision to repurpose old abandoned factories into an innovation community. That vision happened to be very in line with what Factory does best, so it was a no-brainer for us to approach the Mayor and pitch our work. Long story short, the city entrusted us with 2 such factories for 40 years.
Factory Lisbon was the first building to be announced in a district the city has named Hub Criativo do Beato [Beato Creative Hub, recently rebranded as Beato Innovation District], paving the way and lowering the risk for others. But when our team first got here, it was pretty much a deserted area. We turned some cargo containers into our offices and spent the early adventurous years building something new, hoping to inspire partners and investors to join alongside us.
And today, we’re proud to say the architecture award-winning Factory Lisbon is 100% occupied. We’ve managed to attract a diverse and interesting combination of startups, university research departments, artists and creatives, hi-tech developers, coding schools, plus F&B concessions for great coffee and the best tacos in town.
Believe it or not, that’s pretty much all you need in an ecosystem for innovation to unfold. Great people in the right environment.
Factory Lisbon is the base camp for the team behind Web Summit. It’s where microbiology startup MicroHarvest opened a small factory to produce vegetable protein. It’s where a global mobility giant SIXT decided to set up on a European innovation hub. It’s home to Technical University of Lisbon - UTL Lisboa’s research unit studying the interaction between man and machine, Interactive Technologies Institute . It houses Carnegie Mellon University’s representation in Portugal. It’s where the Mayor of Lisbon runs the Unicorn Factory Lisboa , the city’s initiative for scaleups. It’s home to schools TUMO Portugal and 42 Lisboa . These and a few more organizations now bring over 600 new jobs to the district with dozens of positions still open.
Breaking down barriers
Factory believes these large and diverse new occupants can be a force for good and, because of our first-comer connections and learnings, we see our role in this community as a bridge between these organizations and the entities working towards solving local issues.
As curators of communities (arguably professional ones), we see the opportunity here to break down barriers - and that looks very different every day.
Today it’s to mediate the relationship between the world of startups and technology, with the local population, operating partnerships with schools, the civil parish and social centers, always keeping an eye out for those who most frequently get left behind. When technology becomes easy to use and accessible, it can be a real instrument to democratize access to new opportunities.
For us, this project was never just about innovation, or a quick flip and leave. It’s always been about breaking down barriers.
In Beato, we’re bringing entrepreneurs and scientists to high schools with the highest numbers of young people at risk. We welcome local artists to showcase their work in our building at no cost. We organize block parties and meet-ups with neighbors who worked in the neighborhood for decades, but were just too shy to cross into the Beato Innovation District’s gates. We’ve worked with the Salvation Army to help raise awareness about key problems of the homeless population. We served as a bridge between them and the Danish leadership school KaosPilot, who sent a group of international students to Lisbon and helped launch Pizza & Love, a new program that promotes social reintegration of people without a home.
Every month we promote Pizza & Love within Factory Lisbon’s community, and we’ve been able to bring people’s attention (and donations) to help solve the issues these people face and to support the work of Salvation Army. The European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) got word about this program and, this September, is visiting Beato’s Salvation Army with dozens of foreign organizations, to learn and become inspired.
Looking to the horizon, we can also work to mentor social entrepreneurs and help mobilize our community to fundraise and finance local projects. Or help design social impact programs that make a real difference here locally, especially for the most vulnerable. This is what’s next.
Social Projects in Beato: A bilingual dossier highlighting 16 impactful community initiatives from the neighborhood, to be distributed to the Factory Lisbon residents.
So this is the reason why becoming members of the Social Committee of Beato makes sense for us. We have a privileged platform to be able to get other companies as excited as we are to support public and private entities doing very difficult (and often invisible) work on the ground. We want to echo their needs and projects, become agents for social innovation and help create a true sense of community. This is one commitment that keeps us coming back every day.
And this is why, for us, innovation communities need to get involved.
Save the Date: You are cordially invited to the Beato Community BBQ this September
