These are key sectors for the region and will continue to be for many years to come. But there is a much lesser-known Algarve that is slowly starting to gain ground and that, in my opinion, could be one of the biggest economic engines in the region in the next decade. I’m talking about talent.

Over the last few years I have known several technological projects born in the Algarve, many of them linked to the University of Algarve and the innovation ecosystem created around CRIA. What was often lacking was not knowledge or technical capacity. He was someone willing to believe in these ideas when they were still taking their first steps. It is precisely here that initiatives such as Sotavento Invest deserve to be highlighted.

I have known the work of Mark Haaksman and Wouter Heijnen for some time and what impresses me most is not only the financial investment they are making. It is the vision behind this project. Both chose the Algarve to live several years ago and decided that the best way to give back to the region that welcomed them would be to help create companies capable of growing from here to the world. This difference is huge.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Paulo Lopes;

We are not just dealing with investors. We are dealing with experienced entrepreneurs who put their knowledge, network of contacts and international experience at the service of the founders. Capital is important, but often the true value lies in the ability to guide a startup through the most difficult moments of its evolution.

Sotavento Invest’s first investments show this vision precisely. Grand Carob has transformed a traditional product from the Algarve into an innovative brand of healthy food with international potential. expressTEC is developing artificial intelligence and molecular diagnostic solutions capable of revolutionising personalised medicine. They are completely different areas, but with something in common: they were born in the Algarve and demonstrate that innovation does not necessarily have to happen only in Lisbon or Porto.

I also find the connection created with the University of Algarve through CRIA particularly interesting. For years, we have discussed the need to bring universities and companies closer together. Here we see this model working in a practical way. The university generates knowledge, entrepreneurs develop ideas, and private investors help transform them into companies with the capacity to compete in the market.

In my opinion, this is exactly the type of investment that Portugal needs to multiply. Not only because it funds startups, but because it creates a true ecosystem where talent, experience, and capital work together.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Paulo Lopes;

For too long the Algarve was seen only as a tourist destination.

Perhaps the time has come for us to start seeing it as a territory where innovative companies, technology and knowledge are born.

And when people like Mark Haaksman, Wouter Heijnen, and the entire team at Sotavento Invest decide to invest in local talent instead of just looking for easier opportunities, they’re also investing in the future of the region.

In my opinion, this may be one of the most important legacies that international investors can leave to Portugal. Not only to bring capital, but to help create a new generation of Algarve companies capable of competing in the global market.