Positioning Lisbon as a Global Innovation Hub through strategic Media Relations and International PR (since 2023)
CONTEXT
An initiative of the Lisbon City Council, Unicorn Factory Lisboa aims to strengthen the city’s position as an internationally relevant innovation hub, supporting startups and scaleups, attracting talent and investment, and connecting the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem with global opportunities.
The Square’s collaboration with Lisbon’s innovation ecosystem began in 2023, when the agency was challenged by Lisboa Unicorn Capital to develop the Lisboa Ecosystem Guide, launched during Web Summit 2023 in both print and digital formats. Featuring insights and testimonials from leading entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem stakeholders, including Ana Casaca, Cristina Fonseca, Daniela Braga and Inês Sequeira, the publication showcased the people, organisations and opportunities shaping Lisbon’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Building on this initial collaboration, The Square has worked with Unicorn Factory Lisboa since 2024, developing a comprehensive PR and media relations strategy with a strong national and international focus. The partnership has centred on increasing the initiative’s visibility, communicating its programmes and achievements, and strengthening Lisbon’s reputation as a leading European destination for entrepreneurship, technology and innovation.
CHALLENGE
The challenge was to establish Unicorn Factory Lisboa as a recognised reference in the Portuguese and international entrepreneurship ecosystem, translating its diverse activities into compelling narratives for business, technology, economic and general-interest media.
The communications strategy focused on showcasing the initiative’s structure, promoting its incubation and acceleration programmes, highlighting the inauguration of specialised innovation hubs and communicating the achievements of the startups and scaleups supported by its ecosystem.
A key priority was to build a proactive and sustained media relations strategy that extended beyond Portugal, reaching international journalists and publications across different markets. This required identifying stories with global relevance, developing tailored media angles and positioning Lisbon within broader conversations about startup growth, investment, artificial intelligence, sustainability, talent and the future of innovation.
Another central objective was to position Gil Azevedo, Executive Director of Unicorn Factory Lisboa, as a credible and influential spokesperson within the entrepreneurship and innovation sector. Through opinion articles, expert commentary, interviews and proactive pitching to strategic national and international media outlets, The Square has worked to strengthen his visibility and establish him as a relevant voice on Lisbon’s innovation ecosystem.
The strategy also built on the storytelling approach introduced through the Lisboa Ecosystem Guide, combining institutional communication with human-centred narratives about founders, entrepreneurs, investors and the wider community driving Lisbon’s growth.
IMPACT
The sustained PR and media relations strategy has significantly expanded Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s visibility in Portugal and internationally, helping position the initiative as a relevant voice in global conversations about entrepreneurship and innovation.
In 2025 alone, Unicorn Factory Lisboa achieved more than 1.800 media mentions, including 756 in international outlets, demonstrating the scale and international reach of its communications activity. Coverage extended across multiple markets and formats, including television, online media, print publications and podcasts, reflecting a diversified media relations approach that went well beyond the Iberian market.
The strategy secured consistent visibility in both specialised entrepreneurship and technology publications and general-interest media, bringing innovation and startup-related stories to broader audiences. More than half of the coverage appeared in high-reach media outlets, including Portugal’s main national television channels, reinforcing the initiative’s relevance beyond the technology sector.
National coverage in publications such as ECO, Dinheiro Vivo and Business-IT helped communicate the expansion of acceleration programmes, the launch of specialised innovation hubs and the growing contribution of startups and scaleups to the Portuguese economy.
At an international level, the sustained media outreach helped take Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s story to audiences across multiple markets, reinforcing Lisbon’s visibility as an attractive destination for entrepreneurs, investors and technology companies.
The positioning of Gil Azevedo as a spokesperson has added a strong thought leadership dimension to the strategy, creating opportunities to communicate the initiative’s vision through interviews, opinion pieces and expert commentary, while connecting its achievements with broader industry trends.
By combining high-impact national coverage, extensive international media relations, executive thought leadership and ecosystem storytelling, The Square has supported Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s growing reputation and strengthened its positioning as a key driver of Lisbon’s international innovation ambitions.
