Applications for the 7, the acceleration program that drives innovative business ideas in Madeira, are open from June 1 through June 22. This initiative supports entrepreneurs who want to get their projects off the ground or restructure their solutions, helping them with product design, business model development, and prototype testing. th edition of startNOWthe acceleration program that drives innovative business ideas in Madeira, are open from June 1 through June 22. This initiative supports entrepreneurs who want to get their projects off the ground or restructure their solutions, helping them with product design, business model development, and prototype testing.

The program focuses on projects with the potential for scaling up across various sectors, ranging from traditional fields to emerging areas:

• Science, Health and Wellness, Biotechnology, and Sustainability.
• Circular Economy, Energy, Mobility, Smart Cities, and Social and Environmental Impact.
• Culture, Sports, Creative Industries, and FoodTech.
• Web Solutions, Digital Transformation, IoT, FinTech, and Logistics.
• Artificial Intelligence, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Education, and Digital Training.

Through mentoring and coachingsessions, the winning teams will have access to

• Up to €19,500 in financial support per team.
• 6 months of ongoing support, validation, and learning to accelerate the project's growth.

startNOW values the team's talent and the idea's potential, without requiring a specific field of study or a minimum level of education. The requirements are:

• Teams consisting of 1 to 4 members.
• Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of registration.
• Ability to develop and market the idea within 6 months.

Applications will be accepted online from June 1 through 22, 2026, directly here.

The startNOW is promoted by the Regional Government of Madeira through Startup Madeira. It is co-financed by the Madeira 2030 Regional Programme, through FEDER, as part of the start2030 – Madeira Empreende e Inova project.