ELITE And WTC Lisboa Launch An International Academy To Support Portuguese Companies To Grow

• WTC Lisboa joins ELITE in its journey to grow and globalise SMEs, with the sponsorship of BBVA and the support of the Portuguese Family Businesses

• The new Academy marks the implementation in Portugal of ELITE, the Euronext network dedicated to fast-growing private companies

• The launch paves the way for the first group of Portuguese companies to join the ELITE community in H1 2023

Euronext, the leading pan-European market infrastructure, today announced the launch of the World Trade Center (WTC) Lisboa International Academy by ELITE. The project  marks the first step of the implementation of ELITE, the Euronext network dedicated to fast-growing private companies, in Portugal, as a part of Euronext’s commitment to SMEs.

WTC Lisboa International Academy by ELITE is a programme organised and managed by ELITE leveraging on over ten years of international experience in supporting private small and medium-sized companies to access skills, network and capital. The World Trade Center Lisboa will promote this initiative under his pillar Business Club and the International Trade committee. The content of the programme has been designed and defined by ELITE, based on its own methodology already tested on more than 2,000 companies internationally, and on content and experts provided by the NOVA Business School.

BBVA, a customer-centric global financial services group with a strong presence in Iberia, is associated with this project as a sponsor.

The Portuguese Family Businesses joins this initiative as an ambassador to create a bridge between family-owned companies and international markets.

Programme content

The WTC Lisboa International Academy by ELITE will be delivered through:

1. Three core modules (two days each, making a total of six days) run in Portuguese at the NOVA Business School premises and with a faculty based on academics and professionals. These will be supported by the Strategy in Action tool to help the companies build a real and detailed strategic plan over the course of the three modules;
2. A calendar of four international workshops, one per quarter, supported by ELITE partners across Europe, deep-diving into different topics. In 2023, the planned workshops will cover Internationalisation (Lisbon, March), Entrepreneurship (Amsterdam, June), Sustainability (Paris, September), and Capital Markets (Milan, November). These workshops are open to the entire ELITE community and aim to train companies on the topics above, while providing a forum for international networking across Europe;
3. Mentoring: high-touch regular contact to assess and debate on each company’s priorities while supporting them to develop an action plan to implement the key actions defined.
4. Funding options: support on choosing best funding strategies based on each company characteristics 

The launch of the WTC Lisboa International Academy by ELITE is the first step of the broader expansion of ELITE in Portugal and across Europe. The international expansion of ELITE is part of Euronext’s “Growth for Impact 2024” strategic plan.

For the first time, Portuguese companies will join the ELITE community in H1 2023.

Marta Testi, CEO of ELITE, a Euronext company, said: “The launch of the WTC Lisboa International Academy by ELITE materialises the implementation of ELITE in Portugal. It will be an important tool to allow participating companies to access skillsets and expertise. Together with WTC Lisboa and with the support of BBVA and Portuguese Family Businesses, we will help a group of Portuguese SMEs to increase their size, profitability, and impact, while supporting them to grow and leverage on the funding options offered by the market today. This new development will launch officially the ELITE programme in Portugal and paves the way for the first group of Portuguese companies to join ELITE in H1 2023. These companies will join a community of over 1,300 companies in 23 European countries and a large range of advisors and partners.”

Luciano Montenegro Menezes, CEO of the World Trade Center Lisboa, said: “We are thrilled to launch this Academy. The World Trade Center Lisboa shares ELITE’s commitment to supporting private Portuguese companies to grow internationally. The launch of this project helps shape our aligned objective of supporting entrepreneurs and executives in upskilling and empowering their strategies and business opportunities. For WTC Lisboa, this represents a milestone in its strategy of promoting the internationalisation of the Portuguese economy.”

Luís Castro e Almeida, CEO of BBVA Portugal, said: “The launch of this initiative aligns with BBVA’s purpose of supporting private companies in financing their internationalisation and growth. Associating with this project shapes our responsible banking model which aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society. Therefore, providing companies with knowledge to make better management decisions towards their growth and internationalisation, is an action we are definitely excited to be part of.”

Background:

Companies that can apply

ELITE welcomes companies of all sizes and sectors looking to scale up their business and explore funding options. For this reason, the WTC Lisboa International Academy by ELITE will be open to all Portuguese private SMEs looking to join a European ecosystem by connecting them to skills, network and capital to push their sustainable growth in the long term.

Companies that choose to join will follow a structured programme based on learning and mentoring designed to help them grow, be more structured, explore funding options and access a network of partners, peers and investors.

The goal is to nurture and to continuously assess and understand the strategic and financial needs of its members throughout the programme: when an SME is ready to evaluate alternative funding options, ELITE can bridge the connection with professional counterparties including advisors, intermediaries and institutional investors, both in equity and in debt, investing in both private and public capital.

ELITE community

As of today, ELITE gathers a community of 1,300+ companies in 23 European countries and a large range of advisors and partners. Since its launch in 2012, ELITE companies have raised more than €20 billion through over 1,300 corporate transactions. Euronext acquired ELITE as part of the acquisition of the Borsa Italiana Group in 2021, and since then has been strongly committed to expanding ELITE in the Euronext countries. Portugal is the first step in this expansion strategy.

ELITE supports companies by connecting them to skills, network and capital to drive their sustainable growth in the long term. Based on a unique offer of services and solutions, ELITE combines a calendar of workshops and coaching sessions, supporting entrepreneurs and executives in upskilling and empowering their strategic plan and business opportunities.

As announced in December, Associação Empresarial de Portugal (AEP), Banco Santander, Deloitte, Vieira de Almeida (VdA), and World Trade Center Lisboa (supported by BBVA and Family Businesses Association) were the first group of ELITE network partners to join the initiative.

ELITE showcase

Since ELITE’s launch, more than 2,000 companies have been part of the ELITE network, which today counts 1,300 companies with an aggregate revenue of €115 billion, representing 36 sectors and employing over 700,000 people. ELITE has been a success story, providing concrete support to many companies to accelerate their growth:

• €920 million has been raised with direct support from ELITE for over 250 companies, leveraging also on the Basket Bond® model;
• 58 companies have been listed, raising €3.7 billion;
• 134 companies have issued 191 bonds, raising €2.8 billion;
• and 328 companies have managed over 1,050 M&A deals.