We help UK founders build in Portugal and raise in Portugal
With one advisory team managing both sides of the equation.
Balurca Partners is a founder-side cross-border advisory. We work with early-growth and Series A companies that want to establish a genuine European operating presence, raise capital more efficiently, and access the Portuguese institutional ecosystem — without losing their London investor base or their UK corporate structure.
Portugal’s innovation ecosystem, talent base, and public support instruments are designed for companies that contribute to the Portuguese economy. Our job is to help you build the presence that makes you a participant in that ecosystem — and then navigate the instruments alongside you. This is not a financial shortcut. It is a strategic expansion decision, structured correctly from the start.
Our four service lines can be engaged as a full integrated mandate or as standalone modules.
Investment narrative, investor materials — deck, model, data room — investor targeting, outreach management, and term sheet support. The Portuguese operating angle is integrated where it increases your valuation, strengthens your capital efficiency story, or both.
Design and establishment of a Portuguese operating entity — employment structure, operational set-up, introduction to the AICEP inward investment process, and the cross-border architecture between your UK holding and your Portuguese branch or subsidiary. The structure is built for operational substance — which is both the commercial logic and the legal requirement. Portugal operates in the same time zone as the UK, which means the talent and R&D infrastructure you build here integrates with your London operations without the friction that comes with distant outsourcing.
Navigation of SIFIDE R&D tax credits for qualifying R&D expenditure in your Portuguese entity, Portugal 2030 grant frameworks for eligible innovation and digitalisation projects, and Banco de Fomento financing instruments. These instruments reward companies with qualifying Portuguese operations — we assess eligibility rigorously and pursue only what applies to your situation.
Curated introductions to Portuguese VC, PE, and family office decision-makers. Road show facilitation. IC material preparation calibrated to Portuguese investor expectations, which differ materially from London VC norms in sector focus, relationship dynamics, and timeline. Not a database. An introduction from a trusted source.
THE 365 SERVICE MODEL
For founders managing a market entry, a fundraise, and an innovation funding process simultaneously — and who need one team to coordinate all three — Balurca offers a 365-degree engagement: ongoing advisory support across both jurisdictions, for both the
