I am...
Bernardo Seixas, I studied International Management at the Portuguese Catholic University, where I did a semester of Erasmus in Japan.
After university and backpacking around Southeast Asia, I joined a startup called Magnar. It was a food-delivery platform, before UberEats entered into the Portuguese market, at a very early stage where they needed someone in Management and Sales. When Glovo and Uber Eats entered Portugal, the company closed down. However, I was hired by UberEats to join the first sales team. During this experience I had very direct contact with customers, which led me to identify constant difficulties in the food-delivery business. That's what led me to create my first business, a "delivery consultant", to solve these problems in 2021, during the pandemic.
At the same time, I love to travel. I did another backpacking trip in South America. I love to eat. I like playing padel tennis. I love chatting and being with my friends. I like to read. My dream has always been to create my own business and that's what I've been working on lately.
How did Granter come about?
I started to feel the need to create a technology-based business, which wasn't what I had in my first business. A friend informed me that there was a new incubator in Portugal, Demium, which supported entrepreneurs at a very early stage to create technological startups. I applied, was selected and began the process, without any pre-established ideas. In the beginning, there was just one team, a lot of motivation and problems to identify and try to solve.
The process went quite quickly, we spoke to over a hundred Portuguese companies and identified two major problems: firstly, companies don't know what funding opportunities exist or which ones they are eligible for. Unfortunately, there was no single directory with all the open opportunities.
What does exist, such as the Balcão dos Fundos, is not complete and does not have clear information, which makes it very difficult for small companies without experience to consult it. Secondly, all the bureaucracy involved in applying for these funds. Even for those who know the application they want to make, they still have to collect all the necessary documents and spend dozens of hours writing the necessary texts and submitting them on the government platform.
The only solution they have to these problems at the moment is to hire expensive consultants to manage the whole process, and even then there is still a lot of effort and time spent on the company's side. In this way, small companies with few resources are practically prevented from applying for these funds because they cannot afford the enormous bureaucratic and financial cost.
This is where Granter.ai comes in, with the support of my co-founder Bernardo Tavares, a specialist in programming and innovation for startups, with the aim of reaffirming the true purpose of grants - to support innovation and economic growth - using technology, in this case Artificial Intelligence. The name comes from Grants, we wanted something that was very easy to understand what we are, a platform for finding, preparing, submitting, and managing grants.
What is Granter?
Granter.ai is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to match the best opportunities with businesses, to prepare and submit applications more quickly, easily, cheaply and fairly.
Granter.ai's solution aims to reduce the bureaucracy and costs associated with traditional consultancy methods in applications for European funds, and can cost half and, in specific applications, only a third of the usual amount. The use of AI can be a great help, especially in time-consuming and complex processes, which used to prevent many entrepreneurs from going ahead with an application and, in some cases, from carrying out excellent projects. In this sense, we want to break with this reality and make it possible for SMEs to finally receive the help they need in an efficient way.
A company can register with Granter for free and, after giving us some simple information, the company will be matched with the opportunities that are most relevant to it. Once you've chosen an opportunity you want to apply for, you just have to answer a few short questions and, from all the information we have, a specific application for that fund will be generated automatically. Then we have a human review by our experts to make sure the application is good enough to be approved. All this at a fraction of the cost of a traditional consultant and with a much faster process.
Launched in September 2023, we currently have over 800 companies registered with Granter and close to 500 AI-generated applications within our platform. Of these, we have already had more than 115 upgrades to our "Expert Review" service, which includes a full review and submission of applications by our experts to ensure the highest probability of success. In total, our experts have prepared applications for more than 11 million euros since we launched the platform in September last year.
Any curiosity?
Perhaps the funniest thing about Granter.ai is that its two co-founders are called Bernardos and the first person we hired is also called Bernardo. So, for a while, we were considered the Bernardos' startup. Which, today, still works as a great icebreaker in any situation.
Granter wasn't always called Granter, and that's why it's officially registered as Lever Tax, because the first test we did, still in the Demium Incubator, was on applications for SIFIDE, a tax credit for Research and Development. We quickly realized that it was a very limited name for what we wanted. So, in September 2023, the Granter.ai brand was born.
Another interesting fact is that Granter wasn't born from a pre-established idea. It was literally a process of brainstorming and identifying problems to solve around us. It was the market and its needs that guided us and continue to do so. None of us is (or was) an expert in this area of European funds and that didn't stop us from trying to be disruptive in this industry. In fact, perhaps it was precisely because we had no experience in the area that we were able to devise a different way of doing things.
About the Alumni Business Hub, its importance and why you decided to take part?
Granter was born in an environment of pure networking in the incubator where it originated and is currently integrated into several incubators where we physically work. So it's very clear to us that making new connections and expanding our network has the potential to generate valuable growth, both personally and professionally. That's what motivated me to take part in this initiative.
Even today, in our business, we have a network of more than 90 partners, not necessarily clients but incubators, universities, technology parks and co-works. The creation of this community and the subsequent interaction between its members is a characteristic of the Portuguese innovation ecosystem but also a business asset that is difficult to quantify. We are currently incubated at Startup Lisboa, with team members working at UPTEC in Porto, and great connections from the Azores to Leiria. This networking has also been one of the key drivers of Granter's growth.
One of the conditions for participating in the Alumni Business Hub is the creation of a special offer for Alumni. What is your offer to the community?
What we want to offer your community are special conditions for preparing, reviewing and submitting their applications for public funding opportunities such as PT2030 and other European funds. We are offering a 20% discount on the Expert Review service for 1 year (€750 average price per application, for reference). This also includes: an eligibility confirmation meeting to assess your needs, the personalized selection of the best expert consultant to handle your application and the complete management and submission of the application.
Exclusive Offer
Granter has created an offer for the entire Alumni community:
20% discount on the Expert Review service for 1 year (€750 average price per application, for reference). This also includes: an eligibility confirmation meeting to assess your needs, the personalized selection of the best expert consultant to handle your application and the complete management and submission of the application.
To take advantage of this offer, check the Granter page on Alumni Connect, here.
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Get to know this entrepreneur
Dreams:
Doing something worth remembering.
What moves your heart:
Talking to people, inspiring them and making them laugh.
Greatest Achievement:
The team of extremely talented people I've managed to create.
Biggest Challenge:
The responsibility I have for the future of my company and my team.
The most difficult question:
How do you know if you've made the right choice?
A book that struck you and why:
The Green King, Paul-Loup Sulitzer, because it exemplifies how business can be gamified. Wealth is created when you bring value. And you bring value by solving problems.
A quote that inspires you:
The biggest lie I was ever told was “It’s not that simple”.