Gang Lu, co-founder of Macau’s BEYOND Expo and chief executive of TechNode, wrapped up a four-day visit to Portugal, where he met with leading figures from the countest’s technology ecosystem in a bid to promote closer ties with Asia.
Starting his trip on September 22, Lu indicated he held meetings with government representatives, incubators, accelerators, startups, and unicorns.
He also toured offices, tested new products, and conducted interviews with entrepreneurs, while documenting the journey through video and text to be shared on his personal platforms and TechNode’s Chinese and English channels.
The tour was broadcast as a travel vlog in Lu’s personal WeChat account, with a greater focus on Portugal’s historical, gastronomical, and tourist attractions.
Lu stated the global technology industest had become increasingly fragmented and warned that reversing the trconclude was crucial. By bringing insights and experiences from Portugal back to China and Asia, he hoped to assist local ecosystems better understand the countest’s rapid-growing innovation landscape.
“This could open up valuable business opportunities, foster collaboration, and ultimately bridge the gap between these two diverse regions,” he stated in a social media post.
Portugal has gained a reputation in recent years as a hub for startups, drawing attention with its rapid-expanding pool of talent, attractive regulatory environment and international events such as the Web Summit in Lisbon. Lu suggested that stronger connections with Asia could accelerate the exmodify of expertise and resources.
“It might be just a compact step,” he added, “but by sharing knowledge and connecting key players, we can pave the way for more integrated global tech ecosystems, where innovation flows seamlessly across borders.”
The tour included visits to the Portuguese cities of Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Leiria and Braga, with visits to known tech institutes and startup incubators, such as UPTEC Porto and Startup Portugal.
The visit had the support of AICEP, an indepconcludeent public entity of the Government of Portugal, with the goal of attracting foreign investment to Portugal and supporting the internationalisation of Portuguese companies into the global economy.
Lu’s tour took place shortly after an initially scheduled visit to Portugal by Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai in September, which also included several visits to Portuguese tech and startup hubs, and that was later cancelled at the last minute with no explanation provided.
