“The program is based on the principle that mutual success – startups, CGI and clients/partners – is achieved through collaborative innovation and the joint development of solutions that respond effectively to challenges”, says José Pratas to JE.
Technology consultancy CGI expanded its global entrepreneurship program to Portugal, after creating it in Germany and Sweden. Since January, the country’s innovative companies have had another opportunity to showcase their businesses and learn from Information Technology specialists. Jornal Económico (JE) contacted José Pratas, vice-president of CGI Portugal with the portfolio of Consulting in Strategic Offers, Innovation and Partnerships, to understand what this initiative consists of, which focuses on helping startups define strategies, network and earn Skills.
How many startups and mentors does the Unicorn Academy (UCA) have in Portugal?
The CGI Unicorn Academy is an international innovation and support program for technological entrepreneurship and currently has more than 30 startups. Startups are involved in critical and innovative areas such as artificial intelligence, computer vision [visão computacional], document intelligence [inteligência documental]Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, digital twins, [gémeos digitais] data analytics [analítica de dados], among others. The objective of the program is to boost development and help scale innovative solutions, complementary to our offer and services, enhancing our presence with reference clients in all sectors, and promoting collaboration between organizations and innovative technology to generate solutions and value.
In Portugal, the UCA program began in January 2024, and quickly assumed a fundamental role in our innovation ecosystem, which encompasses collaboration between the company, partners, universities and startups. Although there is no strict limit on the number of participants, the focus is on the quality and impact of startups and their solutions. The selection is made rigorously, based on the startups’ ability to offer innovative solutions that respond to our clients’ emerging challenges and that can significantly benefit from the wide network of partners, research units from different universities and the support offered by the program.
There is no limit to the number of participants. Focus is on the quality and impact of startups and their solutions
The idea is for entrepreneurs to then develop products or services either for CGI or for its customers and partners?
Yes. The essence of the Unicorn Academy program is to foster close collaboration between startups, CGI, customers and partners. The main objective is to promote the development of innovative products and services that respond not only to the emerging needs and complex challenges faced by CGI and its broad spectrum of customers and partners, but that also drive open innovation and digital transformation across multiple sectors .
By participating in the UCA program, startups have the unique opportunity to have access to a vast network of market-leading companies and sector experts, which allows them to validate their innovative solutions in a real business environment and to scale their operations. more efficiently. Furthermore, collaboration with CGI, and its partners, offers startups the opportunity to expand internationally, obtain enormous visibility, in addition to the ability to adapt their solutions to the specific needs of customers, thus maximizing the impact and the value generated.
Collaborative innovation?
The UCA program is based on the principle that mutual success – of startups, CGI and its customers and partners – is achieved through collaborative innovation and the joint development of solutions that effectively respond to current and future challenges. CGI, recognizing the disruptive potential and importance of startups in the innovation ecosystem, actively seeks to integrate innovative solutions into its offers, making it visible to our customers that they are an effective result of our innovation ecosystem. This collaborative approach ensures that the innovations developed within the UCA program are practical, sustainable and aligned with market trends and our customers’ demands.
