PontoPT community wants to approach Portuguese technology in Berlin

A pontoPT community, which brings together Portuguese to work in technology in Berlin, will be officially presented on November 5, at the Embassy of Portugal, with the aim of creating contacts and bringing professionals who often do not know each other.

Radicated in Berlin, Diogo Guerner, CEO of Naviu and Berlin AI Day, is among the drivers of the initiative, which emerged from the finding that many Portuguese work in the technological area in the city, but are scattered.

“There are many Portuguese working in technology in the city, in ‘startups’, in great technology or founding their own companies, but they are scattered and often do not know each other,” Guerner told Lusa.

The PT point name means “the Portuguese point in tech”. The idea is to create a network where members can exchange contacts, share employment opportunities and projects, find mentors and partner.

The community also wants to create links between professionals in Berlin and the Portuguese business ecosystem, giving visibility to national startups and facilitating contacts with companies, universities and potential investors. There are scheduled meetings, conversations and dinners, as well as a directory of members.

“ In Portugal we have friends, family, classmates and contacts for years; here we start from scratch”, said Guerner, who lives in Berlin for about six years.

The presentation will be made during the PT Talks point, event organized together with the Portuguese Postgraduate Association in Germany (ASPPA), with the support of the Embassy of Portugal in Berlin, AICEP – Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade of Portugal, the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and the Portuguese Communities (DGACCP) and Naviu.

The program includes two panels. The first will be dedicated to support the Portuguese community in Berlin and will have the participation of Ambassador of Portugal, Magdalena Fischer, Rui Boavista Marques, AICEP, and Flávio Ramos, ASPPA.

The second panel will focus on the experience of living and working in the German capital, with João Freitas from Banxware, and Ana Valentine from Distribusion.

Among the difficulties of those arriving in the city, Guerner points to the demand for a home in a difficult housing market, the bureaucracy associated with registration, taxes and insurance, the lack of contacts and differences in the work culture.

In its view, professional communities can complement the work of Portuguese institutions in Germany. While they are able to bring together entities and establish contacts with companies, local networks know closely the needs of professionals.

“ Often, the Portuguese know that these institutions exist, but they do not know how they can support them, beyond the more bureaucratic issues dealt with at the embassy ", he said.

The PT point is a non-profit initiative and is open to support and partnerships to develop their activities.

“ We do this by the link we have to Portugal and the community ", concluded.