Fidelidade, Fosun and Hospital Da Luz Reinforce their Commitment to Innovation

At this stage of the 6th edition of the Fidelidade, Fosun and Hospital da Luz Open Innovation Programme, the launch of the 7th edition was also announced at the Protechting Connect event, which strengthened the bridges to innovation.

Lisbon, 11 April 2024 - The Fidelidade Group, leader in the insurance sector in Portugal, and Fosun clearly reaffirmed their commitment to innovation and to strengthening cooperation between the two companies at an event held yesterday evening at the Técnico Innovation Center, Powered by Fidelidade.

Of the 14 startups that were selected in the 6th edition of the Protechting Programme, eight (Agit, Balvia, eBreathie, Glooma, GripWise, Infinite Foundry, Sensomatt and i-Virtual) are still in the development process for a possible pilot phase and among these, Agit, Glooma and GripWise have now been selected to hold a roadshow in China. The criterion for choosing these three startups was based on the greater likelihood of being able to make commercial agreements, find good sourcing sources and the greater possibility of attracting investment.

The roadshow will pass through strategic locations such as Shanghai, Foshan and Macau, giving the three startups the opportunity to get to know Fosun, take part in the 'Beyond Expo 2024' technology event in Macau and meet with potential investors and partners.

The Protechting Connect event involved more than 200 people, including employees, startups, partners and institutional guests, reinforcing the commitment and shared vision that the Fidelidade Group, Fosun, Fosun Foundation and Hospital da Luz have for Open Innovation and which defines entrepreneurship as an essential source of innovation in building the societies of the future.

The 6th edition of the Protechting Programme was developed with the support of Fábrica de Startups, and in close collaboration with Venture Capital partners Shilling and Big Start Ventures, thus facilitating access to important resources for the evolution and realisation of business ideas.

In six editions, the Protechting Programme has received applications from more than 1,000 startups from 55 countries, which have resulted in the development of more than 50 pilot projects and five commercial agreements. 

For Li Haifeng, President of the Fosun Foundation: "It is with great pleasure that the Fosun Foundation has extended an invitation to the Protechting teams to embark on a trip to Shanghai, Foshan and Macau in May, with the aim of connecting them with the Chinese market and looking for new business and cooperation opportunities. Promoting people-to-people exchanges is always one of our priorities, and together with Fidelidade, we are confident that we will do it well. We believe that it is these exchanges that contribute to ever greater collaboration by strengthening the bridges that allow us to speed up the innovation process."

Miguel Abecasis, Member of Fidelidade's Executive Committee, said: "Fidelidade has three axes in its innovation strategy: open innovation (bringing innovation from outside in and putting it at the service of our business and its surroundings), developing new ventures and fostering the venture capital and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Protechting Connect event is a way of celebrating the 6th edition of the Protechting Programme, which promotes the Open Innovation axis. This edition demonstrates the enormous progress and impact that the programme has on promoting start-ups inside and outside Portugal that can help us address concrete challenges. To give you a more concrete idea, I can tell you that of the 14 start-ups selected in this edition, more than half are about to start pilots with the Fidelidade Group."

Francisca Leite, Director of Hospital da Luz Learning Health, for Luz Saúde: "In the world of healthcare, we face unprecedented complexity that cannot be unravelled in isolation. Open innovation, particularly through collaboration with startups, invites external wisdom and agility, making it an essential catalyst for progress. Including all the players in the ecosystem is not only beneficial; it is imperative for transcending current limits and paving the way for significant advances."

All the information about the Programme are available at  www.protechting.pt,

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About Fidelidade

Founded in 1808, Fidelidade is the leading life and non-life insurer in Portugal, with a market share of 29.6% in 2022. Fidelidade is present in 12 countries, on 4 continents, and presented in 2022 a global growth in premiums of 4.2%, to 5,118 million euros.

About Fosun

Fosun was founded in 1992. After more than 30 years of development, Fosun has become a global innovation-driven consumer group. Adhering to the mission of creating happier lives for families worldwide, Fosun is committed to creating a global happiness ecosystem fulfilling the needs of one billion families in health, happiness and wealth. In 2007, Fosun International Limited was listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (stock code: 00656.HK). As of 31 December 2023, Fosun International’s total assets amounted to RMB808.4 billion; it received an AA MSCI ESG rating and was the only conglomerate in Greater China with such rating.

About Luz Saúde

Luz Saúde was created in 2000 and is one of the largest healthcare groups in the Portuguese market. The Group develops its services through an integrated healthcare network, which incorporates 29 units (including 14 private hospitals, 14 private outpatient clinics and one senior residence), located in the North, Centre and Centre-South of the country.