Open Call 2025 supports innovation, technology and creativity initiatives in Porto
Open Call is a municipal programme that supports projects developed by entities in the city of Porto in the areas of innovation, technology, digital transition and creativity. In 2025, the programme was organised around three main pillars, covering initiatives that strengthen the city’s technological development, stimulate local communities and promote creative activities.
In this context, the Porto Tech Hub Conference 2025 was one of the initiatives supported. The event aligned with the programme’s objectives by fostering debate, technical knowledge and collaboration within Porto’s technology ecosystem. Held on 7 October at Alfândega do Porto, the conference marked the 10th anniversary of the Porto Tech Hub association. It brought together participants and speakers from several countries, reinforcing cooperation between companies, academia and the tech community.
2025 edition in numbers
The event drew more than 1,600 participants and featured around 53 speakers, including both national and international experts. Countries represented included Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, India and Brazil.
For the first time, the edition introduced a dedicated space for technology communities — the “Community Hub” — aimed at promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and visibility for local initiatives.
Key themes and featured speakers
The conference programme addressed some of the most relevant trends in today’s technological landscape, including:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, including Large Language Models and automation with CrewAI
- Cloud computing and scalable infrastructures
- User Experience and Ethical Design
- Security and cyber defence in AI contexts
- Organisational culture and technology communities
The international panel featured specialists from various geographies and fields. Among them, Venkat Subramaniam, professor at the University of Houston and founder of Agile Developer, Inc. (USA), explored the impact of artificial intelligence from a human and philosophical perspective. Katie Gamanji, Senior Field Engineer at Apple and member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (UK), shared her experience in large-scale cloud-native adoption, while Sander Hoogendoorn, former CTO of iBOOD (Netherlands), discussed agile methodologies in complex organisational settings.
Among the national speakers, Diogo Mónica, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Anchorage Digital, addressed the intersection between fintech and generative AI, and Marta Fernandez, Senior Product Designer at Critical Techworks and founder of the Porto UX community, presented her work on ethical design and human–AI interaction.
A renewed space: focus on community
The introduction of the “Community Hub” was a key addition to this edition, giving local tech communities a dedicated platform to present their activities and ideas. This new format reinforced Porto’s role as a collaborative technology hub, highlighting not only companies and speakers but the broader ecosystem around them.
Looking back: previous editions and evolution
In previous editions, the Porto Tech Hub Conference had already gathered participants, speakers and companies to strengthen Porto’s technological ecosystem. In 2024, for instance, more than 1,400 people attended, illustrating the event’s steady growth. With the 2025 edition, this trajectory continued to expand, whether in the number of sessions, diversity of themes or international reach of the speakers.
Support and wider context
The 2025 edition received support from Open Call 2025 (Pillars 1 and 2) and was part of the “Porto Tech” initiative, promoted by ScaleUp Porto together with the Municipality of Porto, Porto Digital and the Porto Innovation Hub. This framework strengthens the coordination between public and private sectors in supporting technology initiatives that contribute to the development of the city and the region.
What remains and what comes next
The 2025 Porto Tech Hub Conference leaves a legacy of strengthened community engagement, increased international visibility and an expanded collaborative dimension.
At a time when emerging technologies such as generative AI, cloud infrastructures and human-centred design are gaining relevance, the conference stands as a space for exchange, reflection and debate.
The next steps will naturally involve observing how participants, communities and companies apply the insights shared during the event in their daily activities.