Our Big Evening Under the Canopy: When Our Startup Family Came Together

Hello! I'm the person who helps share our stories at Canopy Community. I'm super energised to tell you about a special evening we recently had. This wasn't just any event —it was the March edition of #DemoNightLx where we all came together, shared our ideas, and learned from each other. We call our place Canopy Community because it's like a big, welcoming tree where everyone can gather underneath. Our goal for the evening was "empatia" between investors and startup Founders.

Our special evening was filled with showing off new business ideas and hearing from people who have money to invest in these businesses. But it was different this time because the investors also told us what they look for in a business. This made everyone understand each other better, which is really important for working together.

The best part? We were all there in person, in the same place, for the first time in a while. When we meet face-to-face, something magical happens. We can share our thoughts more easily, learn a lot, and feel the excitement in the air. This day reminded us why being together is so much better.

Amazing images from DemoNight can be seen in full at our Facebook page

From the start, the room was buzzing. People from all across the ecosystem—like the ones who make the products, the ones who give advice, and the ones who might invest money—were all talking and sharing. Everyone showed what they've been working on, and the investors shared tips on what makes a startup interesting to them.

• Startup demo from BetterSea Gordana Ilic, PhD

• Investor reverse pitches from Cintia Mano COREangels Martinho Correia de Matos Bynd Venture Capital Eduardo Migliorelli Atlantic Station

• Hosts and organisers Jana Garous Pedro Guimarães Bob Williams Helga Saraiva-Stewart FF.ISP Nicolas Eversett Stewart Noakes Tomás Caeiro

So much great feedback from across the group. Attendees met new friends, found people to work with, and got new ideas. This shows how important it is for us to get together, talk, and help each other out.

Gordana of BetterSea gave her startup demo amongst the investor reverse pitches

Our evening together made us feel like a big family. We saw that when we share our stories and listen to each other, we can understand and help each other even more. We want to have more days like this, where we can all meet, learn, and grow together. For April and May our demo nights will be remote, but in June we return in person, this time in London.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and made this #DemoNightLx amazing. Your excitement and ideas are what make Canopy Community such a special place. Let's keep sharing, learning, and growing together. We're not just making startups; we're making something that will last forever.

Thank you for being with us. Together, we're making our big family under the Canopy even stronger. Huge thank you also to our sponsors and partners Damia Group and to our venue hosts Avila Spaces. Without you both, none of this would be possible. Amazing photography and memory management from Carla Pires

#NeverStopLearning #FollowYourDreams #Tribe #madeoflisboa #obrigadissimo