Amarante Tech Hub
City is offering a place to stay for a month in exchange of a tech workshop.
Amarante1, where I live2, is campaigning for attracting people with technical expertise as part of a long-term effort to bolster tech-industry presence in the area3. Amarante Tech Hub is one way to do this by giving people a chance to get free accommodation for a month in order to experience the city and its potential for living and productivity. What they ask in return is giving a public “workshop or masterclass”; one person will be selected every month.
I think that this is a good idea as it addresses two inhibitors those looking to move to a new place might have. The first is the apparently infinite amount of places to choose from; this initiative provides a starting destination. The second is the unknowns that are hard to figure out remotely; a long supported visit could allay some practical concerns and establish a comforting support network.
I know that Invest Amarante — who are running the Tech Hub — are enthusiastically active in bringing more tech here with plans for creating an environment that will also attract tech professionals, like myself. Of course, this turns out to be a great story for our times: remote working is widely accepted and there’s a renewed appreciation for living closer to countryside and nature. (Of course Portugal has much more than that to offer!)
I also think that just knowing that there are resources applied to these types of initiatives is sufficient for many to consider Amarante, at least for a visit, even if they don’t get a free stay.
Here are some helpful links:
Amarante Tech Hub: https://amarantetechhub.com
Invest Amarante: https://investamarante.com, https://www.cm-amarante.pt/pt/investamarante
IET - Instituto Empresarial do Tâmega (incubator / offices): https://iet.pt
Amarante municipality page: https://www.cm-amarante.pt
Amarante Tourism: https://amarantetourism.com
As short primer on how local authorities are organised in Portugal: District (distrito) → Municipalities (concelho) → Parish (freguesia). The city of Amarante is in the concelho that’s also called Amarante which is in the distrito of Porto. The freguesia of the city of Amarante is Amarante (São Gonçalo), Madalena, Cepelos e Gatão (a consolidation of the three named freguesias).
I explain why I’ve chosen Amarante in a previous newsletter. It includes how IET, where I have my office, was instrumental in this decision.
Metalworking was and is the main industrial output of Amarante. In the past, wood processing was prominent as well.