InvestmentUpdated on 31 May 2026
Festway — €50K Pre-Seed: The First booking Platform Built for Events and Festivals
Co-Funder at Festway
Figueira da Foz, Portugal
About
The Problem
When you're going to an event, distance in kilometres tells you nothing. What matters is how long it actually takes to reach the venue. Generic platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com search by city or radius, no concept of the event, no transport integration, no connection between accommodation and the reason you're travelling in the first place.
On the host side, the fear of renting to groups during festivals: inadequate insurance, no bilateral verification, no guarantees leaves thousands of properties empty during peak demand. Supply is wasted. Guests can't find beds.
The Solution
Festway is the first booking platform built specifically for festivals and major events: NOS Alive, Afro Nation, Web Summit, Sónar, and more.
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Search by event, not by city
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Filter by real travel time to the venue: walking, public transport, car, in minutes, not kilometres
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One checkout: bed + transport (Festway Shuttle, rent-a-car, or public routes with schedules) + event ticket + specialised insurance + experiences
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Split payment with your group directly in the app
For hosts:
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Bilateral verification,
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Specialised event insurance
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Post-stay cleaning built into the platform
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Traction & Validation
MVP is live at www.festway.pt. Organisations across events, media and hospitality — including Afro Nation, Renascença, Dom Pedro Lisboa Hotels, CASFID, and Genius Y Meios have recognised Festway's potential and its applicability in the market. Recentely achived 2nd place at Step Up to Startup (May 2026).
Market
Portugal's music festival segment alone: 2.3M+ tickets/year, 920,000 people needing accommodation and transport, ~€90M/year addressable. This excludes corporate events (Web Summit), sports events, etc showcasing Festway's scalability.
Business Model
Five revenue pillars: booking commissions (12% base , below competitors to lure hosts), embedded insurance margin, listing boost fees, future ticket sales commission, and B2B upsells (VIP, premium mobility, brand partnerships).
The Ask
We're raising €50,000 pre-seed to accelerate platform development and fund go-to-market.
Stage
- Pre-seed & Seed Funding
- Venture Capital
- Corporate Investment
- Private Investors (LPs & Family Offices)
- Incubation & Acceleration Programs
- Technology Transfer & Spin-off Support
Applies to
- Real Estate & PropTech
- Mobility & Logistics
- Commerce & Consumer
- Telecom & Digital Infrastructure
- Media, Content & Creative Tech
Organisation
Similar opportunities
Project cooperation
Talk to me if you run a field sales team
- Validation & Piloting
- Strategic Partnership
- Investment / Capital Contribution
- Market Access & Commercialisation
- Research & Innovation Collaboration
Guilherme Bento
Founder @OmniMap at OmniMap
Torres Novas, Portugal
Investment
- Pre-seed & Seed Funding
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
Isabel Luís ‘MamiChat’
. at Universidade de Coimbra
Coimbra, Portugal
Investment
€50k-€150k early-entry round with 2x in 6-9 months
- Venture Capital
- Corporate Investment
- Mobility & Logistics
- Pre-seed & Seed Funding
- Private Investors (LPs & Family Offices)
Andrii Mandryk
Co-Founder & CEO at Urbix
Ericeira, Portugal