Startup Capital Summit

3 Jun 2026 | Coimbra, Portugal

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.

  • Search by event, not by city

  • Filter by real travel time to the venue: walking, public transport, car, in minutes, not kilometres

  • One checkout: bed + transport (Festway Shuttle, rent-a-car, or public routes with schedules) + event ticket + specialised insurance + experiences

  • Split payment with your group directly in the app

    For hosts:

    • Bilateral verification,

    • Specialised event insurance

    • Post-stay cleaning built into the platform

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

Festway

Startup

Figueira da Foz, Portugal

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

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