List of SME crowdfunding platforms in Portugal

There are 17 SME crowdfunding platforms in Portugal. They offer Equity, Debt, P2P lending, Reward, Tokenized, Donation or Mini-bonds investment opportunities for retail and accredited investors.

The minimum investment amount varies from platform to platform and usually depends on the industry or particular platform goals. On this listing, you will find crowdfunding platforms that offer investment opportunities starting at 1 € with a maximum investment amount of 100000 €.

As a crowdfunding platform directory, we verify the most active crowdfunding platforms if they reach out and claim their profile. On this listing, 10 crowdfunding platforms claimed their profile. They include Happy Pot, 8lends, Nectaro, CrowdX, Maclear and others.

Fun fact: among all the crowdfunding platforms listed here, the oldest has been founded in 2008 and the youngest in 2024.

Is SME crowdfunding a good investment in Portugal?

The crowdfunding phenomenon has significantly democratised the niche by making it more accessible for non-accredited and retail investors. It’s safe to say that both sides involved have been experiencing a new development influx. As more companies join the market, the more diverse and innovative the industry becomes. Still, it would be inaccurate to label this investment opportunity as universally good for everyone.

An investor gets a chance to tap into a new market with a relatively low initial investment. Fundraisers can access a larger pool of investors/donators and, in this way, increase their chances of accomplishing their goals. As compelling as it may look, we won’t tire of warning you that there are risks to be aware of. 

While SME crowdfunding companies in Portugal most likely operate under the same legal framework, we still recommend reviewing and analysing each provider individually for past performance, loan default rate, financial reports for previous periods, review from investors using the platform etc. The business industry’s previous background, local economic and social conditions also play a big role. 

You must have read this before, but it all comes down to the platform’s thorough reliability research before investing. It’s not only your “safety belt” in terms of potential risk, but it’s also necessary to learn about all the opportunities possibly involved to benefit your portfolio. 

So, to wrap up the answer, it may be a good investment option depending on your goals and available resources.

Tips to start investing on crowdfunding platforms for SME projects in Portugal

These recommendations are an essential kit to kick off your investing portfolio. 

• Find out if the platform is regulated and what legislative framework it is subject to.
  
• Decide on the crowdfunding type you’re willing to invest in: it’ll help align your expectations with the potential returns and narrow down the area of interest to investigate. On CrowdSpace, you can use filters to narrow down the platforms list that are potentially interesting to you. Also, you can view an up-to-date list of ECSP-licences crowdfunding platforms.
• Do your homework and research the project in detail: if there is a partner involved and their professional reputation, if the platform has hosted a similar project before, etc.
• Start small, and don’t rush trusting the platform with large amounts, whichever that is for you. No matter how well you’ve investigated the provider, there is no way to find out about all of the steps and features involved in advance.
• Research the platform’s previous reputation. The least you can do is check out reviews on websites like Trustpilot. To dive deeper, look up investors’ blogs sharing their detailed feedback and impressions of the crowdfunding providers or niche you’re interested in: from general website impressions to return results and transaction specifics.
• Try spreading your investment across a few providers or projects to diversify the portfolio. Should a project delay or even go bust, you won’t lose all your funds.