On August 22, 2025, the CEmpA Azorean Business Center celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dinner and conference. The event brought together approximately 60 attendees, including entrepreneurs, government and institutional representatives, and strategic partners.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Filipe Carrera, an internationally experienced speaker and consultant. He presented a conference titled, “From the Atlantic to the World: The Digital Revolution for SMEs.” Carrera has participated in events in over 50 countries and on four continents. He was recognized by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) as the Most Outstanding Trainer in Europe and Most Outstanding Trainer in the World. He holds a degree in Economics from ISEG and an MBA, along with several postgraduate degrees in areas such as e-Business, e-Learning Management, and Marketing Management, all from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He also has training in Digital Transformation from MIT and is the author of several books on Digital Marketing, Networking, and Communication.
During the event’s opening, CEmpA’s CEO, Júlia Sousa Pedro Medeiros, highlighted the Business Center’s journey over the past decade. She emphasized its role in promoting entrepreneurship in the Azores, creating a dynamic business community, and supporting business innovation and competitiveness. “In these 10 years, we have supported over a hundred companies, created synergies, and, above all, proven that the Azores are not only a place to live but also a competitive place to invest! CEmpA started small but with ambition. Today, we are a consolidated, respected, and recognized reality, and we want to continue to grow in impact and relevance,” she stated.
Following her, Eng. João Dâmaso Moniz, CEmpA’s founder, presented a study on the center’s impact on the Azorean economy. He highlighted that the businesses located at the center contribute approximately €14 million per year to the regional economy. When analyzing only service-sector companies, they account for about 20% of the business volume generated in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. In his speech, he also noted the difficulty in attracting companies from outside the region, despite tax advantages, as well as the challenge of retaining and attracting skilled talent in a small and competitive market. He also mentioned that what he calls “context costs” have a significant impact, as they make logistics, services, and even access to specialized human resources more expensive.
This dinner and conference was a successful application for funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) under the Accelerate Azores Brand program. This initiative by the Regional Government of the Azores supports networking events between companies and technology providers, promoting the adoption of best practices and accelerating the digital transition.
CEmpA also took the opportunity to outline its future goals, reinforcing its commitment to remaining a regional leader in supporting businesses and strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Azores. For the next decade, it has a clear priority: to build a competitive, digital, and globally open business ecosystem from the Azores.
CEmpA, the Azorean Business Center, is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and business activity in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. It currently hosts 74 companies and entities on a permanent basis across various types of business spaces. Over the last decade, CEmpA has achieved several distinctions, including the Cinco Estrelas Regiões Award for three consecutive years, the Excellence Award from the newspaper Audiência, the Energy Efficiency Award – Azores, and the Azores Digital Company seal, also for three consecutive years, reinforcing its role as a benchmark institution in the Azores.