Since March, Shake to Win has been actively involved with this year’s The Journey Innovation Growth Program in Portugal. Following the pitching sessions of the top 30 selected startups, Shake to Win has been selected as one of the 14 best startups to continue into the pilot design Bootcamp. During this stage, participating startups join an intensive Bootcamp which involves close collaboration with their respective matched partners, to design and develop a pilot program that will be co-developed with corporate partners with guidance provided by beta-i.

The 4th edition of the program focuses on addressing the highest priority challenges for the sector to boost the recovery. As part of the program, the Journey 4.0 looks at the impact of COVID-19 on tourism, calling on startups from all industries with innovative solutions to the challenges in the areas of hospitality, parks & monuments, tours & activities, and payment solutions. 

Organized by beta-i with the main partner, Portugal Tourism Board, The Journey finds innovative solutions for the tourism sector. The open innovation program gathers startups from all over the world and from numerous industries to help solve business challenges with the partners. The program’s main goal is to co-develop impactful pilot projects in just four months. Startups and program partners may then continue their collaboration. Also present at the event are the piloting partners: VISA, Parques de Sintra Monte da Lua, Pestana Hotel Group, Selina, UNICRE, and the Barraqueiro Group, who will partner and collaborate closely with the select startups for pilot development.

Over the course of 4 years, 42 startups had been selected as part of the program to develop a pilot. This year, the 14 startups that have entered the pilot design sprint stage include BoxToLife, Bridgify, DISVOIZE, glow, Lucidpay, PARSEMPO, Pay Safe, placense, Pos8, smart engines, Tourmake, turno.pt, Yello, and Shake to Win.

Shake to Win stands as an innovative solution to issues regarding digitalization and market reach for small to medium business owners that lack efficient resources and understanding to reach travelers from within the Chinese market. Through the platform, business owners are able to market their unique offerings to young Chinese travelers in Chinese, while at the same time appealing to these potential travelers’ desires to experience new things. Recent efforts in broadening the appeal for lesser-known regions stand in line with Shake to Win’s strategy and goals to help balance issues such as lack of rural tourism, over-tourism, digital payment access, and more. Projects in collaboration with local tourism boards like our efforts in Mexico with the Magical Towns rural tourism boost is one of the key methods Shake to Win drives sustainable tourism offerings for Chinese consumers. 

Furthermore, the in-house e-commerce platform allows local vendors to amplify their sales and marketing reach through digital marketing tactics suitable for the Chinese market at a relatively low cost. China business registration, language localization, and regulatory compliance as well as promotion activities allow for international businesses of all scales to easily enter the Chinese market.

The program is set to establish and report on the resulting pilot projects that developed this year from May to September. Finalists will be given the opportunity to showcase the final results of the pilot projects during the Lisbon Tourism Summit, a major event dedicated to the tourism sector featuring tourism experts, government bodies, investors, and media.