Moving Beyond Visibility: The Thinking Behind #BuiltDifferent
For the next seven weeks leading up to Web Summit, I’m launching a campaign that explores what Portugal’s official statistics don’t capture: Black and PALOP entrepreneurship, the jobs we’re creating, the sectors we’re transforming, and the systemic barriers that remain.
As I delve into my master’s thesis at Nova IMS, I keep returning to one question: How do we transition from visibility to genuine equity?
Because here’s what I’ve learned as a Black female founder in Portugal: Being noticed and being supported are not the same thing.
Why does data about us matter?
There are still very few academic studies examining Black entrepreneurship and DEI in Portugal. One of the comprehensive works I found is Caterina Foá’s (2025) article “Black Entrepreneurship and DEI: Profiles and Challenges of African Descendant Entrepreneurs Within the Portuguese Ecosystem,” published in Social Inclusion.
Foá (2025) mapped 200 entrepreneurs of African descent across the country, revealing data that confirms what many of us have long experienced but couldn’t prove:
Only 11% accessed formal acceleration programs (vs. 40% nationally)
67% bootstrapped from personal savings
76% hold tertiary degrees
Less than 10% secured VC or angel investment (vs. 61% VC and 37% BA nationally)
69% never participated in incubation or acceleration programs
Despite 76% holding university degrees, 0% reported support from academic institutions
Average age: 35 — founders driven by financial independence and community problem-solving. 58% started during the pandemic, often out of necessity rather than opportunity.
As Foá’s (2025) findings show, this data makes the invisible undeniable. My thesis builds on this foundation, examining which ecosystem players are, or aren’t, working to close these gaps.
Visibility Isn’t Equity
I’ve opened doors into rooms where I was often the only Black woman. Invited for the diversity photo. Asked to speak about struggle — rarely about strategy. Given stage time, but not decision-making power.
For a long time, that visibility felt like validation. My instinct was to push harder—to prove my worth and that of my community.
Until I realised it wasn’t translating into anything tangible — not for me, not for us.
When only 30% of Black founders access formal funding — mostly from friends and family — the issue isn’t a lack of ambition or capacity. It’s that the system was never designed with us in mind.
Visibility Matters — But It’s Just the Starting Point
Don't get me wrong: visibility matters.
It's how we start counting what has been invisible, how we make disparities undeniable, how we create the data that powers policy change.
But if we treat visibility as the finish line instead of the starting point, we'll stay stuck.
Visibility without structural change merely highlights the same old problems with better lighting.
Breaking down these barriers benefits everyone. Creating an inclusive ecosystem doesn't just unlock individual success—it strengthens the entire Portuguese economy by tapping into the full potential of diverse talent and fostering innovation.
Tangible equity is what happens after the photo is taken. After the panel invite:
Decision-making power, not just stage time
Capital access, not just promotional features
Capacity-building tailored to where founders actually are
Proactive outreach to historically excluded communities
Year-round structural support, not heritage month spotlights
What’s Coming: #BuiltDifferent
Last month, I launched a survey in my community asking: Who are you? What do you do? How much does your business make? How many jobs do you create? What's blocking your next stage?
The responses are powering both my thesis research and my Web Summit side event, '100 Faces of the Black Economy'—a digital gallery showcasing the 120+ jobs these businesses are creating, the sectors they're innovating in, and the gaps that still need to be closed.
📍 Join us at Web Summit: https://luma.com/mellasupply?k=c
This isn't about celebrating resilience. It's about demanding that the ecosystem invest in our success with the same energy it invests in making us visible.
Because representation without redistribution—of power, access, and resources—is just optics.
Black or PALOP founder? Be counted: 👉 https://form.typeform.com/to/p55tzmPx
#BuiltDifferent #BlackEntrepreneurship #StartupPortugal #EquityNotEquality #WebSummit #EcosystemBuilding
References
Foá, C. (2025). Black entrepreneurship and DEI: Profiles and challenges of African descendant entrepreneurs within the Portuguese ecosystem. Social Inclusion, 13, Article 10153. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.10153
