Young Romanian Entrepreneur Explores Lisbon’s Thriving Startup Scene

There’s a certain kind of clarity that comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. For Darius Borda, a young Romanian entrepreneur, that moment arrived in Lisbon, where he spent months collaborating with André Marquet, founder and CEO of Productized. What started as an exploration of Portugal’s tech ecosystem turned into something more concrete: the groundwork for his next business venture.

Borda didn’t just observe. He participated. He got involved in startup accelerators, the Productized Conference, the EUDIS Defence Hackathon, and the Lisbon GenAI Meetups, an exclusive community of AI specialists. It’s the kind of immersive experience that can’t be replicated from a distance.

“I came to Lisbon curious about entrepreneurship,” Borda said. “I left with new connections and the confidence to take the leap on my new business venture. Collaborating with André Marquet and being surrounded by people creating and launching their ideas was the best kind of learning.”

The collaboration worked both ways. Marquet found value in Borda’s IT management background and business instincts. “Collaborating with Darius Borda has been highly valuable,” Marquet noted. “His IT management expertise was essential to the organization of the Productized Conference, and his strong business acumen enabled meaningful deep-dives into entrepreneurial opportunities of mutual interest.”

Beyond the formal events, the real work happened in conversations about defence tech, entrepreneurship, and early-stage startup ideas. Those discussions haven’t ended. There’s talk of future collaborations, though nothing’s set in stone yet.

The experience gave Darius Borda something he didn’t have before: a clearer sense of what’s next and the foundation to build on it. Sometimes that’s what you need. Not answers, just enough clarity to start.