Unplugged & Unstoppable > The Leisure Side of Madeira Startup Retreat

🌴 Startup Retreat  >  Work Hard, Play… Harder!

If you thought a Startup Retreat was all about spreadsheets and networking, you clearly weren’t with us in Madeira. We didn’t just build MVPs, we built memories. Here’s the highlights of our amazing leisure time:

🍹 The “Professional” Skills

We kicked things off with a poncha workshop at BARREIRINHA BAR CAFÉ. Turns out, the secret to a successful startup is much like a good Poncha, you need the right squeeze, a bit of sweetness, and enough spirit to make you feel invincible.

🍷 Culture & “Research”

We got to know about the arts and crafts history of Madeira with a visit to the Espaço Artes & Ofícios Tradicionais da Madeira, where we learned that “scaling” used to involve needles instead of servers. We followed that up with a wine tasting at Pereira d’Oliveira. Let’s just say our “market analysis” of their vintage bottles was very thorough. 10/10 would analyze again.

🧺 Tours with a Twist

We beta-tested a tour with one of our participant Startups – Ciceru, which led us on a mission through the streets and ended at Parque de Santa Catarina. Nothing beats a Madeira Picnic on the grass.

💃 Vibes for Days

Friday nights were spent at the iconic Purple Fridays at Estalagem da Ponta do Sol. The sunsets were elite, the music was better, and the networking was… well, let’s call it “energetic dancing.”

🚶‍♂️ History 101

We took a deep dive into the past with a Free Walking Tour led by Pedro Luís Nunes. He walked us through the history of Funchal and Portugal, giving us all the context we needed to feel like locals.

⛵ Sea, Sun, and Splashes

Finally, we traded the office chairs for deck chairs on a VMT Madeira Catamaran. We sailed the coastline, felt the Atlantic breeze, and took the ultimate plunge into the ocean. There’s nothing like a cold dive in the sea to wash away the “Zoom fatigue.”