Porto’s talent attracts new technology centre with Austrian signature

The city’s talent and characteristics continue to be responsible for attracting tech companies to Porto. This Friday, the Austrian Parkside Interactive has opened an office in Sá da Bandeira, in which fifty people are already working and from which a superior amount of four million euros is to be expected in less than three years in bespoken software development and UX design (user experience).

“Extremely grateful that Parkside chose Porto,” Rui Moreira believes that this is a demonstration that “the city is capable of attracting new businesses and, of course, talent.” “The cities are their talent,” stresses the Mayor of Porto.

Also, the fact that “we do not complicate, we do not impose a great deal of red-tape and we try to make life easier for the companies” helps attract investment. “We have a very business-oriented mindset,” adds Rui Moreira.

Considering that a lot of talent is “wasted” and leaves the country, the Mayor of Porto states that the city needs its “best blood” to be competitive. “Somethings are in the hands of the Government. We cannot change taxation, we cannot subsidise companies, but we can make the city more attractive, which in two words means, interesting and comfortable”, concluded Rui Moreira, confident that this is how Porto is “for businesses and young people”.

Parkside Interactive Portugal is a way for Paulo Moura to “reciprocate” what the city of Porto has given him. “Porto citizen born in another city” the current managing director in the Portuguese branch of the Austrian technology company confesses that having studied and started a career in the Invicta that would eventually take its course abroad, believes that “the best way to give back to the city what it has given me is to manage Parkside with a strong sense of responsibility, commitment with excellence and in the best interest of all our workers”.

With prospects of creating more than four million euros worth of value in the next three years, Paulo Moura hopes “not to stop there and together with the local authorities, strengthen our value and better serve society, better serve Porto”.

“We want a fair company that attracts talent, acts as an example to the advantages of investing in Porto and brings Austria and Portugal even closer”, stated the Parkside’s managing director, underlining the importance of finding windows of opportunities and partnerships between companies and the public sector. “Our city’s success is a shared responsibility”, he concluded.

Porto at the forefront of talent

The Parkside Interactive offices’ inauguration was attended by the Austrian Honorary Consul, the councillor for Economy, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Ricardo Valente, Parkside’s managing director and representatives of partner companies such as Zuhlke, Cocus AG, Bosch, Finantech, and New Work SE.

On behalf of Portugal Global – Trade & Investment Agency, which, alongside InvestPorto accompanied the arrival of the Austrian technology company to the city, Philomène Dias congratulated the start of the Parkside operation in Porto, “which will bring services, technology, knowledge and talent”.

The Inward Investment Director stressed the importance of retaining that talent, expressing that she was “very proud to see that Parkside brought Paulo back to help add value in Portuguese to our city.” “You are the example that Portugal and Porto can be leaders,” she concluded.