Portuguese startup Granter has raised €1.6 million in a funding round to expand its AI-powered platform. The platform helps businesses find and apply for European funding programmes. The round was led by 3XP Global through its Impact Innovation Fund, which is part of the Venture Capital Programme of the Capitalisation and Resilience Fund (FdCR), managed by Portugal’s state development bank, Banco Português de Fomento.
Other investors in the round included Celtis Venture Partners, Gateway Ventures, which is backed by investors from Austria and Germany, and US-based HR technology company Deel. With this latest investment, Granter’s total funding has reached €2 million.
Granter has developed an AI-powered platform that helps businesses find public funding opportunities, prepare applications and manage funded projects. The company mainly supports small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and startups that may not have enough resources or experience to handle complex funding applications.
Applying for public funding can involve a lot of paperwork, administrative work and time. These requirements can make it difficult for smaller businesses to access funding. Granter aims to make the process easier by using AI to automate several tasks and reduce the time and effort needed to prepare applications.
The company has also relaunched its AI Grant Consultant with a chat-based interface. This allows businesses to interact directly with an AI agent to find suitable funding programmes, prepare applications and manage projects after receiving funding.
Granter has also introduced a free trial, allowing businesses to start preparing their funding applications without an initial commitment.
Commenting on the investment, Bernardo Seixas, CEO and co-founder of Granter, said: “Today, thousands of companies with solid projects are left out of public funding, not for lack of merit, but because they do not have the time, the team or the knowledge to deal with complex, bureaucratic processes. Granter exists to change that. Our technology removes that barrier and democratises access to public funding, putting it within reach of those who generate jobs, innovation and impact in their communities.”
The new funding will help Granter improve its platform, hire more employees and expand into international markets.
The company plans to more than double its team by the end of the year. While Portugal will remain its main market, Granter also aims to expand into Spain, Germany and Italy, where it already has investors and early business connections. In the coming years, the company also plans to enter the US market.
