Lisbon’s Heart Is in San Francisco-Style Technology Incubation

Lisbon’s red suspension bridge appears to be a clone of San Francisco’s majestic Golden Gate, and both cities are spread over hills linked by cable cars. If the mayor of Portugal’s capital has his way, the similarities will extend to a ferocious pace of technological innovation.

“We opened our first startup incubator last year in downtown Lisbon and everyone said it was foolish, but we ended up having 600 candidates for 60 slots,” Mayor Antonio Costa said last month at the opening of another facility for digital entrepreneurs determined to conceive the next big thing. “We’re creating a new paradigm for the city.”