The startup TekPrivacy, incubated at UPTEC, is developing a tool that enables the use of personal data without violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Personal data is both the present and the future and it is worth millions of euros. It is valuable to companies across a wide range of sectors, yet there is still no technology that fully safeguards its privacy. The spin-off TekPrivacy, created at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), has a solution, now validated in the 8th edition of Protechting. This is a dynamic open innovation programme led by Fosun, Fidelidade, Hospital da Luz Learning Health, and La Positiva, and supported by Fábrica de Startups.
TekPrivacy is one of 20 startups selected from more than 600 applications worldwide, in what is a record-breaking edition. The programme functions as a pilot project accelerator and will enable the startup to further develop an innovative product focused on data protection.
“In 2024, the value of data monetisation in the EU27 reached €29.5 billion, reflecting a significant increase of 15.3% compared to 2023. However, these figures may be at risk due to the lack of technological solutions that allow extracting value from data without compromising the current legal framework (GDPR),” explains Luís Antunes, CEO of TekPrivacy and professor at DCC.
This led to the creation of Tek-Risk. “This tool, aligned with the European Union’s data strategy, particularly with the European Health Data Space, makes it possible to accurately assess the privacy risk associated with processing a given dataset for secondary use,” he explains.
In other words, once personal information is transformed, it is rigorously assessed, enabling the end user to minimise risk without compromising the usefulness of the data for purposes such as scientific research, trend analysis, or the development of new products and services, among others.
Luís Antunes represented TekPrivacy, currently incubated at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, at Matching Day, an event where the selected startups met the mentors from Fidelidade and Luz Saúde who will support them throughout the programme.
For the FCUP professor, this is a golden opportunity to shape a deep tech solution developed by faculty members, researchers, and students of the Faculty of Sciences. “It allows us to validate our product with two major companies, demonstrating its importance and practical applicability,” he highlights.
About the Protechting programme
This year’s edition stands out as the most international in the programme’s history, expanding its traditional Europe–China axis to also include talent from Latin America.
The selected startups — operating in Insurtech, Healthtech, Tech Enablers, and Sustainability — are now entering a critical phase: the development of pilot projects. The goal is clear: to test real solutions that can be integrated into the partners’ businesses.
Among the selected companies, 7 are Portuguese, 7 are from other European countries, and 6 are from outside Europe.
With more than 70 pilots developed since its inception, Protechting reaffirms its position as a leading accelerator of high-impact commercial collaborations in the sector.