Portuguese AI startup Humanos wins Road 2 Web Summit

Portuguese startup Humanos, which develops tools to keep AI agents under human control inside corporate systems, has won Startup Portugal’s Road 2 Web Summit 2026 contest. The award matters for international readers because the programme is designed to prepare Portuguese startups for exposure at Web Summit in Lisbon and support their international growth.

Humanos, founded a year ago and led by co-founder and chief executive Pedro Andrade, received a €15,000 prize on Thursday in a competition backed by Galp Energia. The company was selected from 78 startups in the latest Road 2 Web Summit cohort. Andrade said the business helps companies measure the risk of AI agents before deployment and prove to clients that those systems remain under control.

Speaking after a day of disruption at Web Summit caused by Storm Charles, Startup Portugal said it had reworked the schedule so finalists could still deliver their pitches. Miguel d’Aguiar, a director at the organisation, said the lower number of participants compared with previous editions reflected a new requirement for entrants to hold official startup status under Portuguese law, allowing the programme to give each company more attention.

Andrade said startups in the programme could benefit from more training in sales. Humanos, which he said sells to large companies including Lusíadas Saúde and Mastercard, is preparing to launch a new tool in January, although no further details were disclosed. Separately, eDynamics won the “Best Performing Startup” distinction, receiving a €5,000 prize also supported by Galp.

Originally published at Eco.pt