An evening with Tim Vieira.
On 18 September, AA founding members, local business owners, civic leaders and neighbours filled Vista Rio, in Alcácer do Sal, came together for the first Encontro Empresarial. An evening that formally launched AA’s Cooperativa Empresarial.
Alentejo Alliance started from a simple belief: Alcácer do Sal already has what it needs to thrive. Its businesses, its young people and its heritage don’t lack potential. What they lack are the connections and infrastructure that turn potential into opportunity.
The Encontro Empresarial was built to create exactly that. It was our first public gathering and marked the launch of the Cooperativa Empresarial, the first membership business network in Alcácer do Sal. Events like this put local entrepreneurs in the same room as each other, and with people who have done it before. They open doors to resources and collaboration that a small town rarely gets on its own. Every encontro is meant to leave the community a little more connected than before.
Our keynote speaker, Tim Vieira, embodied that idea. He is the founder of Brave Generation Academy and an entrepreneur who has built companies across three continents. He spoke openly about his career, about what it takes to start something and keep going, and about the role of communities and education in shaping what comes next. His conviction that real change grows from local action, not from capitals, mirrors the reason the Alliance exists. The open conversation that followed showed how much appetite there is in Alcácer for exactly these discussions.
The evening also reflected the three areas we work across. In business, the Cooperativa connects local entrepreneurs with resources, events and each other. In education, Alcácer FutureLab launches this autumn: an entrepreneurship programme where secondary school teams tackle real local challenges and pitch their solutions publicly. In culture, we work with archaeologists and community members to bring Alcácer’s remarkable heritage to life as an economic driver for the region.
This was the first encontro, not the last. If this resonates with you, whether you run a business here, teach here, or simply care about the town’s future, we’d love to hear from you.