Portuguese startup grows to €3M without external investment

Three years. Three million euros. Zero external funding. The Portuguese startup that grew on its own in one of the toughest tech markets of the moment.

Nimber, a Portuguese technology company founded in Lisbon in 2023, has reached €3 million in revenue in just three years of operation — in a market that many considered impossible for a company starting from scratch.

When Rui Neves founded Nimber in 2023, the Portuguese startup ecosystem was in a period of restraint: global venture capital funding was declining sharply, major technology companies were announcing mass layoffs, and the first signs of recession pointed to a long and challenging cycle for new market entrants. Three years later, the company has reached €3 million in revenue. No investment rounds. No accelerators. Bootstrapped from the very first euro to the last.

"We started at a time when everyone said it was the worst possible moment to launch a technology company. Maybe that's exactly why it worked: while others were waiting, we were building."

Rui Neves, Founder and CEO of Nimber

The company's growth follows — and, in some segments, exceeds — a structural trend in the Portuguese market. According to the ManpowerGroup 2026 Global Talent Shortage Survey (n=39,063 employers across 41 countries), 82% of employers in Portugal report difficulties filling vacancies, placing Portugal among the countries with the highest talent shortages worldwide, behind only Slovakia (87%), Greece and Japan (84%), and Germany (83%). The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that Data Analysts and AI/ML Specialists will be among the fastest-growing roles globally, with the cybersecurity market continuing to expand, driven by European regulatory requirements.

Nimber positioned itself precisely at this point of tension — between companies urgently seeking highly specialized talent and professionals looking for projects with purpose and real growth. The model works because it operates at the intersection of technology, talent, and digital security, offering services ranging from specialized recruitment to cybersecurity projects and AI consulting.

"Our differentiator isn't volume. It's focus. When a company comes to us with a cybersecurity or AI position, we're not the tenth company trying to fill it — we're the first one that truly understands what they need."

Rui Neves, CEO of Nimber

The company's next steps include expanding its digital presence, with a strong focus on content about the Portuguese tech market, and launching a university ambassador program to build a direct connection with emerging talent. At the same time, Nimber is strengthening its new business areas: CyberDefend, focused on tailor-made cybersecurity projects and compliance with European directives such as NIS2, and its AI practice, which helps organizations integrate and govern intelligent models within their business processes. Recruitment continues to grow. But the business is about much more than that.

"Three million euros in three years is a great milestone. But what matters most to us is what's being built underneath: community, content, and presence. Those are the assets that will last."
Rui Neves, CEO of Nimber.