The Nonagon Association - Science and Technology Park of São Miguel, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass), and under an exchange program based on Startup Weekend Azores, participated in a learning tour to the United States of America (USA), accompanied by the winning team of the 2018 Startup Weekend Azores.

This exchange program aims to strengthen diaspora links and foster learning moments, as well as the promotion of initiatives in the field of entrepreneurship Portugal-EUA, through the participation in the Startup Weekend Azores of entrepreneurship mentors and students from UMass and a learning tour by the winning team of this initiative.

The winning team Play Azores, whose business project dedicated to gamification of the tourism experience through an app that is being worked on, had the opportunity to visit various business units and support entities, such as incubators and innovation centers.

In addition to the obvious focus of the winning team, the learning tour focused on businesses as diverse as the production and distribution of agricultural products, sustainable organic farming, the processing and marketing of food, aquaculture, among others.

As part of this learning experience, the winning team also visited business incubators and had the opportunity to verify the value of the services provided, and also had the opportunity to participate in a forum dedicated to alternative funding opportunities such as crowdfunding, organized UMass Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.