DeskAmigo raises €350K to turn Lisbon hotels and cafés into workspaces
What's the deal? DeskAmigoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Portuguese flexible-work startup, has raised €350,000 (roughly $401,000) in a pre-seed round to develop its platform and expand its network across Portugal. The company turns spare capacity in existing venues — cafés, restaurants, hotels, coworking spaces, and wellness studios — into places to work.
Who backed it? The round came from a group of unnamed Portuguese and British entrepreneurs with experience in hospitality, restaurants, food and beverage, and real estate. The money will fund product development, network expansion, and a new corporate offering.
What's the endgame? Rather than build new offices, DeskAmigo lets venue owners decide when to host remote workers, how many seats to offer, and at what price, with no upfront joining fees. "There is already a huge amount of infrastructure in our cities that can become part of the workplace," said co-founder and chief executive officer Charles Whitmee.
Launched officially in January 2026 after a 2025 soft launch, the platform now lists more than 140 spaces. A restaurant might open its tables between lunch and dinner; a hotel might turn part of its lobby into an afternoon work area.
The numbers: Over the past three months, DeskAmigo reported 600 users, more than 1,100 bookings, and 144% revenue growth, averaging five bookings per user. The company says it validated the concept after contacting about 250 café and restaurant owners in Portugal.
What's next? DeskAmigo has run on a pay-as-you-go model, with hourly bookings and half- or full-day packages. It is now building a monthly subscription based on credits, letting users move between venues with discounts and perks; the pay-per-use option stays for occasional users.
The signal: At €350,000, the round sits in the smaller tier of pre-seed deals — around the 42nd percentile by amount. But it points to a growing bet that the future of work does not need new buildings, only better use of the ones cities already have.
Read more: jornaleconomico.sapo.pt
Image credit: antony_mayfield
