There are many reasons to chat with the Deputy Mayor of Cascais –  Miguel Pinto Luz. Other than the fact that European Innovation Academy brought 400 students to the European Youth Capital in 2018. In total, the city hosted more than 150 events for young people throughout the year.

An interview with Interview Miguel Pinto Luz – Deputy Mayor of Cascais

Miguel, how do you feel about all that is happening in Cascais?

Miguel Pinto Luiz: To make a long story short, Cascais is the place to be for youngsters and I feel good about this! Every year we organize hundreds of events for young people.

It’s a trendy city just like Lisbon, which we are a part of, and we live only 20 km from one of the trendiest capitals in Europe. Cascais is the place to be if you are young and talented.

What part will startups play in the future of the city?

I like to think that Cascais has been a startup for the past 654 years. We have the early adopter DNA. The first tennis match and the first football match was played here. The first wave was surfed here. It’s simply in the Cascais DNA. What better place for young entrepreneurs to start their lives than here?

How is the European Innovation Academy helping Cascais?

We like to think that initiatives like EIA will work as a huge magnet to attract even more talent to our municipality. Not only for the Nova School of Business and Economics (which is a top 40 school, globally), but also for entrepreneurs, new startups and other initiatives.

What is the best thing to do in the weekend?

For starters, we have a beautiful coastline and one-third of Cascais is a national park. There are more than twenty museums in the municipality. We have concerts and the symphonic orchestra. We have fantastic restaurants with the best seafood in the world. And since we’re so close to Lisbon, there’s a possibility to enjoy the Lisbon nightlife as well.

Cascais | EIA

For both personal growth and business, are there any books or podcasts out there you’ve found to recommend.

On YouTube, I enjoy Smarter every day and Casey Neistat’s channel. Books are very important to me as well. I love reading about history and I think it’s very important to know about history since it’s something we can learn from. I recommend reading books about the disruption and advancement of technology. But also reading books that address the issues with democracy.

A book that changed my life is “The End of History and the Last Man” by Francis Fukuyama. It completely changed my point of view of the world.

5 interesting facts about Cascais you will be glad to know!

  1. The President of Portugal, His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sous lives in Cascais
  2. It was the European Youth Capital of 2018
  3. Cascais hosts more than 150 youth events throughout the year
  4. The first city in Portugal to have an office for professional internships
  5. There are numerous youth associations and almost over 1600 volunteers who are also helping out during the many events in 2018

Ready to explore Cascais? Discover all about EIA Summer Program in Portugal!