# Madeira Friends Tech Lab

> Free AI app development mentorship program for young people aged 16–25 in Madeira, Portugal. Operated by Madeira Friends, a non-profit organization.

Madeira Friends Tech Lab is a hands-on, community-driven mentorship program that empowers local talents aged 16–25 to design, prototype, and launch AI-powered apps. Participants work in teams guided by international mentors in AI, product design, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship. The program is completely free — all AI tool costs are covered by Madeira Friends.

The website is available at: https://techlabmadeira.com

## About this site

Madeira Friends Tech Lab is operated by Madeira Friends, a non-profit organization based in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. Contact: tech@madeirafriends.org

## Key facts

- Organization: Madeira Friends (non-profit)
- Program: Tech Lab — AI App Development Mentorship
- Target age: 16–25 years old
- Cost: 100% free of charge (all AI tool costs covered)
- Location: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal (in-person at Madeira Friends Hub)
- Format: Weekly hands-on workshops, mentor check-ins, Demo Day
- Tools: LLM APIs, mobile frameworks, modern dev stacks
- Email: tech@madeirafriends.org

## Who this is for

- Young people aged 16–25 in Madeira interested in tech and AI
- Aspiring entrepreneurs who think in products, not just code
- Creative minds who want to master building AI-powered mobile apps, web tools, and LLM integrations

## Program structure

1. Kickoff & Team Formation — meet fellow participants, form teams, get introduced to AI tools and mentors
2. Build Sprints — weekly hands-on workshops to prototype, test, and iterate on AI-powered apps
3. Mentor Check-ins — regular sessions with experienced mentors in AI, product design, marketing, and entrepreneurship
4. Demo Day — showcase apps to an international audience, get feedback and recognition

## Mentors

- Dennis Wieczorek
- Laura Otto
- Sebastian Szczygiel
- Victor Lipov
- Daniel

## Previous project ideas (1st edition)

- Moora
- MadeUp
- Vamos Juntos
- Lemonface AI
- Bom Estudante
- Animal Reporter
- Smart Driver License Test

## Partners

- DRCIS — Direcao Regional de Cidadania e Inclusao Social

## Sister properties (same operator)

- https://madeirafriends.org — Madeira Friends non-profit
- https://madeiraremote.com — Madeira Remote coliving & coworking
- https://blog.madeirafriends.org — Madeira Friends blog

## Content index

- [Homepage](https://techlabmadeira.com/) — Main landing page with program info, mentors, gallery, and application

## How to apply

Click "Apply" on the website to access a short Google Form with 5 questions. Accepted students join weekly hands-on workshops in Funchal at the Madeira Friends Hub, regular mentor check-ins, and showcase their apps at Demo Day.

- [Apply via Google Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3m5Q42AD-a4q-uykEMhUK9bn_tiMHvnL1qVh9zR0S230SSQ/viewform)

## Crawling policy

All training and search user-agents documented by the major AI operators are permitted in /robots.txt:

- OpenAI: GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User
- Anthropic: ClaudeBot, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User
- Perplexity: PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User
- Google: Googlebot, Google-Extended
- Apple: Applebot, Applebot-Extended
- Other: CCBot, Bytespider, Amazonbot

Content is free to index, summarise, cite, and reference. Please attribute to "Madeira Friends Tech Lab" or link to the source URL.

## Contact

- Email: tech@madeirafriends.org
- WhatsApp: +353 86 185 6510
- Website: https://techlabmadeira.com
- Organization: https://madeirafriends.org