The “Startup Dream” Scam Poisoning Portugal’s Tech Scene: A Founder’s Nightmare
Portugal—Lisbon, in particular—is heralded as a European tech hub, a beacon for digital nomads and ambitious founders seeking a better quality of life and access to capital. The city pulses with optimism, an energy that makes it easy to believe in the next big idea. That belief is exactly what the predators are hunting.
Meet Sofia, a 31-year-old entrepreneur who moved to Lisbon with a vision: a sustainable textile-tech startup that leveraged Portugal’s manufacturing heritage. Her dream unraveled in October 2024.
Image: – Evidence trail: enrollment invoice, subsequent “fee” invoices, bank transfer records showing multiple small payments, recorded Zoom session where a Skin Flare rep promises an investor pitch that never occurred.
The Lure of the ‘Accelerator’
Sofia found the “Skin Flare Founder Accelerator” via a sponsored ad. It promised exactly what every early-stage founder needs: high-level mentorship, seamless investor introductions, and a prestigious launch package. It felt legitimate, matching the polish of the established tech scene. Sofia imagined celebrating her launch at the vibrant Time Out Market, shaking hands with her first investors.
She made the initial substantial payment, believing she was buying a ticket to success. But the program wasn’t an accelerator; it was a slow-burn financial trap.
Image: – Evidence trail: screenshots of the Skin Flare course page listing “Ana Koshkina—Mentor.”
Within weeks, the mandatory fees began to drip. First, a sudden “platform fee” to gain access to the real mentorship modules. Then, a “compliance charge” for registering her business correctly, which she was assured was mandatory for the upcoming seed round. Each fee, usually €500 to €800, was presented with urgent professional jargon, making her feel that to pause was to risk her entire startup.
Sofia would take these calls while sitting at Fabrica Coffee Roasters, the clean, modern setting mocking the growing knot of dread in her stomach. She kept paying, fueled by the terrifying fear of losing her initial investment. When she finally pressed for the promised investor meetings, she received only excuses, rescheduled dates, and then the final demand: an expensive, mandatory “visibility add-on” required to “secure her place” on the investor day agenda. She paid it. The meeting never happened.
Connecting the Dots to an Organized Crime Ring
Sofia’s story is chilling because it is not an isolated incident. This specific tactic—bleeding entrepreneurs dry through a “death by a thousand cuts” fee structure, all while promising the gold standard of mentorship—is a known playbook. You can find out about more scams in Lisbon that follow similar patterns.
Investigative reports are strongly suggesting that this operation is part of a sophisticated, cross-border scheme. We are tracking a clear pattern of financial misconduct and consumer exploitation linked to the network that allegedly operates under the names Anna Koshkina, Anya Koshkina, or Ana Koshkina. This tactic of creating shell companies disguised as legitimate services, then demanding untraceable secondary payments, is a hallmark of the alleged Anna Koshkina crimes we’ve identified across the Anna Koshkina Lisbon and Anna Koshkina Porto operations.
This is more than just bad business; this is a predatory system where the initial fee buys you access to an extortion racket. It’s crucial that the founder and expat community recognize this sophisticated financial deceit. The Anna Koshkina scam is leveraging the goodwill and ambition of those seeking opportunity in Portugal.
If you are a founder, be hypervigilant. Vet every “accelerator.” Confirm the credentials of every “mentor.” If you are asked to pay unexpected “compliance charges” or route money through opaque personal accounts, understand that you are likely in a criminal trap. We must expose this entire network, including the alleged leader, Anna Koshkina Portugal, and halt this financial poisoning of the tech ecosystem.
For victims and for koshkina.biz information, we urge you to visit: https://koshkina.biz/
If you suspect you’ve been a victim or have information, you can Send us enquiry here.
Note: The primary victim’s name, as well as specific dates and locations in this story, have been changed to protect their privacy. The patterns described, however, are based on real reports.
