ABOUT · JOÃO COSTA FERNANDES

I run an AI company in 11 countries. I teach what I use in it this week.

I do not talk about AI like someone who studied it. I use it every day to run a company with over €1.5M in annual revenue. Further down I show where my agents work.

See how to work with me My path

"The gain is not just theory, you feel it day to day." Vítor Carvalho, DS Imobiliária

Close up of João Costa Fernandes smiling, wearing a headset microphone

11: countries where the AI company I lead as CEO operates
2016: European Commission AI advisor since then
82%: of my work is already done with AI
24%: of my day to day decisions are already made by agents

Figures from November 2026 · 4 published books · A Tua Melhor Versão podcast, 44+ episodes

HOW I WORK

My agents work in my email, my calendar and my WhatsApp.

My agent

Claude
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Drive
WhatsApp
Phone

My agent

Claude
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Drive
WhatsApp
Phone

Sort and reply to email
Book and prepare meetings
Find and summarise files
Reply on WhatsApp
Prepare documents

Want the same on your computer? See AI Ignite

Logos are trademarks of their owners and appear only to show the tools I use.

MY PATH

From programmer to CEO of an AI company.

Before
Computer Engineering at IST. Programmer. Time at Microsoft and an internship at the European Commission.
2014
The Lisbon MBA (Católica + Nova SBE).
2015
CEO of NewHotel Software.
2016
AI advisor to the European Commission.
2017
I found Vesster (formerly DocDigitizer), the AI company that now operates in 11 countries.
2025
I publish A Fórmula do Empreendedor Livre, O Caminho do Líder Superior (Vol. I) and The Invisible Architecture.
2026
I publish Vol. II of O Caminho do Líder Superior and launch 1:1 Mentoring. In October, speaker at AI Horizons Lisbon and bizSupply UPSIDE, and an AI Bootcamp in Porto.

WHO I AM

When something fails, I look for the system first, not the culprit.

Before becoming a CEO I was a programmer, and that never left me. To this day I decide like an engineer: when something does not work in the company, I first look for the system that is producing it.

I am the CEO of Vesster, an artificial intelligence company operating in 11 countries with over €1.5M in annual revenue, and an AI advisor to the European Commission since 2016. I have written 4 books on leadership and business and created the podcast A Tua Melhor Versão. With Sílvia Pereira I co-founded Leadership Boost and Splash Kriativo, where we specialise in the top of the funnel.

When I started leading companies, I needed someone who had already been where I was and could tell me: that does not work, and I know why. I did not find that person. That is why I mentor: I tell other business owners what does not work and why.

If you are looking for a pretty presentation about AI, I am not the right person. I work with what gets installed, connected and used. Outside work I am a singer and a traveller.

Portrait of João Costa Fernandes standing and smiling, in a black shirt

WHAT I DO TODAY

Four ways to work with me.

João Costa Fernandes smiling by the whiteboard with the plan for the day

ON GOOGLE MEET · 1:1

AI Ignite and AI Ignite Plus

You leave with your first AI agent working in your email, WhatsApp and calendar. 90 minutes for €399 + VAT, or 4 hours in a single session, with your systems (CRM, invoicing, ERP), for €990 + VAT.

See AI Ignite

João Costa Fernandes standing behind the participants, following the work on their laptops

IN PERSON · UP TO 20 PEOPLE

AI Bootcamp

A working day at your company. Each person leaves with the agent working on their own computer. €2,900 + VAT per team.

See the AI Bootcamp

João Costa Fernandes seated at a table with his laptop, smiling, on a white background

FIRST SESSION + ONGOING

1:1 Mentoring

You leave the first session with a written plan for the stuck area of your business. 90 minutes, €399 + VAT. If it makes sense, we continue with regular sessions.

See Mentoring

João Costa Fernandes speaking to the room at bizSupply UPSIDE

IN PERSON · BY PROPOSAL

Corporate Training

Leadership training for management teams, talks and keynotes for your events.

See the training

WHO HAS WORKED WITH ME

What changed for people who have worked with me.

"My day is no longer just about putting out fires. What changed most was realising that much of what I did "because only I know how" was really fear of letting go. João pushes us, sometimes uncomfortably, and that is exactly why it works.…"

Marta AlmeidaNational Director, Grupo DS

"…In this session alone we saved 1800€, and it is going to make my life so much simpler, in my work, in managing teams and in managing my time. I am very, very happy."

Noemi MartinsEntrepreneur (Real Estate and Credit Brokerage)

"Today I have autonomous executive assistants and operational analysts, capable of connecting scattered data, generating reports and preparing meetings in seconds, significantly reducing the manual work of gathering data…"

Carlos GilCoordination, DS Crédito

BOOKS, PODCAST AND STAGES