2024-01-21 07:40:39
During the years of the crisis and the memoranda, and while most of the Greek economy was in a permanent slump, the first seeds of new entrepreneurship were planted. Five years after the end of this dry season, many of these seeds have flowered, and some have grown into full trees.
The reason for start-ups, startups according to international terminology. The total value of Greek startups was estimated at the end of 2022 at 8.2 billion dollars. It was preceded in the same year by the acquisition of Viva Wallet, the first Greek “unicorn” (business valued at $1 billion or more), by JP Morgan.
But Viva Wallet is not the only company that has attracted astronomical sums from foreign investors. It was preceded by others such as Workable and Blueground, followed by others such as Marine Traffic and Hack the Box and more are expected to follow in the coming years.
This is because several innovation parks and collaboration spaces have now been created in Greece, where start-ups find the conditions to excel, both in large cities such as Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as in the periphery.
Besides, through the EU’s Digital Europe 2021-27 program, seven European digital innovation hubs have been established in Greece, which are expected to multiply the dynamics of the startup ecosystem in our country.
The Science and Technology Park of Crete (ETEP-Kretis or STEP-C) was founded in Heraklion in 1993 by the Institute of Technology and Research (ITE). STEP-C has spaces with a total area of 4,000 sq.m. and currently hosts 38 businesses, mainly startups operating in various sectors, from finance to health and from retail to the creation of digital applications.
The most important “success stories” of STEP-C are two: Code BGP and Biopix-t. Code BGP focuses on network automation, visibility and security and was acquired in the summer of 2023 by multinational technology giant Cisco, while maintaining its headquarters in STEP-C.
Biopix-t, on the other hand, is a startup active in the health field, specifically in the detection of viruses such as Covid-19 and influenza A. The company has received a total funding close to 2 million euros since its founding in 2019.
The Patras Science Park (EPP or PSP) was created in 1989 as an “incubator” of new technologies and in 2014 it started operating under the General Secretariat of Research and Innovation. The EPP is currently home to approximately 40 companies, a Research Institute (INVIS), as well as 2 competence centers, while more than 150 people with a high scientific education level are employed daily.
The companies developing in the EPP focus on the following sectors: Informatics and Microelectronics, Renewable Energy Sources, Agri-Food and Life Sciences. In recent years, they have secured more than 30 international patents, have implemented more than 40 projects with a total budget of approximately 30 million euros and have invested more than 7 million euros in fixed technological equipment.
Several PPP businesses have grown rapidly, with some maintaining their offices in the park. The most successful examples include Think Silicon, which specializes in designing low-power graphics processing units (GPUs), and which was acquired by (NASDAQ)-listed Applied Materials in 2020. Advent Technologies, also started by EPP , today is listed on the American stock exchange (NASDAQ) and is based in Boston.
The Epirus Science and Technology Park (ETEPI) was founded in 1999 by the University of Ioannina and the Region of Epirus. It has spaces with a total area of 1,820 sq.m. and today it hosts 30 companies, while 65 companies have graduated from its incubators.
Today, ETEPI hosts both startups and “old-style” companies, such as the multinational consulting giant Deloitte, creating a diverse ecosystem in Ioannina. Among the startups, the one with the greatest success so far is Univeye, which deals with software development, and has so far “raised” investments close to 400 thousand euros.
In Ioannina, several more startups have also thrived, with Tekmon as a typical example, which focuses on the supply of office materials and has attracted investments of over 1.2 million euros.
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