Sixty angel investors from around the world met with founders and staff of 20 Greek startups, policy makers and corporate leaders in the first such event held in Athens on Thursday and Friday.
The Hellenic International Business Angels Summit (HIBAS-2022) was organized by Enterprise Greece (the country’s investment and trade promotion agency), the Hellenic Business Angels Network (HeBAN) and the European Business Angels Network (EBAN).
More than 110 Greek startups submitted applications to participate in the pitching sessions, with the conference attracting an audience of 250 participants in-person.
“With the hard work and focused efforts of the last three years, Greece has restored its reputation as a reliable, dynamic and developed economy,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for Economic Diplomacy and Extroversion, Kostas Fragogiannis said. “And it is well known that a key feature of the economic vitality of developed economies are business angels. In 2021, the Greek startup ecosystem was characterized by record financing, business exits and acquisitions, with the same momentum continuing in 2022. I am certain the conference contributed to that by introducing business angels to Greek startups and, as they should, invest in them and promote them on a global level.”
The innovation and technology sector is one of the most critical industries in the Greek economy, noted MFA Secretary General for International Economic Affairs Yannis Smyrlis, and demand for innovative tech, in both the public and private sectors worldwide, will only continue to grow. “The Greek tech sector is well positioned to meet that demand: the start-up ecosystem is developing quickly, Greece’s work force is highly educated, especially in the STEM fields, and the country has an enviable geostrategic location with well-developed infrastructure. Building up the angel investor network will play a crucial role in getting our Greek start-ups running at top speed,” he noted.
Officials also attending included Enterprise Greece CEO George Filiopoulos, EBAN Director Jacopo Losso, and EBAN Executive Member and member of the Board of HeBAN, Panagiotis Ketikidis.
Participants at this year’s conference agreed to meet again in Athens next April at the Pan-European Conference of Business Angels (EBAN Annual Congress 2023), the most important annual event in Europe for startups seeking investment. More than 500 investors from all over the world are expected in Greece to meet with Greek startups, young Greek entrepreneurs, and acquaint themselves with the Greek startup ecosystem.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
