Start-up event in Thessaloniki, Greece: Grow 2 market

On Monday 10.11.2014 the 1st Demoday of Thessaloniki Smart Up Innovation Hub “Grow 2 Market” took place in Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum “NOESIS” in Greece.

An event that itrust.gr supported in terms of its collaboration with Thessmart INNOHUB on its digital strategy and internet marketing.

In Thessmart INNOHUB’s (the business accelerator of Alexander Innovation Zone) event, 12 incumbent startups were presented to 150 entrepreneurs, representatives of professional institutions and 7 venture capitalists.

A networking session followed, which also included non-incumbent startups and potential investors.

The Grow 2 market event

After the networking session took place, the main “Grow 2 Market” event got underway and the Minister of Macedonia and Thrace, Georgios Orfanos, lead the formal greetings.

In the first part of the event (which was coordinated by the Director of Public Relations of the Economist Conference, Panagiotis Tsafaras) the President of Alexander Innovation Zone board, Dimitrios Lakasas, underlined the institution’s goal, which is the homogenization of the innovation ecosystem of Thessaloniki and the successful networking with foreign innovation clusters. 

[info]”This ecosystem will constitute a base of operations for the youth, that will create new job opening and which will allow established firms to further cooperate” were Mr.Lakasas words.[/info]

In the second part of the Grow 2 Market event a roundtable discussion on the “Creation of sustainable innovative businesses” took place, which Prof.Panagiotis Ketikidis (CITY College, Triple Helix Association – Chapter of Greece) coordinated; the roundtable consisted of these prominent guests:

Theodoros Karapantsios, National Representative European Space Agency, Associate Prof.
Marc Schmettau, Nespresso Business Model
Carl Ford Jr., Founder Tailor and Made
Ioannis Sompolos, Co-Founder 5 Olive οil
Giorgos Voulgaroudis, Founder EasyBike
Michalis Loufakis, Founder AquΑsZero
Christos Xatziapostolakis, Founder Captain Wise
• Ksenofon Taouktsis, Co-Founder Take a seat, Find your Place (THESSMART INNOHUB)

The start-up event Grow 2 Market was a resounding success! The interest of Thessaloniki’s youth to accelerate their startup and the interest of investors to scout and support note-worthy entrepreneurial endeavors and talented entrepeneurs, in combination with the organization and coordination that Alexander Innovation Zone demonstrated- lead to this event.

An event that offered a wealth of knowledge and experience that will allow even greater events to take place in Thessaloniki and assist the institution’s goals.