The national Awards ceremony for the 2nd Startup Entrepreneurship Competition, with the participation of the start-ups registered with Elevate Greece, was successfully completed on Friday 2nd December at the Congress Center of the National Centre for Scientific Research ‘’DIMOKRITOS’’.

Mr. Christos Dimas, Deputy Minister for Research and Technology presented the statistical and analytical data now recorded as regards the start-up ecosystem, after the Elevate Greece National Start-up Registry was established and brought into operation. Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Development and Investment, noted during his speech that ‘’supporting innovation and the startup ecosystem of Elevate Greece are among the Government’s strategic priorities’’.

The awards ceremony took place in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Development and Investments Mr. Yannis Tsakiris, Deputy Minister Responsible for the Demography and Family Policy Mrs. Maria Syrengela, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Costas Fragkogiannis, General Secretariat for Research and Innovation Mr. Athanasios Kiriazis, representatives of the Official and Institutional Partners of Elevate Greece, representatives of the Research Centres and the National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation (ESETEK).

The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation awarded the ''Social Contribution'' Prize to Docandu, an innovative startup in the field of digital health combining high-level traditional medicine with the latest and most user-friendly digital technologies. Through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and telemedical consultation services, the goal of Docandu is to offer digital health services that connect users with reliable medical information, their healthcare data and doctors at any time.

To date, 700 start-ups, employing over 6,700 individuals, have successfully registered in the Startup Registry.

Through that platform, the Greek State has access to a clear mapping of the innovation ecosystem, being for the first time able to draw policies tailored to the specific needs of the startup ecosystem.

As stated by Mr. Christos Dimas:

"Our goal is to transfer knowledge from research centers, universities and start-ups into the real economy. Elevate Greece is now the point of reference for supporting innovation and start-up entrepreneurship in Greece."

Elevate Greece has now become a substantial tool through which the State provides targeted incentives to startups, such as tax deductions for angel investors, a modern tax framework for stock options, and even the first NSRF action to strengthen their liquidity against the Covid-19 crisis. 

Greece’s National Start-up Registry is flanked by an important network of Official Partners engaged in the fields of innovation, investment and entrepreneurship, including banks, multinational companies, local businesses as well as institutional partners.

The 10 winning startups were awarded cash prizes totaling €200,000, as well as high added value services by all the Official Partners of Elevate Greece.

The winning startups of the second ‘’Elevate Greece’’ National Startup Awards are:

• ''Startup of the Year'' | DIGISEC
• ''Environmental Impact'' | DIGISEC
• ''Business Development & Extroversion’’ | SafeSize
• ''Tourism and Hospitality Services'' | Ferryhopper 
• "Biosciences & Health – Medicines'' | Twobull MeDiTherapy 
• ‘‘Harnessing the Technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution'' | 3DHUB
• ‘‘Spin-off of the Year’’ | Aquatic Biologicals
• ‘’Fastest Rising Business’’ | Cloudeo Hellas
• ''Women's Entrepreneurship'' | iDNA Genomics
• ''Social Contribution'' | Docandu
• ''Leading Startup from the Ecosystem'' | COVARIANCE

The event coordination and presentation of the Awards was undertaken by the journalist of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Mrs. Nina Kasimati. During the event, honorary Awards were also given to the teams that distinguished themselves in the Pan-European Competition of Junior Achievement. The prizes were awarded to the student startup ‘’Microgreens – Magicgreens’’, from the 2nd Pilot Junior High School of Kilkis and to the university startup ‘’Drug n' Drop’’, from the Athens University of Economics and Business and the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.

As pointed out by the Minister of Development and Investment, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis:

"The past 3.5 years, Greece has raised spending on research and innovation, being the first country in Europe in terms of speed, while it also has the highest percentage of companies that have made investments in the field of innovation in recent years. A vivid entrepreneurial community has developed in our country, occupying more than 7,000 scientists and researchers. Greece already has the first companies acquiring larger companies and companies that are getting funding from international investors. Greece is transforming. All of you present in this room today are the protagonists of this transformation, and the award winners are its role models."

 As stressed by Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, Mr. Christos Dimas:

"Today, Elevate Greece consists an essential tool connecting the different pieces of the ecosystem with the aim of continuously providing further incentives to young scientists and talented entrepreneurs in order to create and become increasingly competitive on an international level. The Elevate Greece Start-up Awards are already established as a rewarding institution for start-ups, innovation and creativity in general. Warmest congratulations to all the participants, the winners, but also to the Official Supporters who actively support the start-up ecosystem and contribute significantly to its development."