The national awards ceremony for the 1st Startup Entrepreneurship Competition, with the participation of the startups registered with Elevate Greece, was successfully completed on Saturday 11 September 2021 at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

In the presence of Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who awarded the first prize to the ‘Startup of the Year’, as well as the Minister of Development and Investment, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, Alternate Minister Mr. Nikos Papathanasis, and Deputy Minister Mr. Yannis Tsakiris, the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, Mr. Christos Dimas, who is also a MP from the constituency of Corinth, presented the first statistical and analytical data now recorded as regards the startup ecosystem, 11 months after the ‘Elevate Greece’ National Startup Registry was established and brought into operation.

The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation awarded the ‘Social Contribution’ Prize to OramaVR, an innovative startup in the field of virtual reality (VR) medical simulation training applications. Through the MAGES platform, developed by the startup based on innovative scientific research, OramaVR's goal is to enable healthcare professionals to create high-quality content themselves.

To date, 451 startups, employing over 4,380 individuals, have successfully registerd 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 stressed by the Prime Minister:

“Supporting innovation and the Elevate Greece startup ecosystem is a strategic choice by the Government. The aim is to transfer knowledge from research centres, universities and startups to the actual economy. Elevate Greece is now the landmark for support of innovation and startup entrepreneurship in Greece.”

Elevate Greece has 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 Startup 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.

250 businesses registered with Elevate Greece have applied to participate in the 1st Startup Entrepreneurship Competition. The 10 winning startups were awarded cash prizes totalling €252,000, as well as services by all the Official Partner of Elevate Greece of a value exceeding €200,000.

The 10 startups that won the first ‘Elevate Greece’ National Startup Awards are:

• ‘Startup of the Year’ (2021) | ‘Hexacorp Greece / Orfium’ (Music management platform)
• ‘Fastest Rising Business’ | ‘Hack the Box’ (Cyber Security Training)
• ‘Spin-off of the Year’ | ‘Gnosis Data Analysis PC’ (Life Sciences)
• ‘Social Contribution’ | ‘ORama VR’ (Virtual Reality Medical Simulation Training Applications)
• ‘Environmental Impact’ | ‘Augmenta Agriculture Technologies’ (Agrotechnology / Agricultural Nutrition)
• ‘Women's Entrepreneurship’ | ‘Nannuka’ (Assessment of carers for families)
• ‘Business Development & Extroversion’ | ‘Metis Cyberspace Technology’ (Maritime Fleet Monitoring & Management using intelligent electronic systems)
• ‘Harnessing the Technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution’ | ‘Quanta & Qualia / Magos’ (Augmented Reality (XR) Technologies applied to health, tele-robotics, education etc.)
• ‘Startup Hero Solving Challenges from the Covid19 Health Crisis’ | ‘Gizelis Robotics ABEE’ (Robotics Applications in Manufacturing)
• ‘Leading Startup from the Ecosystem’ | ‘OWIWI’ (Human Resources Assessment through Gamification)

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

“The relocation of the General Directorate for Research and Innovation to the Ministry of Development and Investment revealed, from the very beginning, the Government's intention to pursue an even more effective connection between research, innovation and entrepreneurship, for the benefit of the Greek economy. Elevate Greece is today the adequate tool for the State to support, strengthen and finance the innovation ecosystem and startups. Before the establishment of the National Startup Registry, the idea of innovation and the startup ecosystem were grey areas, because there were no supporting data or tools. Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Startup Entrepreneurship Competition.”

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

“Elevate Greece is now an essential tool connecting the pieces of this ecosystem; it aims at providing young scientists and talented entrepreneurs with even more incentives to create and become increasingly competitive on a transnational level. We hope that the awards are here to stay and to form, from now onwards, a permanent institution for rewarding startups, innovation and creativity in general. Warmest congratulations to all participants, to the winners, and to the official partners, who actively support the innovation ecosystem and significantly contribute to its further development.”