Οι ελληνικες startups ειναι εδω
We start rolling the event’s videos with the insightful talk of our esteemed guest Mike Butcher, editor of TechCrunch UK. And let me repeat our pride and joy for having Mike with us, we really look forward to the future expansion of this relationship.
P.S.: Kudos to Costas Vlachakis of techblog.gr for all the videos.
You probably already know about Seedcamp, I may roughly describe it as ‘the european YCombinator’, while it was also one of the very first topics we covered on this blog. I had the chance and pleasure to met up with Reshma Sohoni, Seedcamp’s CEO, in London a couple of days ago, so here is Reshma addressing to all of you people about your potential at Seedcamp 2008.
You can find out more about Seedcamp from Reshma’s recent presentation embedded below; yes, applications are now open and waiting for you.
Plus, I may share with you that we’ll probably have Reshma joining us in an early autumn Open Coffee meeting in Athens :)
Last Tuesday’s event was a very special evening for all of us that are involved in one way or another in the Greek startup and entrepreneurship ‘scene’ (for lack of a better word). It marked a whole year of OpenCoffee meetings – a year filled with the enthusiasm, creativity and productivity of the Greek geek crowd. A crowd which by now through these get-togethers should have a clear picture of itself, its variety and its capabilities. The night, courtesy of our sponsors, by was also significant because it was another step to put Greece on the map as far as startups are concerned: TechCrunch UK‘s Mike Butcher was there to get an idea of what some of the Greeks like to do with their free (or work) time.
As usual the event was held in the first Tuesday of the month and it was set up to take place in Bocca, a classy venue at the southern coast of Athens. It was the meeting’s first time there – a summery, fresh and open space; a very appropriate place to present innovative and blue-sky ideas. Relaxing couches and small tables dotted the wooden floor area encouraging mingling and the ‘networking’ effect such meetings thrive on.
By about 9 the crowd had already gathered and a considerable buzz was picking up from all over as people were moving from conversation to conversation, catching up, exchanging ideas and business cards. Men and women of all ages had created a very relaxed and casual atmosphere which at the same time was welcoming and intriguing. Perhaps that’s what you get when creative and smart people come together to talk about their passions.
Due to some technical difficulties the talks started at about 09.50 which probably was annoying for most but at least meant more time to talk to people. The five minute presentations were on a wide range of subjects and a video of each will be soon uploaded here. Most of them were top-notch in terms of content (although some could do with improvements presentation- and preparation-wise:P) confirming what most of us already know: that in principle our ‘local’ projects have nothing to be jealous of compared to foreign attempts.
Following the presentations the mingling continued and even past midnight OpenCoffee people were still talking – although gradually being overwhelmed by Bocca regulars, drinking and dancing. Photos from the whole event from the beginning of the evening till its decadent end can probably keep you busy here – until the next meeting on September 2nd.
The event ended up a few hours ago and here’s your chance to share your opinion and feelings about it.
You already know what you’ll be doing in the evening of July 1st. And we all are pretty much excited about that. But while you knew what and when, you didn’t know where! Here are the details:
In a few words, the greek start-up community meets up with the biggest tech blog on the planet. Techcrunch goes Open Coffee Greece and Mike Butcher, editor of Techcrunch UK, will be among us to feel and share our love and passion for technology and the web.
We told you, the place will be unique. The whole event will take place at Bocca Beach, the new hotspot of Athens, right by the Alimos sea-side, just next to the well known Ostria cafe. Bocca is 30 minutes from the city centre by car, while it is also reachable by tram (station: kalamaki).
You might want to come early, to enjoy a frappe or cocktails at Bocca or to dive into the sunset. The official part of the evening starts at 20.00 and should be over by 22.00.
Participation is free for everyone, just do us the favour and sign-up for the event either by leaving a comment or by RSVPing on the Facebook / Upcoming event’s page.
See you all there!
A very big thank you to our precious sponsors, who helped us bring this event into reality.
Gold
Wadja is a device independent communication platform, offering all its users secure email messaging, free global sms delivery, communication with friends on popular social networks, and a fresh look at the way media content can be managed, viewed, and shared. Wadja is accessible on any PC or mobile web browser, from anywhere in the world. A free communication service that truly goes where you go, keeping you connected to friends, family, and trusted contacts. With its high growth rate and dedicated, fanatic, user base, Wadja has been recognized as a leader in the young and exciting mobile web industry, with millions of users worldwide, in over 200 local communities and 20 language specific interfaces. Wadja pioneers in the mobile web space, bridging the gaps of interface and service features between PC and mobile devices, and since its beta launch, in September 2006, has scooped up quite a few awards as well.
In an effort to foster local innovation and support the growth of the Greek software economy, Microsoft Hellas recently inaugurated the Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) in Athens, Greece. With a vision to become an “innovation accelerator” for Greece, the MIC will focus on supporting two main groups: students and start-ups. The support will materialize in the form of tools, offering software to support the creation of innovative applications and solutions, as well as training, offering e-learning on technical and business topics. At the same time, the MIC will act as a gateway between innovators and the vast “social network” of Microsoft itself, offering them unprecedented access to internal resources, Microsoft’s partner ecosystem, local and global organizations, industry experts as well as investors and VCs. Finally, the MIC will use Microsoft’s established, worldwide marketing and PR engine to promote local innovation both within the country as well as globally, ensuring Greece is clearly visible on the world-wide “innovation map”. We’ve seen great potential, passion and talent during our day-to-day activities in Greece and we are here to offer our support in order to help local innovation take off! Please join the initial conversation and give us your feedback and ideas at our “Microsoft Innovation Center Athens” group in Facebook.
Silver
In this contemporary economy of ideas, knowledge and creativity, VC funds should support any promising and innovative business endeavor. The success of any entrepreneurial venture should be founded upon human capital as well as proper use of financing. A firm by using VC funds is bound to exhibit spectacular growth vis-a-vis its competitors. For us in TANEO, VC funding is not just a pure financial injection; is the grass root for building solid and growth enhancing businesses. It is the vehicle for visions to come true and the way to identify and promote the intrinsic values within any business initiative.
Attica Ventures, established in 2003 is currently the most active VC company in Greece in the SMEs sector and manages a €30m fund, namely Zaitech Fund. Attica Ventures has 9 investments, two of which, Mastihashop and Doppler are listed in the ENA Market of ASE since February 2008. Our aim is to invest in SMEs that are in start-up or early development stage. We are mainly focused on cutting-edge sectors, i.e. telecommunications, IT, energy, e-commerce, biotechnology, new materials, logistics, real-estate but also on companies, existing or under establishment, from a broader range of sectors, having competitive advantages through the use of technology and innovation.
Bronze
ACE-Hellas was founded in 1979 and started activating in the area of
IT and software solutions. A series of acquisitions, strategic
partnerships and investments enabled the company to evolve into one of the most rapidly developing providers of high-tech, integrated
solutions with profound knowledge of the market, extensive know-how and excellent financial structure.
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