Newsletter

Innovate in Greece by SEV & Endeavor Greece

Stelios Papadopoulos: The Patriarch of Biotechnology in America & a great opponent of Alzheimer

Dr. Stelios Papadopoulos is the Chairman of the Board of Exelixis Inc, and immediate past Chairman of Biogen, the biotech company worth more than 40 billion. He wants to fight multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer.

But it all started with his two great loves, physics and America! At the age of 18, he won a scholarship, went to the US, became class president, had a political view...and used it skillfully to reform his college.

In conversation with Marco Veremis, he looks back to his childhood in Thessaloniki and Ladadika, explains how he lost his scholarship as a student even though he was a flag bearer, talks about the death of his father and his childhood love for football. They also discuss how cancer works, experimental treatments, and investments from the 1990s!

We'd like to thank Eurobank and Grant Thornton for supporting the production of the Innovative Greeks Talks series, via Growth Awards, the leading initiative for Business Excellence.

Watch on
YouTube

Listen on
Apple Podcasts

Listen on
Spotify

Listen on
Google Podcasts

Ioannina is gradually becoming a "magnet" for technology companies, with the economic and administrative centre of the entire Epirus becoming the Silicon Valley of Greece, as it has managed to attract a multitude of leading technology and consulting companies, as well as startups looking for qualified personnel.

Greek technology start-up Inaccel has been acquired by Intel, with the deal closing just a few days ago. The small acquisition takes more the form of acquihiring, as the Greek startup's small team is being integrated into the giant's workforce. No further information has been announced yet.

“Phaistos” Investment Fund enters in the field of cybersecurity, by participating in technology company SPHYNX. SPHYNX, which has launched its activity in Switzerland and Cyprus a few years ago, founded by a Greek entrepreneur, now has its headquarters in Greece (SPHYNX Hellas SA).

This article in kathimerini features a short overview of the developments in the deep tech scene in Greece as well as a discussion about what makes Greek start-ups attractive and how they can attract investors and survive in the competitive international environment.

The president of the Hellenic Development Bank and Investments, Mr. Haris Lambropoulos, said that four new funds are at the gate, offering fresh capital of 150-200 million euros each. These are funds that will "drop" into the market gradually, starting in the immediate future and lasting until the first half of 2024. Read more in powergame.gr.

In this interview with The Recursive, Aristos Doxiadis, partner at Big Pi Ventures and vice president at the National Council for Research, Technology and Innovation – NCRTI, discusses the evolution of the investment climate in Greece, noting a rise in venture capital funds and an increase in tech startups, especially in deep tech. He also outlines the importance of collaboration between industry and academia for economic success.

In this interview with The Recursive, prof. Vassalos highlights Greece’s AI talent and why there’s a burgeoning interest in applied research and development.

Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak expresses the multinational's intention to continue investing in Greece, with a €700 million investment programme from 2017, as the role of its subsidiary Papastratos in the new era is "key" for the company.

The Japanese giant NTT DATA plans further dynamic expansion with new investments in Greece. As stated by Mr. Evangelos Konstantinis, CEO of NTT DATA Greece, the company today 1.5 years after the launch of its operation in Greece has 120 people in its workforce with the goal is to reach 400 employees by 2026. The goal for the Greek branch is to achieve a growth rate of 15% in 2023 and to become an employer that provides career opportunities, creates added value and strengthens local economies in Greece.

Heracles Group, the largest cement producer in Greece, is entering the circular economy dynamically, having already completed the carbonization phase. The key points of the Group’s strategy are the use of new raw materials, alternative fuels and carbon capture. The planned investments near 600 million euros from 2024 to 2027.

A highly ambitious strategic plan for the development of cutting-edge semiconductor technology (chips) in Greece is underway by the Ministry of Development. Its central objective is to create the conditions, through incentives and separate policies, for the country to become an investment destination and an island of innovation in semiconductor chip design and a strong digital base in South-Eastern Europe over the next five years.

Grigoris Lamprou is the CEO and co-founder of Procureship. The company offers a platform that optimizes the maritime procurement process in a way that has not been done before and enables ship owners to overcome a number of supply chain and financial hurdles for their vessels. We met with Grigoris and talked about his journey. Here’s what he told us.

Hellenic Federation of Enterprises – SEV is organizing the 13^th Innovation Ready, a matchmaking event about logistics and transportation for safer supply chain management. The event will feature 1-on-1 meetings between the industry, big enterprises, startups, and university spin-offs and is scheduled for the 25^th of January. If you want to know more or participate get in touch with us.

Interested in a job with a fast-growing Greek startup? Are you a Greek startup looking for the right people to hire?

Check IG @WORK

Do you want to get involved in the Greek innovation ecosystem?

Join Innovative Greeks

Tell us what you want us to cover in the next issue, and who to interview or invite to speak at one of our next events. Get in touch at info@innovativegreeks.gr

Want to stop receiving emails from us? You can unsubscribe here.