News

The EIF published the results of a broad survey among Private Equity firms, Venture Capital firms and Business Angels on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on market sentiment, policy responses and various other important topics for the year 2020. See the full report (Working Paper 2021/71, published 23/02/2021) here.

Despina Konti of Kathimerini News reports on February 21, 2021 about a recent review of the Greek startup scene for the past decade by Chris Gasteratos of Marathon Venture Capital: "The Greek Startup Industry: Investments and Exits, 2010-2020". "Σύμφωνα με μελέτη της Marathon Venture Capital, με τίτλο «Η βιομηχανία των ελληνικών startups σε αριθμούς: επενδύσεις και εξαγορές, 2010-2020», περίπου 1,34

The European Commission has announced today, on January 6, 2021, the first round of direct equity investment through the new European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. 42 highly innovative start-ups and small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) will together receive equity financing of around €178 million to develop and scale up breakthrough innovations in health, circular economy, advanced manufacturing and other

On November 16, 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Week is celebrated worldwide. The official launch event is held on Monday, Nov. 16 at 13:00 GMT with a welcome note by Global Entrepreneurship Network President and GEW founder, Jonathan Ortmans, and campaign leaders from many countries.

On October 28, 2020 EBAN elected the new President and the new Board of Directors for the 2020-2022 term. The new President is Mr. Janne Jormalainen of the Finnish Business Angels Network. Prof. Panayiotis Ketikdis from HeBAN is one of the newly elected members of the EBAN Board of Directors for the 2020-2022 period which brings together a number of different

Όπως η πύλη ενημέρωσης ‘Capital.gr’ αναφέρει στην έκδοση της Κυριακής, 18-Οκτ-2020, το Εθνικό Μητρώο Νεοφυών Επιχειρήσεων (Elevate Greece) παρουσιάστηκε επίσημα την προηγούμενη εβδομάδα με τον στόχο του καλυτέρου σχεδιασμού ειδικών εργαλείων, στοχευμένων αποκλειστικά σε startup εταιρείας. Περισσότερες πληροφορίες μπορείτε να βρείτε εδώ.

EBAN, the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players, organizes the online European Angel Investment Summit on October 28, 2020, 12:00 PM until October 29, 2020, 8:00 PM. Join hundreds of investors, selected startups, policymakers and corporates! Selected Startups will receive great benefits: - Up to 5 complimentary European Angel Investment Summit ticket per

The CorkBIC 2020 Venture Academy will take place online on Thursday, October 1st 2020 at 11:00 - 13:00 (Irish Time). Are you an Investor Ready Entrepreneur? Are you currently seeking Investment? Apply today to be part of the CorkBIC Venture Academy. Pitching companies get real feedback, advice and coaching on their pitch from Seasoned Entrepreneurs & Investors. This online event

On Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EEST, the Hellenic Innovation Network, an outgrowth of MIT Enterprise Forum Greece, will give the webcast “Journey from Greece to an International Exit” with Greek entrepreneurs who have successfully grown and sold their start-ups. Speakers include George Sidiropoulos, Think Silicon; Conno Christou, Avocarrot; Aimilios Chalamandaris, Innoetics; Cosma Pabouctsidis, Roboteq;

HeBAN Co-Founders Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis and Mr. Dimitris Tsingos have contributed to the latest edition (July-August 2020, BP 109) of the renowned Business Partners magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce. Prof. Ketikidis articulates the significance of start-ups for the Greek economy, the current threats by the Covid-19 crisis as well as the important role of Business Angels. Reflecting on

Το Σάββατο 11 Ιουλίου 2020, δύο μέλη του HeBAN μίλησαν στο πρώτο ψηφιακό ‘Πανόραμα Επιχειρηματικότητας και Σταδιοδρομίας’, η πιο σημαντική συνάντηση νέων και του κόσμου των επιχειρήσεων.   Ο Δημήτρης Τσίγκος,  ιδρυτής και CEO της Starttech Ventures και συνιδρυτής του HeBAN, ο Γιώργος Χατζηγεωργίου, CEO του Skroutz και ο Περικλής Ακριτίδης, CTO της Niometrics παρουσίασαν τις πορείες δυο εκ των

Στις Δευτέρα, 29 Ιουνίου, 2020 η Λίτσα Παναγιωτοπούλου, Πρόεδρος Επιτροπής Εκπαίδευσης-Καινοτομίας-Επιχειρηματικότητας, Μέλος Διοικούσας Επιτροπής, Ελληνο-Αμερικανικό Εμπορικό Επιμελητήριο γράφει στο ‘emea business monitor’ και στο 'Startupper'.

The ‘Venture Investment’ course of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo and the international organization of investors INVESTORO will have HeBAN’s co-founder Prof. Panagiotis Ketikidis as a guest speaker together with Greg Kidd, co-founder and CEO of Globalid, the first angel investor in Twitter, Square, Ripple and Coinbase. The course  entitled ‘The best theories and practices of investments in the

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published a paper (April 30, 2020) on the Coronavirus economic crisis and its impact on venture capital and high growth enterprises, authored by Professor Colin Mason. See full text here.

On Wed, 3 June 2020, 17:00-18:30 PM (EEST), AmChamGR together with HeBAN and EBAN organized the webinar “Startups and SMEs: Challenges and Opportunities to Overcome the Covid-19 Crisis”. The foremost interest in this webinar was to analyze in greater detail: 1. Τhe imminent risks for the Greek ecosystem with particular focus on SMEs and startups, 2. What economic and political

A greatly welcome step by the Ministry of Development and Investments, Research, Innovation and Technology has been taken with the latest announcement to establish the startup registry platform “ElevateGreece” and to grant significant tax benefits to Business Angels. More information here.  

Governments across Europe have unveiled measures for companies, with some specific to small and medium-sized businesses, addressing concerns essentially about running out of cash, not being able to pay off debt and what to do with staff left idle. (March 18, 2020) Read more here.

April 2, 2020 The German government announces a € 2 billion cash injection to help startups combat economic difficulties caused by the Coronavirus impact. Read more here.

    Call by the Hellenic Business Angels Network to the Greek government for immediate preventive measures against the imminent financial crisis to protect Greek startups in the face of the Coronavirus threat   To the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic cc: Minister of Finance cc: Minister for Development and Investment   March 13, 2020   Dear Mr Prime

On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the 4th Scale-up Greece meet-up will take place at Ionia, Alekou Panagouli 91, from  6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. More information you can find here.

HeBAN as the National Lead for Greece of GBAN (Global Business Angels Network) supports the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2019 (GEW2019). Global Entrepreneurship Week is a collection of tens of thousands of events, activities and competitions each November that inspire millions to explore their potential as an entrepreneur while fostering connections and increasing collaboration within their ecosystems. Powered by the Kauffman

HeBAN is happy to announce that qualified Greek start-ups are invited to compete to pitch on the 2020 Global Fundraising Stage (GFRS) of the World Congress of Angel Investors WBAF 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey, on February, 18, 2020 (www.wbaf2020.istanbul). The 2020 Global Fundraising Stage is supported by the WBAF Angel Investment Fund, which aims to invest in startups of the

HeBAN will participate at the European Angel Investment Summit (EAIS) in Brussels on November 25th-26th in Brussels. The Summit will bring together hundreds of investors, selected start-ups, policymakers and corporates to discuss possible solutions to Europe's most important challenges. Opening keynote speaker will be Marco Landi, the Former COO and President of Apple Computer. HeBAN’s co-founder and member of EBAN board

Through the WBAF network there is an opportunity for startups in the realm of real estate & construction industries to participate in the SIMED INNOVA, a new zone showing innovation/tech/startups focusing on real estate & construction industries inside SIMED, 15th edition of the Mediterranean Real Estate Expo, in Malaga on 8/10th November  2019. The Startups Call is open until 20th

Prof. Panayiotis KETIKIDIS, Ph.D., Member of the Board at EBAN, will give a speech at the 3rd International Early Stage Investors Summit VOX ANGELIS in Moscow on 13-15 Sept 2019 with the title: ‘Valuing Startups: Valuation challenges’.

HeBAN participated at the 5th OK!Thess DemoDay hosted by OK!Thess in the framework of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Sep 12, 2019. The well-organized event gave ample opportunity for investors to meet compelling start-up teams from Greece and South-East Europe. (picture © fortunegreece.com)  

HeBAN will participate at the Thessaloniki Demo Day on 19 March 2019, organized by OK!Thess. This event will bring together in Thessaloniki startup teams and investors from Greece and South-East Europe enabling information exchange and one-to-one meetings. More information is to be found here.

On 17-29 February 2019 the World Business Angels Investment Forum 2019 will take place in Istanbul. The World Congress of Angel Investors WBAF 2019 is the world’s biggest annual gathering of early-stage equity and investment markets. HeBAN will be represented by Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis, Vice Principal for Research and Innovation at the International Faculty CITY College, who will participate also

At the Annual General Assembly of EBAN in Sofia on 25th June, 2018, Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis was elected to the Executive Board of EBAN reflecting his dynamic engagement in EBAN’s activities and goals to further the global entrepreneurial and early stage investment community.  

HeBAN participates at the EBAN Annual Congress 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 25-27 June Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis will represent HeBAN at this acclaimed international event that brings together hundreds of investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world. 55 startups  from 23 different countries have been selected to pitch at the EBAN Sofia Startup Competition in 5 different vertical sessions

On May 16, 2018 HeBAN was guest at the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki to talk to Master students about Angel Investing. Dr. Andreas Baresel-Bofinger discussed with the students the importance of building up a vivid Business Angels community in Greece and the resulting opportunities for the growing national startup community. With the students’ lively interest the concept of smart

Greece is emerging as a hub for innovative startups. Helping to fuel this transformation is EquiFund, a platform established by the European Investment Fund. EquiFund expects to provide Greek startups with up to €1 billion for early-stage and growth-stage funding by 2022; about €260 million has already been committed for this purpose. This infusion of capital will embolden growing startups

He's the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, Greylock Partner, a mentor to many, and, starting in May, the host of a new podcast called 'Masters of Scale.' Here, Hoffman gives us an inside look at how he teaches entrepreneurs to grow successful businesses. Read the whole article here.

Already recognized for their engineering excellence, several countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are now emerging on the global startup scene. Thus for the past couple of years Belarus, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine and some other countries of the region have seen their local companies assert themselves on the international market, raise considerable funding and/or be acquired by global companies. Read the

If you’ve ever seen me speak at an event, you have probably noticed that I get very excited and passionate about pitching. There’s an excellent reason for that. I believe that a great pitch is useful in so many walks of business. As the CEO of a company, you’ll be pitching your startup morning, noon and night. Short, 90-second elevator

  Americans tend to think of themselves as very entrepreneurial. After all, there’s Silicon Valley — home of Google, Facebook and Apple – and the rise of legendary entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Many more want to join their ranks: Sixty-six percent of American millennials want to start their own businesses, according to a recent

14 νεοφυείς ομάδες και επιχειρήσεις παρουσιάζουν τα επιχειρηματικά τους σχέδια στο Business Angels Forum IV τον Απρίλιο στην Αθήνα Λίγες ημέρες έχουν μείνει προτού λάβει χώρα το Business Angels Forum IV που υλοποιείται από την Ατλαντίς Συμβουλευτική και το Innovation Farm το Σάββατο, 8 Απριλίου στην Αθήνα. Σε σύνολο περισσότερων από 40 ομάδων που υπέβαλαν αίτηση, επιλέχθηκαν κατόπιν αξιολόγησης 14

The World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) announced the digital issue of a new regional report on early stage investment markets. This report was prepared by the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield - CITY College, the Hellenic Business Angels Network (HeBAN) and the South East European Research Centre (SEERC) as a response to this mission. Co-writers of the report

Having spent time in the tech hubs of New York, San Francisco, and Tel Aviv, Greece was not on the top of my of tech hub bucket list. That said, when I decided to visit Greece  earlier this month, I discovered a burgeoning tech scene in a country famous for its culture and cuisine. It’s been easy to overlook Greece’s

A pivot means that a startup has decided to change their business model. This can be a drastic change (a completely new business model in a different sector) or a slight change (usually a major change in the company’s product to address a larger market opportunity in the same sector). Read the whole article here

During the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) 2017 that  took place 13-14 February in Istanbul, Turkey, Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis, co-founder of HeBAN, was appointed as WBAF Commissioner for Greece. The WBAF honors individuals who have evidently showed their commitment to furthering early-stage investment markets by offering to key individuals the role of WBAF Commissioner. Becoming a WBAF Commissioner includes

Building on the success of the first World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) in 2016, this year’s forum, with the theme of ‘Partnering with Corporate Ventures from Start-up to Scale-up to Exit’, will focus on how corporate businesses can foster open innovation and deliver more business value through partnerships with angel investors, start-ups, and SMEs. In Fireside Chat 2 Prof.

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Time: 17:30-20:00 Venue: Onassis Cultural Center107 Syngrou Avenue, 11745 Athens Deloitte’s “Scaling up Greece and beyond” event, exclusively for selected technology driven scale-up companies will take place on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 in Athens. Topics will include: Scale-ups Financing Trends Global state incentives for Scale-ups and recent developments in Greece Upcoming challenges and opportunities for

Μετράμε ήδη τα πρώτα εικοσιτετράωρα του 2017 και, όπως συνηθίζεται με κάθε είδους ανασκόπηση στις τελευταίες ημέρες ενός παλιού χρόνου ή στις πρώτες ενός νέου, θα ρίξουμε μία «ματιά» στη χρονιά που πέρασε για ένα πολλά υποσχόμενο και δυναμικό «κομμάτι» της ελληνικής επιχειρηματικότητας: την τεχνολογική, διαδικτυακή και startup. Μπορείτε να διαβάσετε ολόκληρο το άρθρο εδώ.

Ο Δημήτρης Τσίγκος γράφει για τη μοναδική ευκαιρία, σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο, που παρουσιάζει η Ελλάδα για επενδύσεις υψηλού ρίσκου όπως δηλαδή είναι οι επενδύσεις σε Startup εταιρείες. Μπορείτε να διαβάσετε ολόκληρο το άρθρο εδώ.

A brief overview of 2016 Another year comes to an end. 2016 was another year with many challenges. The economic crisis in Greece is still prevailing but this does not discourage young entrepreneurs and startuppers to come up with new innovative business ideas and try to put them to the market. Business Angels play an ever increasingly important role in

  The sky is not the limit! HeBAN at the EBAN Winter University 2016 on 28 – 30 November in Zagreb [caption id="attachment_836" align="aligncenter" width="401"] Prof. Panayiotis Ketikidis and Dr. Andreas Baresel-Bofinger, Co-Founders of HeBAN[/caption]   HeBAN attended the EBAN Winter University 2016 on 28 – 30 November in Zagreb. The event was organized by CRANE, the Croatian Business Angels

  We are glad to see our participation in Business Angel Investment Forum III released in the latest Newsletter of EBAN. In the Newsletter you can find the list with the most infuential women in the Startup and Venture Capital Space, the latest study of the Kauffman Foundation and other EBAN members' successes. In addition, it includes information about Microsoft

The European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN) in collaboration with the European Commission conducts a research entitled: “Understanding the Nature and Impact of Business Angels Funding in Research and Innovation”. The Hellenic Business Angels Network (HeBAN), as a member of EBAN, asks the Greek business angels across the country to contribute to this research.

Quitting your job and jumping into entrepreneurship is a lot like jumping out of a plane and free-falling, wondering whether the parachute will open to save you. It's a scary thing, leaving the comfort of a 9-to-5 job and venturing into the world of entrepreneurship -- so scary that very few ever overcome the fear enough to take the plunge. So, what's the

Το Ελληνικό Δίκτυο Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (HeBAN) που εδρεύει στη Θεσσαλονίκη μαζί με την Αλεξάνδρεια Ζώνη Καινοτομίας και τον Δήμο Θεσσαλονίκης  διοργάνωσε ημερίδα με θέμα «Eπιχειρηματικοί Άγγελοι και Ευκαιρίες για τις Startups: Κίνητρα για τους Επενδυτές» και παρακάτω μπορείτε να βρείτε τις παρουσιάσης της ημερίδας.     Baybars_Presentation_Thessaloniki-July-2016.pdf Bonfiger_Presenation _Thessaloniki-July-2016.pdf Papadopoulos_Presentation_Thessaloniki-July-2016.pdf Ketikidis_Presentation_Thessaloniki-July-2016.pdf    

  Κατά τη διάρκεια της ημερίδας του Ελληνικού Δικτύου Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (HeBAN) που διεξάχθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη τον Ιουλίου, ο κ. Baybars Altuntas* - Πρόεδρος του Τουρκικού Συνδέσμου Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (TBAA), Αντιπρόεδρος του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικτύου Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (EBAN) και Πρόεδρος του Διεθνούς Φόρουμ Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (WBAF) - μας έδωσε χρήσιμες συμβουλές και μας μίλησε για τις ευκαιρίες αλλά και τους ενδεχόμενους κινδύνους που

The Austrian Federal Government passed on Tuesday a comprehensive startup program. It covers a period of three years and entails a volume of about 185 million euros ($204 million). “We want to more strongly support people with courage, innovative strength and an entrepreneurial spirit. This package of measures provides added impetus to the country’s startup scene”, said Reinhold Mitterlehner, Federal Minister

Tην Πέμπτη 14 Ιουλίου, 2016 το Ελληνικό Δίκτυο Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων (HeBAN) που εδρεύει στη Θεσσαλονίκη μαζί με την Αλεξάνδρεια Ζώνη Καινοτομίας και τον Δήμο Θεσσαλονίκης διοργάνωσε ημερίδα με θέμα «Eπιχειρηματικοί Άγγελοι και Ευκαιρίες για τις Startups: Κίνητρα για τους Επενδυτές». Χαρακτηριστικά ο κ. Άγγελος Αγγέλου σύμβουλος επιχειρήσεων και ιδρυτής της Angelou Economics & International Accelerator τόνισε ότι: «Η κρίση είναι η καλύτερη εποχή για

  The UK has held a pivotal position in European venture capital as a hub for both investors and startups, and that’s particularly true in categories where it has  been strong, including fintech, games, and biotech. The decision by UK voters to leave the European Union will have significant ripple effects on the VC landscape both in Europe and beyond.

HeBAN on 26th May 2016 traveled to Porto, Portugal and had the opportunity to participate in the EBAN Award ceremony in the Palacio da Bolsa.  We are excited for and proud of our co-founder Dimitris Tsingos and his company Starttech Ventures for winning the award of "The Most Successful Business Financed by Early Stage Investors".   Dimitris Tsigos accepting the Award "Starttech Ventures

  One of the best ways to learn about angel investing is to listen to legendary investors speak about their experiences.  Kay Koplovitz is one of those business and investor leaders.   She comes to angel investing with an amazing entrepreneurial background, having founded USA Network and the Syfy Channel, among other businesses. Kay radiates the entrepreneurial qualities that angels admire, like seeing innovative market opportunities,

When thinking about financing your startup, it is important understand different types of potential investors. Figuring out who to raise money from and why will save you time and yield better results. Not every wallet is good for you!   1. Friends and Family 2. Angels Investors 3. Angel Groups 4. Angel List Syndicates 5. Micro VCs 6. VC 7.

It is with great joy that HeBAN is celebrating today its official anniversary. During the past year HeBAN has been very active in organizing a variety of information, education and training sessions and participating in a multitude of national and international events with the goal to promote and facilitate Business Angel Investing in Greece and the wider region. We are

  On Tuesday 10th of May 2016, The Hellenic Business Angels Network (HeBAN) was invited by the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield – CITY College to discuss about "The Role of Business Angels in the Greek Finance Ecosystem". The presentation of HeBAN was attended by the Master’s (MSc) Banking and Finance students and the academics of the Faculty.   The

Σε όλο τον σύγχρονο κόσμο οι επενδύσεις που γίνονται από τους Επιχειρηματικούς Αγγέλους (ΕΑ), αποτελούν μια σημαντική πηγή  χρηματοδότησης, διασύνδεσης και υποστήριξης σε καινοτόμες και νεοσύστατες εταιρείες στα πρώιμα στάδια της ανάπτυξής τους. Το Ελληνικό Δίκτυο Επιχειρηματικών Αγγέλων  (ΗΕΒΑΝ) έχει δημιουργηθεί για να ενισχύσει την εφαρμογή ενός βιώσιμου δικτύου ΕΑ στο Ελληνικό οικοσυστήματο καινοτομίας. Πριν πούμε για το ΗΕΒΑΝ ας πούμε λίγα

The rise of angel investing has many benefits for both entrepreneurs and the cities and states that reap economic rewards from successful new ventures. By looking at future trends in the investment field that might influence ways in which national, state and local policymakers are trying to encourage and support angel investors.   You can read the whole article here

When it comes to books on business, marketing and management, entrepreneurs are overrun with choices. But when it comes to books on money, entrepreneurs are undeserved. It’s not that money books don’t exist, it’s that they rarely look at money through the eyes of an entrepreneur (Garrett Gunderson, Forbes magazine, 2016)   #1 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki #2 Killing Sacred

Brainstorming ideas for a small business can be a fun yet frustrating experience. It requires a serious analysis of areas of expertise and interests, and consideration of where those areas intersect in such a way that can make a business viable. For women interested in startups, there’s plenty of advice from experienced authors and business experts. Here are some ideas

On December 7, 2015, HeBAN participated in a pitching jury organized by the Thessmart INNOHUB of the Thessaloniki Innovation Zone at the Macedonia Palace Hotel. Marina Hatsopoulos, Angel Investor from Boston, USA, and member of the International Advisory Board of HeBAN, and Andreas Baresel-Bofinger, co-founder of HeBAN, together with other distinguished jury members had the pleasure to follow the pitching

In the week of November 23, 2015, Professor Sir Keith Burnett CBE FRS FLSW, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield visited Thessaloniki to join the graduation ceremony of the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield, CITY College. During his visit the Vice Chancellor met with the Mayor of Thessaloniki and his team, as well as with ministers, ambassadors and

Initial edition available in the Sept. 18 issue of Financial Times The Global Entrepreneurship Network released the inaugural issue of GEN Magazine, a voice for promoting entrepreneurial growth worldwide. The issue, featuring a foreword by U.S. President Barack Obama, is being distributed in every edition of the Financial Times worldwide and hits the newsstands Friday, September 18. The magazine underscores