Startup company

Greece has a very poor record as far as the amounts invested in startups by venture capital funds are concerned: Since 2013, no more than 220 million euros has been invested in local startups, placing Greece in 23rd place among 34 European countries, according to Atomico's annual report presented this week, titled "The State of Europe Tech 2018."

One of the strongest evidence that young Bulgarians are not lazy but loving development are the innovative startups they create. In Bulgaria, the startup idea and the overall culture are developing with full force and they are becoming more and more popular.

Greek startup Loceye has secured funding of 300,000 euros from the Velocity Partners venture capital fund.

The local company has developed a platform that allows media firms, online shops and marketing professionals to conduct eye tracking research to identify which parts of their website each visitor focuses on when navigating.

The optimum use of the EquiFund's 400 million euros for startups in Greece is the topic of Reload Greece's fifth annual conference, titled "RG Connect: Where Challenges Meet Solvers," at Prince Philip House in London this Saturday.

Innowave Summit 2018 is one of the best high tech conference in Southeast Europe with a major accent on Digitalization of business and public sectors and focus on Innovations in Marketing, Sales, E-Commerce and all industries.

In the next five years Greece could become a field of growth for 2,100 startups, which could lead to the creation of 20,000 new jobs and reverse brain drain, according to the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), provided that the country implements specific reform policies and introduces incentives for the development of ecosystems for new enterprises.

Greek student Stavros Tsompanidis was walking on a beach when he saw a business idea in the piles of dried-up seagrass. He decided to recycle it to make iPhone cases, sunglasses and gift boxes. Four years on, his startup, PHEE, sells its products across Greece and abroad. He represents a change in mind-set among young Greeks who are turning to entrepreneurship as a result of the crisis.

Where does the Greek startup ecosystem stand? Last week was marked by the official launch of EquiFund, the new fund of funds that has been set up to promote entrepreneurship in the recession-battered country. How much progress has been made since the launch of four funding programs through the JEREMIE initiative of the European Investment Fund (EIF) in 2013?

Greek company Syncbnb has been shortlisted among over 500 European startups to participate in the EU Startups Summit on April 24 in Barcelona, Spain, so as to present its service to a large audience consisting of the elite of the continent's startup ecosystem.

For the seventh consecutive year, the American University in Bulgaria will transform into a center for innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit, the educational institution said.

On March 31st, there will be a regular Startup Conference on Entrepreneurship, organized by Student Club StartUP @ Blagoevgrad.