A joint initiative to further strengthen the country's innovation ecosystem was undertaken by the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Development and Investment , through the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation , which was sealed with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation by the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Mr. Yiannis Bratakos , and the Deputy Minister of Development and Investment , Mr. Christos Dimas , today, at the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Konstantinos Michalos Entrepreneurship Center.
The main objective of the memorandum of understanding is to provide consulting support and networking services to ten registered startups of the ELEVATE GREECE Initiative, the National Startup Registry . Specifically, these services will be implemented free of charge through the Athens Startup Incubator – THEA, of the E.V.E.A. and include – among others – hosting at THEA facilities, providing specialized consulting services in a wide range of fields, participating in business networking activities and facilitating access to venture capital. Furthermore, the E.V.E.A. will participate in the Awards Ceremony at the events of the National Startup Registry, of the “ELEVATE GREECE” Initiative.
" Today, a new, important cooperation action of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) with the Ministry of Development and Investments officially begins. An action that concerns the support of promising Greek start-ups. And the broader effort to promote innovation as a pillar of development of the Greek economy," emphasized in his speech at the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Mr. Yiannis Bratakos . "Our goal, through this joint initiative, is to contribute to the further strengthening of the innovation ecosystem of our country," said Mr. Bratakos, emphasizing that "our Chamber has, for almost a decade, highlighted the strengthening of start-ups, innovative entrepreneurship as a strategic priority." Points of reference of the Chamber's activity are the Athens Startup Incubator – THEA, a structure created in 2014 to host and support promising business teams, the creation of the first Business Angel Network in Greece – BANG of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also in 2014, as well as the creation of a network of partnerships to promote startup entrepreneurship.
"We have every reason to highlight innovation as a catalyst for the productive transformation and resilient growth of the Greek economy. In this effort, as EVEA, we will continue to contribute actively, with substance and result," said Mr. Bratakos , concluding his statement.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Development and Investments, Mr. Christos Dimas, emphasized that "through Elevate Greece we have managed, not only to record the country's innovation ecosystem, but also to establish for the first time in Greece incentives for investment angels, incentives for the acquisition of stock options and actions through the National Strategic Reference Framework to enhance the liquidity of start-ups. At the same time, however, through public policies, we have succeeded and have created a very important network of support for start-ups from the private sector. We have established policies that provide access to global innovation networks, which offer free services, mentoring services, business planning services, and much more that the innovation ecosystem needs.
"In the context of the partnerships we have created through Elevate Greece, there is also today's agreement with the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry. And I would like to personally thank the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the initiative of signing the Memorandum, as well as his willingness to support startups in every way."
