TechCrunch Athens Meetup 2013: Spotlight on Greece’s Rising Startup Scene
How Greece’s Tech Ecosystem Defied Economic Crisis
A decade ago, Athens bore little resemblance to a tech hub. Today, despite the lingering Greek government-debt crisis and soaring unemployment, the country’s innovators are building a vibrant startup ecosystem. Inspired by global tech trends and entrepreneurial success stories, Greece’s youth are creating their own opportunities through technology ventures.
Why TechCrunch Chose Athens
On January 4, 2013, TechCrunch hosted a pivotal meetup in Athens to:
- Showcase Greece’s emerging tech talent
- Connect key players in the ecosystem
- Highlight successful role models for aspiring entrepreneurs
Event Highlights
The program featured three action-packed hours of:
- Insightful panel discussions with top Greek founders
- Fireside chats with industry leaders
- High-energy networking sessions
Meet the Organizers
The event was co-hosted by:
- Alexia Tsotsis, TechCrunch co-editor
- Mike Butcher, TechCrunch’s European Editor
- Niko Bonatsos, VC at General Catalyst Partners and founder of SV Greeks & Greekamericans Club
In collaboration with OpenCoffee, a driving force behind Greece’s tech community growth. Amazon Web Services provided refreshments for attendees.
Agenda Breakdown
5:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Opening Remarks by Alexia Tsotsis and Niko Bonatsos
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM
Greek Founders’ Panel featuring:
- Panos Papadopoulos (BugSense)
- Alexis Pantazis & Emilios Markou (Hellas Direct)
- Nick Drandakis (Taxibeat)
- TBD (People Per Hour)
6:15 PM - 7:00 PM
Ecosystem Builders’ Panel with:
- Stavros Messinis (CoLab)
- Yorgos Koutsoyannopoulos (HSIA & Helic)
- Dio Synodinos (Greece JS & InfoQ)
- Bill Vatikiotis (Ruby Euruko)
- Fotis Draganidis (Microsoft Innovation Center)
7:00 PM - 7:15 PM
Fireside Chat with Marco Veremis (Upstream)
7:15 PM - 8:00 PM
Greek Investors’ Panel including:
- George Tziralis (OpenFund)
- Vassilis Theoharakis (PJ Tech Catalyst)
- Spyros Trachanis (Odyssey Venture Partners)
- Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou (HackFwd)
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Networking Session
A Historic Venue for Modern Innovation
The prestigious Benaki Museum hosted the event, continuing its tradition as a gathering place for Athens’ tech community. Special thanks to Microsoft Hellas for helping secure this iconic location.
This meetup marked an important milestone in Greece’s tech transformation, bringing together the brightest minds to shape the country’s digital future.
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