Startup Greece Talks

In the last episode of the angel investor series, we talked with startup ecosystem builder, Dimitris Zografos, to unpack how early-stage investing really works. We talk about his best investment and biggest failure, and why he believes teams can win in any industry if they pivot well and find the right market. Dimitris also shares the criteria he prioritises when funding startups, what his ideal founding team looks like, where he’d place €1M today, and practical advice for Greek founders, especially those building outside the big hubs.ℹ️ Dimitris Zografos has been an angel investor at HeBAN (Hellenic Business Angels Network) since 2020 and has been working in Business Development at PitchBook Data since 2019. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Sheffield and an MSc from Henley Business School in England. During his Bachelor’s studies, he also worked as a Summer Intern, supporting and helping organise university events. After graduating, Dimitris returned to Greece to gain professional experience before moving back to England in 2019 to join PitchBook Data. He is actively involved in the startup and investment community, combining data-driven insights with hands-on early-stage investing, and brings strong expertise in market research, relationship building, and ecosystem development to support founders and investors alike.

In this episode, we welcome Ariadne Velissaropoulos, an investor backing diverse founding teams. She explains what she notices first in a pitch and the one diligence step she never skips. We touch on Greece’s moment for founders, thinking beyond your home market, and the realities women founders navigate, plus what truly separates a good idea from an investable team. Watch to sharpen how you prepare for your next raise. ℹ️ Ariadne Velissaropoulos is an investor backing start-ups and scale-ups with a focus on diverse founding teams. She serves on the boards of Petros Petropoulos AEBE and The HOME Project, and is an Ambassador for the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Born in Greece, she moved to the United States at age 12 and later lived in the UK and Switzerland. With 20+ years in public-markets investment management, Ariadne brings a global lens to championing women’s entrepreneurship—supporting women-owned start-ups in Greece and worldwide.

In this episode, we unpack how investments really happen—from networks, feedback loops, and warm introductions to what actually gets funded. We dive into the role of people vs business plans, idea vs MVP vs traction, and what matters more: founder vision or team strength.ℹ️ Our guest Michael is an entrepreneur, educator, angel investor, and business executive with deep roots in IT. He’s been the “first” COO/CIO/CTO more than once, turning technology into business value across software, automotive, financial services, information services, semiconductors, and consumer goods. Specialities include early-stage startups, angel investing, higher-ed entrepreneurship, corporate development, strategy, and turnarounds.

Today's guest Alexander Caravitis took the unconventional path: studied translation, skipped an MA to join a 1996 internet startup, then spent two decades across web/product roles. He became a partner at Realize S.A. (2005), co-launched Viva.gr (2006), co-created Viva Payments / Viva Wallet (2010), and later co-founded Syncbnb (Hosthub) in 2017—scaling globally with backing from top Greek investors.In this episode, we unpack how angels decide when to invest, how much to write, and what they look for in teams. We dive into AI’s real impact, which sectors deserve a €1M bet, and why you no longer need Silicon Valley to scale.

In this episode, we welcome Evangelos Kotsonis, an entrepreneur turned angel who prefers to jump in at the very early stage. Evangelos believes investors should bring more than capital, offering hands-on support, candid feedback, and practical know-how. He urges founders to keep an open mind after funding, stay receptive to advice and new approaches, and focus on finding the right business model for their niche.

In this episode of SG Talks, we sit down with angel investor and entrepreneur Maria Koletsou for a very honest conversation about startups, funding, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts. Our guest, Maria Koletsou, is the Founder of Blossom Ventures (LSE alum, mum, angel investor), building Europe’s leading female investing networkℹ️ Maria began her career in finance at Bear Stearns and Renaissance Capital before founding Novus Finance, where she spent over a decade raising nearly €3 billion and advising more than 120 companies from pre-IPO to post-IPO stages. After exiting Novus Finance, she founded and exited five companies while continuing to invest through a family holding office. In 2024, she founded Blossom Ventures to build a female angel investors’ club aimed at increasing women’s participation in angel investing and strengthening support for female founders within the startup ecosystem.

In this first episode of the SG Talks angel investors, we welcome Jon Vlachogiannis, an early-stage investor and entrepreneur. He shares his journey from arriving in the United States with just $300 and why stepping beyond Greece was pivotal for his growth. Jon explains his philosophy of backing bold ideas before perfect data exists and why calculated risk is part of the game.ℹ️ Jon Vlachogiannis is an early-stage investor who supports founders at the pre-seed and seed stages, focusing on disciplined risk-taking when outcomes are still uncertain. He works closely with teams on strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market to help convert potential into traction. A former Director of Engineering at Splunk, he’s a sought-after speaker and holds 20+ patents in distributed, real-time systems.

Here we are with the cherry on top of this month, the 100th episode of our SG Talks!Almost all startup incubators and accelerators struggle with too many tools to cover all their services and communicate with all the professionals involved in their program. This creates confusion, frustration and loss of time and money.Here's where Founderhood, an all-in-one solution and platform for innovation stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, plays a key role.In this episode, Dimitris Dimosiaris, Co-Founder of Founderhood, talks about his mission to create a future where Greek and international founders won't be hindered by their distance from major innovation hubs. From Dimitris's perspective, a startup's success should depend mainly on their ideas, the people, and their teamwork.---------------------------------------------------------Visit the Founderhood website: https://thefounderhood.com/Our amazing host: Thanos ParaschosFind out more here: https://startup-greece.org/podcasts/Our Website: https://startup-greece.org/Follow us on our social media: https://linkr.bio/StartupGreece

In this episode of SG Talks, Thanos sits down with Georgios Stavrakakis, the Founder and CEO of Estate Fleet, to unpack the opportunities and challenges of investing in the Greek real estate market, especially for those starting with a limited budget. Georgios shares how Estate Fleet is reshaping access to property investment, offering a fresh alternative for aspiring investors. Forget the overwhelming capital requirements and complex management, Estate Fleet simplifies the process by allowing anyone to start investing in income-producing rental properties from just €100.Estate Fleet is on a mission to remove the traditional barriers of high down payments and operational stress, they’re enabling everyday people to earn passive income and benefit from property value appreciation without lifting a finger.Whether you're a first-time investor or exploring new ways to diversify your portfolio, this episode is packed with practical insights and innovative thinking that could change the way you look at real estate in Greece.(00:00) Intro(00:37) This-or-That(01:10) Georgios' background(04:42) What is Estate Fleet?(06:00) How did Georgios realize Estate Fleet was needed?(09:53) How does Georgios and Estate Fleet operate?(11:00) How many properties does Estate Fleet manage?(12:26) Georgios' impression for the Greek market(14:12) Vision for the future and next steps(19:15) Real estate markets with Greece's similar problems(21:10) Will the real estate bubble burst in Greece?(25:10) How long does it take for individuals in Greece to buy a property

This week on SG Talks, we welcome Kriton Papastergiou, Co-Founder & CEO of Casepal, an innovative AI-powered platform transforming legal workflows. Kriton shares the vision behind Casepal and how it is redefining the way legal professionals work by leveraging cutting-edge AI. In this episode, he delves into how Casepal enhances legal research, analysis, and drafting, enabling law firms, in-house teams, and legal professionals to focus on complex legal challenges and high-value cases. Tune in to discover how AI is revolutionizing the legal industry and what the future holds for AI-driven legal work. Don’t miss this insightful conversation! Kriton Papastergiou is an AI specialist dedicated to developing secure, practical, and impactful AI solutions for the legal industry. As a key contributor to Casepal, he focuses on integrating AI into legal workflows, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and security. With expertise in artificial intelligence and legal tech, he is committed to bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world legal applications.