Big Moves in Startup Funding: €500K for Robenso, HDB’s New Loan Fund & More

Good morning!

Exciting updates from the Greek tech scene this week.

This edition covers the Doers Summit’s impact, the latest startup fundraising efforts, and HDB’s Microcredit Fund, which supports entrepreneurs with up to €25,000 in interest-free loans.

Additionally, we celebrate a milestone with the 40th edition of our newsletter—40 weeks of delivering the latest updates on the Athens tech scene without missing a beat!. Help us grow our community—share with fellow innovators.

Top Stories This Week

• Helidoni Group Leads €500K Funding Round in Crete-Based Robenso, Revolutionizing Recyclable Waste Sorting with Robotics & ML.

• HDB Launches Microcredit Fund for Entrepreneurs

  The Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) introduces the Microcredit Fund, offering 60% interest-free financing and loans up to €25,000 with no collateral. It also provides €900 for mentoring services to support business growth. Explore the Microcredit Fund details here.

• Avis & Skroutz Join Forces to Launch Cardom – The Pioneering Marketplace for Buying & Selling Used Cars.

• GenAI Is a Top Investment Priority Among the Majority of Banking CEOs, According to a KPMG Survey of 120 Industry Leaders Worldwide.

• Boothic and Inagros Shine as Winners of the 4th Innovation Challenge by Elevate Greece and HDB.

• Signal Launches LNG Flows Tool: Real-Time Insights into Global LNG Trade

  The new tool provides industry professionals, analysts, students, and others with precise and easy tracking of LNG movements worldwide.

• Package of Measures for Entrepreneurship and Households: Lower Capital Costs and Reduced Business Contributions.

• HELLENiQ ENERGY and Alba Graduate Business School Establish Center for Sustainability and Energy

  The Center aims to create a dynamic ecosystem that bridges academia, business, government, and society—driving scientific research, business excellence, and policy engagement to tackle economic, environmental, and social challenges.

• Pfizer Introduces Health Answers – A Generative AI for Up-to-Date, Relevant Health & Wellness Information.

• Archimedes – AI and Data Science Research Hub Reaches Milestone of 200 Publications.

• 41 Startups from Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, and Ukraine Pitched to Over 200 VCs at the Eggs-Eurobank Business Accelerators Investment Day.

Funding and Startup Opportunities

• Transform Sports with AI & Robotics – Join the Sport Innovation Challenge!

  Showcase your innovation and compete on the global stage in the Sport Innovation Challenge AI & Robotics by Thinksport. The finale takes place at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 13, 2025. Apply now—deadline March 10.

• Are You a Startup or Entrepreneur in the Blue Economy/Maritime Sector? Apply Now for the InnoAgora E-Pitching Session by HDB – Deadline: February 21.

Featured Job Openings

• Seasonal Customer Service Representative Position at Ferryhopper.

• Check Out 11 Recent Open Positions at Eleven Ventures' Portfolio Companies.

Events

• Thessaloniki Summit 2025 – Navigating the Shift: Economic & Industrial Policy and Southeast Europe’s Future | (Feb 17-18)

• Productivity Hacks Webinar: Generative AI Secrets for Startup Founders by StartSmart SEE | (Feb 17)

• Innovation Ecosystem and Spin-offs in Thessaloniki: From Research to Society Hosted by The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | (Feb 17)

• Athens Exchange Group Workshop on Gender Equality in Global Markets | (Feb 17-18)

• Greeking Out in Dubai: Hosted by Endeavor Greece & Hellenic Business Council | (Feb 18)

• DevOops Athens #3 | (Feb 18)

• AUEB Machine Learning Reading Group Seminar Series on Simplified and Generalized Masked Diffusion for Discrete Data | (Feb 18)

• Athens WordPress Meetup - Happy New Year 2025 | (Feb 19)

• Take Back the City #5 by Astylab | (Feb 20)

• RUNNING PATHS 2025 – Online Event | (Feb 21-22)

Things Worth Reading, Listening and Watching

• Watch: Unicorn Founder’s Pathways: Fireside Chat by ThinkBiz Academy with Panagiotis Karampinis, CEO of Endeavor Greece.

• Watch: AI & Women Leaders in STEM: Fireside Chat with Yanna Andronopoulou, General Manager of Microsoft Greece, Cyprus & Malta – Hosted by ThinkBiz Academy.

• Podcast: Blueground’s Journey – From Early Investments to Global Unicorn

  Featuring Apostolos Apostolakis, Founding Partner at VentureFriends and an early backer of Blueground, hosted by EUVC.

• Read: How AI Agents Are Helping Banks Regain Their Competitive Edge – Eleven Ventures.

• Hustle Hours Podcast: Featuring Stergios Anastasiadis, General Partner at Genesis Ventures.

• Read: Build a Chatbot in 48 Hours: Why Building Chatbots That Enable Is Easier Than You Think by REBORRN and Niko Efstathiou.

• Report: Building the Future of Biotechnology in Greece: How to Position Greece as a Global Leader in Biotechnology.

Thanks for staying up-to-date with the latest in Greek startups and innovation! We look forward to sharing more next week. Want your event, news, or article featured in next week's roundup? Send it to us today by emailing here.

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