Building a Venture: Why Success is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Good morning!

In this edition, we spotlight the marathon mindset as registrations for the 42nd Authentic Marathon Athens open. As innovators, maintaining a healthy work/life balance is crucial, and the skills of patience, resilience, strategic planning, and adaptability gained from running a marathon are just as essential in building a successful venture. As a three-time participant, I’m considering starting a runners’ group to coach first-time runners and teams within the tech community. if you're interested, feel free to reach out.

Plus, stay updated on the latest funding news, opportunities, and events happening this week.

Weekly Roundup

• Jungheinrich Launches Uplift Ventures - A Corporate Venture Subsidiary to Invest in AI, Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and Sustainability.

• Revolut Hits 1.5M Customers in Greece: Gained 500K in 12 Months After Taking 7 Years to Reach First Million, Targeting 2M by Early 2026.

• Envolve Entrepreneurship’s DeepTechSeeds and Scale2Connect Awarded Horizon Europe Funding.

• EOS Capital Partners Makes First EHRF II Investment in Megas Yeeros S.A., a Leader in Authentic Greek Traditional Meat Products.

• Crowdbase - A Cypriot Based Crowdfunding Platform Reaches €2 Million Milestone, Offering Investment in Vetted Startups and Real Estate Projects.

• Volos Rotors Partners with Network Rail and Drone Cloud to Revolutionize Railway Operations, Enhance Safety, and Reduce Delays.

• Uni.Fund Invests €500K in Bolsterup, a Cyprus-Based Proptech Startup, to Drive AI Innovation in the Construction Sector.

• RWE and PPC Drive Greece’s Energy Transition with METON Energy SA, Announcing Investment in Two Large-Scale Photovoltaic Projects in Central Macedonia.

• CapsuleT Accelerator Celebrates 6 Years of Impact in Greek Tourism with 126+ Startups Across 7 Cohorts.

• Viva.com Expands Near-Instant Payment Footprint Across Europe with Launch of Mastercard Move, Adds UK as 24th EU Country.

• Mood, the Skyscanner for Musical Events in Athens, Raises €1 Million with Support from Angels, Hellenic Business Angel Network, and ThETI Club.

• EY and Microsoft Skills Passport Offer Free Online Courses on Sustainability, AI, Entrepreneurship, and Employability.

• Grandmama Shines as Winner of Startup Pitching Competition at BEYOND Expo, Winning €5,000 Grand Prize.

• VentureFriends Leads $5 Million Seed Investment in Unosecur, an Identity Security Platform, to Secure the Digital Frontier.

• WeatherXM and SwissBorg Partner to Distribute 2,270 Weather Stations to Underserved Areas Worldwide.

Funding and Startup Opportunities

• 125 Top European Founders Launch Project Europe to Back Next-Gen Innovators - a new initiative designed to fund, mentor, and support the next generation of European entrepreneurs, with the goal of accelerating innovation across the continent.

• UN Tourism Artificial Intelligence Challenge Now Open for AI-Powered Tourism Solutions - Are you building an AI-powered solution with the potential to reshape the tourism industry? The UN Tourism Artificial Intelligence Challenge is now open for startups and scale-ups offering innovative solutions. Apply by April 25.

• EIT AI Founders Club 2025: Are you an AI visionary ready to scale your startup and shape the future of technology? Join an exclusive community of innovators to scale your AI startups. Gain access to mentorship, resources, and peer support to accelerate growth in next-generation AI technologies. Apply by May 12.

Featured Job Openings

• Manager, Services Business Development (Greek Speaking) at Mastercard.

• Mid to Senior Backend Engineer at Mood.

• Growth & Performance Lead at Welcome Pickups.

• Head of Finance & Operations at Ask Wire.

• Browse Over 400 New High-Skills Job Listings by Rebrain Greece.

• Sales Account Manager at Core Group.

• Senior Data Analyst at Plum.

• Become a Co-Founder with Starttech Ventures.

Events

• The 4th StepUp Startups Policy Online Workshop: The AI Continent Action Plan, Freshly Launched by the EU | April 14

• Π55 / Pi55 Coworking Breakfast on Developing a Web Application in the Age of AI | April 15

• Greeks In Tech Tokyo by Panos Papadopoulos | April 17

• SFF Open Incubator Workshop on Marketing Strategy | April 24

• Entrepreneurship and Growth: The Future Perspective by The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce | April 28

• Quantum Communication Infrastructures Athens 2025 | April 28-30

Things Worth Reading, Listening and Watching

• Research Article: No Islands of Entrepreneurship - Mapping the Trans-Local Dimension of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Through Accelerator Participation Networks.

• Hustle Hour Podcast: Navigating the Greek Tech Ecosystem — From Challenges to the Need for a Global Mindset, Featuring Rafael Kontos, MD at THETI Club.

• EUROPEBUILDS x Doers Summit Podcast: How Skroutz Became and Remains Greece’s Largest Online Marketplace - Featuring George Hadjigeorgiou, Co-Founder & CEO.

• Read: Why Creating a Real Estate Company Benefits Property Owners — By Despina Valtzis, Partner at VDI Law Firm.

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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