8th ENVOLVE AWARD GREECE WINNERS ANNOUNCED
– Winners Carge, Momcycle and obko will receive interest-free funding, mentoring and business support services
– The winners’ announcement was streamed live to viewers around the world
Athens, Greece, 24 June 2021 – On Wednesday June 23rd, Envolve Entrepreneurship announced the 3 winners of the 8th Envolve Award Greece, a contest for start-up and early-stage businesses in Greece. The winners’ announcement took place in ATRAKTOS and was streamed live via Chorus Call Hellas’ webcasting services.
This year’s competition winners are Carge, Momcycle and obko, bringing the total number of winners to 34 since the programme was launched in 2012. They span diverse sectors, namely Technology, Retail Tech and FinTech.
The 3 winners of the competition will share interest-free funding, mentorship, as well as a wide range of business support services from Envolve’s network of partners. The winners were selected by the Panel of Judges and Envolve’s team from a diverse group of 10 finalists. At the live-streamed event, the trophies were presented by the guest speakers. The ceremony hosted government officials and business leaders: Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Digital Governance, representing the Presidency of the Government – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Christos Dimas, Deputy Minister of Research & Technology, and Zetta Makri, Deputy Minister of Education. Speakers from the innovation ecosystem included Myladie Stoumbou, Regional Director for Partner Business Development at Microsoft; Peter Economides, Brand Strategy Consultant; Fotis Karydas, Journalist and Communications Consultant; Marina Hatsopoulos, Board Chair at Levitronix Technologies, and Christos Spatharakis, Co-Founder & CEO at Ferryhopper.
In accordance with the government’s public health directives, only the finalists and guest speakers were invited to the event, which was sponsored by ATRAKTOS, Chorus Call Hellas, Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP, Red Bull, Action 24, Epixeiro.gr, Aria Hotels, Ferryhopper, TYCO, MINU Athens and Marocaine.
Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Chairman of Envolve Entrepreneurship, stated: “Today the 8th Cycle of the Envolve Award Greece closed with the announcement of 3 Winners. We are filled with pride to again have the opportunity to gather and celebrate the best of Greek entrepreneurship. We would like to thank our guest speakers who inspired us with their motivational words, and everyone who connected with us through our livestream. We welcome all our finalists and winners to the Envolve family!”
For a third consecutive year, the public was given the opportunity to vote for their favourite business idea, electing three winners of the “#GetEnvolved Award”. The winners of these cash prizes are:
1st #GetEnvolved Award winner: Project Patenting, receiving a cheque for €3,000, sponsored by Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP to celebrate entrepreneurship in the name of late George V. Bolos, co-founding partner of Brookstreet Equity Partners LLP, General Manager of the Olympic Games 2004, respected CEO and serial entrepreneur. The award was presented by his daughter, Miss Natalia Bolou.
2nd #GetEnvolved Award winner: Tourmie, receiving a cheque for €2,000.
3rd #GetEnvolved Award winner: bindbops, receiving a cheque for €1,000.
Alexandros Nousias, Country Director of Envolve Entrepreneurship in Greece, commented:
“Congratulations to the Envolve Award Greece winners who have demonstrated courage, dedication, and creativity. We are excited to be a part of their business adventure, and we hope that our award will shine a light on their achievements and help them grow at a faster rate. The winners and finalists of this cycle represent forces for change in the Greek economy and are shining examples of our country’s potential. We would also like to thank our long-term partners and supporters for actively participating in this cause, and this year’s event sponsors for making this ceremony feasible during a challenging period.”
Envolve’s mission rests on three main pillars: education, resources and awards. The non-profit organization provides education for start-up and early-stage businesses, leveraging partnerships that increase the availability of entrepreneurship resources. The award programme, which was founded in Greece by the Libra Group on behalf of The Hellenic Initiative, enjoys the backing of many organizations that have stepped forward in support of the Envolve Awards both in Greece and the USA. Since 2012, Envolve has declared 34 award winners in Greece, operating in 19 sectors. These winners have contributed to the Greek economy with the creation of more than 1,800 new jobs and have a combined valuation exceeding €340 million.
The network of supporters in Greece includes: Alexander Innovation Zone, Amazon, Antidote, Atraktos, Atradius, Ensemble, Epixeiro.gr, I.A.D.R., IED, Intracom Telecom, indima.gr, Ioannis Vassardanis & Partners Law Form, Jalouise PTY LTD, Lykourezos Law Offices, Microsoft, People for Business, Prisma Consulting, Reed Smith, SAP Hellas, Startup Elevator, Vestbee, V+O Communication and White Room.
The 8th Envolve Award Greece Winners are:
Carge: Carge provides e-mobility solutions, which help electric vehicle drivers seek, book, plug, and pay at thousands of charging stations across SE Europe. It is the only mobile app globally that uses intelligent algorithms for grid balancing through direct connection with each car.
Website: https://carge.co/
Applicants: Eleftherios Karabatsakis, Peter Benos.
Momcycle: Momcycle is an online marketplace dedicated to pre-owned children’s products. Momcycle offers parents a user-friendly tool with multiple functionalities, allowing them to convert items they no longer need into cash and buy their favorite brands at great discounts. It features curated listings, the highest security standards for transactions and a seamless shipping procedure. Through Momcycle, parents can prolong their products’ useful life enhancing sustainable consumption.
Website: https://www.momcycle.gr
Applicants: Ileana Ismyridi, Niki Lalioti.
obko: obko is a data-driven application, which integrates a user’s entire financial life and behaviour to scale up premium financial services to the mass market, services that currently only affluent banking customers enjoy. obko introduces a revolutionary suite of services through automation and AI, including a Personal Assistant, a Financial Coach and a Relationship Manager, to simplify the users’ daily financial tasks, optimize spending and savings habits and receive meaningful and personalized financial guidance.
Website: www.i-am-obko.com
Applicants: Giorgos Gavriil, Vasilis Linakis, Nikos Konstantinidis, Evi Efstathiou.
– Ends –
About Envolve Entrepreneurship:
Envolve is an entrepreneurship support organization, founded by the Libra Group. It provides education, resources, and award programmes for start-up businesses globally. The organization encompasses the former Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award (HEA) and the American Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) – programmes which have declared 57 winners since 2012, supporting job creation and economic growth in Greece and the USA. Striving for a global society where all business owners can prosper and grow, Envolve is committed to developing and cultivating entrepreneurial ecosystems, by ensuring business support services are more readily available to entrepreneurs.
To learn more about Envolve, please visit https://greece.envolvelglobal.org
Past Envolve Award Greece Winners
7th Envolve Award Greece Winners: Collaborate Healthcare (www.collaborate247.com), Finclude (https://www.finclude.ai), MOJOOLS (https://www.mojools.com) and Rodi Pharmaceuticals (http://www.rodipharmaceuticals.com/EN)
6th Envolve Award Greece Winners: apifon (www.apifon.com), BookingClinic.com (www.bookingclinic.com), CollegeLink (www.collegelink.gr), Ferryhopper (www.ferryhopper.com), Geomiso (www.geomiso.com), MyJobNow (www.myjobnow.com), PD Neurotechnology (www.pdneurotechnology.com) and Think Silicon (www.think-silicon.com)
5th Envolve Award Greece Winners: Allcancode (www.allcancode.com), Fresh Strips (www.freshstrips.com), NOMADA Honey Soda (www.nomadahoneysoda.com), Tech Talent (www.techtalent.jobs) and Quizdom Education
4th Envolve Award Greece Winners: blueground (www.theblueground.com), bubbllz (www.bubbllz.com) and Raymetrics (www.raymetrics.com)
3rd Envolve Award Greece Winners: Heliix (www.heliixinc.com), Smart Guide and Yoleni’s (www.yolenis.com)
2nd Envolve Award Greece Winners: Anassa Organics (www.anassaorganics.com), e-satisfaction (www.e-satisfaction.gr), Open Circle (www.opencircleproject.com) and RTsafe (www.rt-safe.com)
1st Envolve Award Greece Winners: Casa Parlante (www.casaparlante.gr), Different & Different (www.differentanddifferent.gr), rabt (www.rabt.co) and Stella Mare (www.stellamare.gr)
About the Libra Group:
The Libra Group is a privately-owned international business group that is active in 35 countries across six continents. It is focused on six core sectors: aviation, energy, hospitality, real estate, shipping and diversified investments. The group is wholly-owned by the Logothetis family.
For more information, visit the website: www.libra.com
About The Hellenic Initiative:
Mission: Investing in the future of Greece through direct philanthropy and economic revitalization. We empower people to provide crisis relief, encourage entrepreneurs, and create jobs.
We are The Hellenic Initiative (THI) – a global movement of the Greek Diaspora.
Website: http://www.TheHellenicInitiative.org/ & http://onegreece.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thehellenicinitiative
Twitter: @THI_OneGreece
For further information, please contact:
Giannis Michalis
V+O Communication
Phone: +30 2107249000
Email: gmi@vando.gr
