Sifted's "Greeking Out 2.0" Report, Scale Up VII, & High-Impact Meet-Ups in San Fransisco

Top highlights from June:

• iCOMAT raises $22.5M in Series A funding led by 8VC and NATO Innovation Fund to advance their fiber steering technology.
• Sifted publishes "Greeking Out 2.0," highlighting Greece's tech ecosystem transformation, in collaboration with Endeavor Greece. The report includes insights from top founders, investors, and government officials, showcasing the country's rising prominence in the tech world.
• Endeavor Greece announced Cohort VII of Scale Up, featuring nine high-growth startups that have collectively raised over $90M and created 320 jobs

What the Endeavor Network is up to ??

• Blueground expands to Prague bringing at least 3,300 apartments to Prague throughout a 20-year partnership.
• ERGON FOODS Beach House opens, bringing Mediterranean glamping to life as their third food-centered hospitality project and first-ever 5-star glamping experience.
• HotelBrain Group takes over former Hotel Nikopolis operations & undergoes extensive renovations and is set to reopen under a new name in the coming months.
• PNOē partners with Equinox in their “Optimize by Equinox” program, offering VO2 Max testing for elite health assessments.
• Lifebit ’s Dr. Maria C. Dunford is among the top Women Entrepreneurs honoured by The Pride CEO as one of the "10 Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2024.”
• iCOMAT raises $22.5M Series A funding led by 8VC and NATO Innovation Fund
• Plum is crowdfunding! They’ve also launched ETFs across their EU markets, in partnership with Berlin-based fintech Upvest .
• xNomad expands to China, facilitating the growth of Chinese brands in Europe and North America.
• Welcome Pickups partners with Casual Hoteles and integrates with OPERA Cloud by Oracle.
• Simpler. integrates PayPal into their checkout suite, and partners with iMob.
• SafeSize ’s AI-powered 3D foot scanner is installed at the HOKA store in Taiwan’ Big City Mall
• Goodpath expands partnership with SunLife to offer virtual whole-person care as a new employee benefit.
• DeepSea Technologies ’ new product HyperPilot is awarded Marine Type Approval from DNV.
• Baresquare launches Tywin, the world's 1st fully autonomous eCommerce AI agent, redefining eCommerce workflows, and autonomously executing recommended actions to optimize revenue.
• OQ Technology is granted approval from the FCC to demonstrate 5G Non-Terrestrial-Network IoT coverage over Low Earth Orbit satellites in the US.
• Seismos partners with 国民油井华高 and presents four groundbreaking technical papers at URTeC 2024.
• thymia secures 15th spot in this year’s HealthTech 50 by BusinessCloud.

?? Catch Up with Endeavor Greece

Our Greeking Out event in San Francisco, co-hosted with Big Pi Ventures , attracted over 200 innovators, founders, investors, and members of the Greek diaspora. The gathering also drew leading international players as speakers and attendees eager to invest in and support Greek tech from a global standpoint. We took a deep dive into the rapidly growing Greek Tech ecosystem, highlighting the importance of Greek extroversion and the unique advantages of leveraging diaspora talent. We are thrilled to continue being the hub where Greeks and non-Greeks in tech come together, united by their interest in the opportunities Greece has to offer.

???? SF Activities

• We brought together Greek and non-Greek top innovators & founders in the region to participate in an exclusive tour of the Stanford Robotics Lab and the Human-Centered AI (HAI) Institute, where they witnessed firsthand some of the world’s most innovative projects. The tour was guided by Panos Madamopoulos, Managing Director at HAI.
• Hosted by Konstantine Buhler, Partner at Sequoia Capital , we dropped by the fund's offices, where our global network of Outliers Endeavor Entrepreneurs from Italy, Argentina, Greece, Chile & Romania participated in a dynamic roundtable discussion on AI.
• We also joined the Endeavor Catalyst Annual Investors Meeting, featuring presentations and fireside chats with industry leaders including one on global AI trends, chaired by LinkedIn’s Co-Founder Reid Hoffman (Endeavor Global Board Member; Endeavor Catalyst Committee Chairman). Fun fact: Endeavor Catalyst is the leading foreign fund in Greece, as shown by its investment in 10 Greek Endeavor Entrepreneurs and the significant participation of Greek investors in fund IV.

Two years after their first report on the rising Greek Tech Ecosystem, Sifted publishes "Greeking Out 2.0"?highlighting Greece's trajectory as a rising?star and a turned-around market in the tech world.

This report has gathered?insights by interviewing the high-impact protagonists of the rising Greek ecosystem. From 30 founders of the fastest-growing tech companies?to international & local VC Investors as well as two Ministers of the Greek Government and other?high-level institutional players,??the new report captures the opportunities and challenges ahead as the Greek tech ecosystem is “growing up”, and why it should be on your radar!

Endeavor Greece proudly announces Cohort VII of Scale Up by Endeavor, featuring nine high-growth startups: Elyos Energy , huupe , KINVENT , Delian Alliance Industries , Moveo.AI , Moving Doors , ODAIA , qurv , and Zeal . These startups have collectively raised over $90M, created 320 jobs, and are active in eight countries. Representing sectors such as Fintech, Healthtech, Proptech, Energy Management, next-gen Computer Vision, and DefenseTech, these innovative companies are set to impact and elevate the Greek Tech Ecosystem significantly.

?? Coming up

Bits & Pretzels European Pitch Contest

At the Bits & Pretzels Founders Festival, pitch before 5,000 influential attendees, including 1,500+ top VCs from Sequoia Capital , Northzone , Atomico , and more. Showcase your groundbreaking ideas at the European Pitch Contest and captivate investors, industry leaders, and fellow entrepreneurs from Sept. 29 - Oct. 1st in Munich Germany. Apply by July 7th, 2024,?here.

Visiting Greece this Summer?

There is nothing like Greek summer, but why not meet with world-class entrepreneurs and leaders along the way? We're offering fun and exclusive networking opportunities, such as our Networking Thursdays at Balthazar. Share your trip details here, so we can help you mingle with like-minded visitors!

That's all, we'll be back next month for more exciting updates ??