With the launch of the new cycle of the egg Start-Up platform, egg - enter-grow-go enters its tenth (10th) year of presence in the Greek startup scene through Eurobank. Thus, it further expands its footprint as the most recognized and integrated business acceleration framework in Greece.

Egg, designed and implemented incollaboration with Corallia of E.K. Athena, since 2013, to support innovative entrepreneurship in Greece. It multidimensionally supports participants seeking: extroversion, business networking and funding.

At the same time, it contributes to the effective interconnection of the academic, business and investment community in the country. In the 10th cycle, leveraging its experience and modern structure, egg upgrades and intensifies the guidance of the business groups that will join. The aim is thus to speed up the implementation of their business plans.

Crucial to maximizing the benefit for participants is their inclusion, depending on the stage of maturity/readiness of their business plan, in appropriate business acceleration cohorts, within the egg Start-Up platform, with corresponding business milestones (milestones) and advisory monitoring within the framework of the Program. The aim is to identify their real needs. Also to seek synergies with other participants as members of a development "ecosystem". In this way they will increase the chances of funding.

Michalis Vlastarakis, General Manager of Marketing & Corporate Communication of Eurobank Group and Chairman of the Egg Coordinating Committee

"Constantly improving and upgrading its structures and services, egg is entering its tenth year of operation. Contributing to the expansion of the Greek ecosystem of innovative businesses, it has already supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs. While he has contributed to the creation of 150 companies. Eurobank, a pioneer in supporting new entrepreneurship, treats as a priority the development of innovation based on international standards. We invest in the egg. We support every dynamic development initiative that is also developed through the State. As is the establishment of the Collaborative Innovation Scheme in the Tourism & Culture Sectors for the modernization of the Greek tourist and cultural product".

Who it concerns the Eurobank action

In the 10th cycle, dynamic features of the egg strategy are further strengthened through Eurobank, taking into account the new post-pandemic economic context.

• Business groups that are innovative businesses, already successfully registered in the National Register of Young Enterprises "Elevate Greece", can apply for participation in the Start-Up platform. If they are successfully qualified from Phase A of the evaluation (checking of formal requirements - completeness of the application file), they can be directly qualified for the final stage of the evaluation.

All business plans are eligible to participate. It should be judged that they meet specific conditions of business innovation, excellence and sustainability in the context of the trends of the Greek, but also of the international market. However, business plans in competitive industries are particularly encouraged, such as:

• 5G technologies
• integrated solutions to ESG standards (Environmental, Social, corporate Governance)

Also projects that make use of many years of research activity or make extensive use of innovations in areas such as:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Big Data
• Cyber security
• Tourist Technologies & Modern Services
• Fintech
• Robotics
• Virtual / Augmented Reality
• Industry 4.0
• Biotechnology
• Medical Technologies and Methods
• Agricultural Technology
• Environmental Technologies
• Energy
• Education – Modern Methods and Tools etc.
• as well as business plans from schemes that empower women's entrepreneurship in practice

Benefits and support

Through the egg, teams have the following possibilities:

• A set of financing options is provided for the utilization of different financing channels for the implementation of the business plan (subject to the necessary condition of the existence of a company-body implementing the business plan)
• Possibility of micro-financing within the framework of the European EASI program and in cooperation with AFI (Action Finance Initiative) in the "hatching" stages within egg. Possibility for working capital loans aimed at improving the company's liquidity, as well as loans that include installation loans and professional equipment loans.
• Interconnectivityaccess to capital raising through private investment participations for companies that have a highly competitive and innovative idea at an advanced stage of development, through networking and support during the presentation of their business ideas to active Venture Capital Funds (PEFs), strategic investors or other partners and/or representatives of investment organizations.
• The Extroversion Program is strengthened for the business groups that will join, through business missions, advanced innovation ecosystems abroad, as well as through actions to connect them with the real economy by activating the pillar of business networking with recognized domestic and international agencies.

Nominations for participation in egg – enter•grow•go are already being submitted, until Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 15.00. The first Open Day will be held online on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 5 p.m.

More information on the website egg - enter-grow-go .