Idea Platform: Entries are now open for CapsuleT’s 5th Youth Idea Competition

The entry kick has been given for the 5th Youth Ideas Competition “Idea Platform” of CapsuleT Travel and Hospitality Accelerator, the only accelerator in Greece that focuses exclusively on the substantial support of technological young people businesses in the field of tourism.  The platform will be open until Tuesday, March 26, 202. 

If someone wishes to see their idea for tourism blossom and turn into a modern startup technology with the support of the Hotel Chamber of Greece then they must register for the 5th young Idea Competition “Idea Platform”.

It is now common knowledge that the expert guidance and support his team will receive from the mentors and speakers of the competition program –all seasoned industry professionals– will provide the push needed to turn his idea into a new, innovative business proposition.

CapsuleT is looking for boys and girls

More specifically, CapsuleT for the 5th Idea Platform is looking for young men and women, who have innovative ideas that can solve practical, real, problems in tourism through using technology.

The accelerator always with the aim of promoting innovation and upgrading the Greek tourism product invites teams to claim a place in the competition program and – if selected – have the opportunity to work intensively with the help of industry expertson their idea. The 12-day competitive program is full of workshops, mentoring sessions and speeches from industry experts, such as recognized start-up founders but also executives of large organizations and companies active in tourism, with the ultimate aim of guiding the newly formed groups, to support the further development of their idea and its transformation into a start-up business.

Who can participate

The Idea Platform is aimed at young people, students, graduates, master’s or doctoral students of the country’s schools, new unemployed executives, as well as new businesses at a very early stage of activity with a technological and business background. The purpose for the participating groups is to submit business proposals that can solve practical problems identified in tourism, through the use of technology and to focus on the categories/sectors of the competition.

The accelerator team is looking for ideas that can be developed into startups with a positive impact on the digital transformation of the Greek tourism industry, while if they wish, the 3 winners of the competition will have the possibility to qualify directly to the 7th cycle of the Acceleration Program, in order to further develop their business activity.

More specifically, eligible candidates, in order to secure a place on the program which will take place from April 8, 2024 to May 15, 2024, should be:

• teams (at least 2 people) with an innovative business idea for the tourism sector, which requires the use of technology to implement it
• group members must be 18 to 35 years old, graduates or postgraduate students of schools related to fields such as Science, Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Information Technology, Business Administration, Finance, Tourism Management and so on
• applicants must have Greek citizenship or be residents of Greece
• the candidate teams should not have received any other funding, except for only a first round of funding/or from friends and family (which does not exceed 50,000 euros)
• in the event that they have already proceeded to establish a company, the period of establishment should be less than 6 months from the date of application to participate in the program

Idea Platform’s thematic sections

Teams come up with application ideas for products and services that are relevant to the goals and theme of the Idea Platform, namely: applications and solutions, such as:

a) for the hotel and catering tourism sector (hotel management, revenue management, channel management, HR management, guest products & services, operation tools, etc.)

b) for tourist transports (Distribution & Transfers)

c) for booking engines and electronic tourist offices (booking engines & OTAs)

d) for tourist and cultural activities, guided tours and events (advanced booking engines, virtual/digital tours, experience management etc.)

e) products and solutions for airports, marine tourism-marinas (boat/passenger management, quality management/control, reservations, etc.)

f) applications and sustainability solutions (sustainability solutions), such as applications and solutions to save energy and natural resources, food waste, material recycling, etc. (indicative applications – solutions for hotel units, tourist facilities, museums but also islands, villages, areas with a particular tourist concentration, etc.)

g) specialized communication and promotional solutions (such as measurement and evaluation of services, social networks, advertising, etc.)

h) products/services and applications for the wider tourism industry, such as fintech solutions (payments/billings/pricing engines), big data analytics, cloud services, AI solutions, Augmented/Virtual Reality solutions, etc.

Program structure

It is underlined that the 5th Idea Platform will have a total duration of 12 days and will take place between between April 8, 2024 and May 15, 2024, where the Closing & Award Ceremony will also take place.

The Idea Platform will include free educational seminars (workshops), speeches and advisory guidance (implementation of the program during lunchtime/afternoon hours). It is noted that the 12-day period includes both the preparatory period and the competitive part. For the successful completion and right of the teams to participate in the Closing Ceremony (competitive part-presentations) on May 15, 2024, the attendance and participation of at least 1 member of the team is required throughout the duration of the program.

Submit applications

The application period for the 5th CapsuleT Idea Platform starts on Monday, February 26, 2024 and will end on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.

To register, click here: https://www.eventora.com/el/Events/IdeaPlatform5/

Before applying, please read carefully the eligibility criteria, terms/prerequisites of the program and prepare all the necessary content to include in your application (data, biographies of team members, brief presentation of the central idea).

It should be noted that the submission of applications is carried out in the Greek language. The program is also implemented in the Greek language with frequent use of English terminology.

Important note: The submitted applications of the groups will be evaluated by the accelerator Organizing Committee throughout the application period (26/2 – 26/3) and those who meet the criteria, will immediately confirm their participation in the program. Therefore, prospective teams are invited to register as soon as possible in order to ensure on time their place in the program.