Level-up |G4A: The third cycle of the Bayer Greece program has started
Bayer Hellas, faithful to its commitment to innovation in all areas of its activity and recognizing the power of cooperation in the face of ever-increasing challenges, announces the start of the new cycle of the program Level-upheld for the 3rd consecutive year, renewed as Level-up|G4A.
This is an initiative launched in 2021 to support and advise young people businesses, of different maturity, having as their main objective the development of innovative ideas into sustainable businesses, which can be developed either organically or by securing financing. As early as 2022, the program was further strengthened by Bayer AG through the G4A Open Innovation program.
The Level-up Program|G4A
The renewed Level-up|G4A program includes two main axes:
a. The Level-up |G4A Incubator: This axis concerns university groups and researcher groups from the Health and Agrifood, who want to develop an innovative idea or project into a business proposal and
b. The Level-up|G4A Accelerator: Access to startups in the Health industry and Georgia, which are at pre-seed/ Seed level.
To date, 14 start-ups from the field of health and agri-food have completed the two cycles of the program, having been in contact with important partners of the ecosystem, both in Greece and abroad.
The five sentences
For the new cycle, a maximum of 10 candidates will be selected to participate in the program, coming from both axes of the program. There is one basic condition: candidates submit an idea or a product that answers the following 5 challenges:
- Management of Chronic Kidney Disease
- Management of visual disturbances due to macular degeneration
- Prostate cancer prevention and management
- Applications and tools that support Regenerative Agriculture
- Training and updating producers on new trends
See detailed descriptions of the challenges here.
The benefits of Level-up|G4A
The needs of start-ups and teams will be met through the integrated services offered by the Level-up|G4A program. Specifically, the program provides participants with free access to the following services:
- Mentoring by specialized, high-ranking company executives, with experience in the field of Health and Agriculture.
- Counseling by company executives, so that the start-up business or team can obtain additional resources if and when it participates in Bayer’s international competitive programs (such as G4A) to become a candidate partner of the company locally or regionally.
- Participation in three-hour seminars and open discussions on important topics, such as finding financing, drawing up a business plan, branding, strategic planning and building a successful team.
The online application submission has started and will end on December 11, 2023. The start of the third cycle of the program is in January 2024 and is expected to be completed in July of the same year. Upon completion of the Level-up|G4A Accelerator program, one of the participating startups will be selected based on specific criteria, to receive a cash prize.
Sonia Mousavere, head of the communication department of Bayer Greece and responsible for the Level-up|G4A program for Greece
“Bayer Hellas, a company with a leading position in the fields of Health and Agriculture, always supports innovative business ventures that lay strong foundations for the future. The company encourages the development of new ideas, which bring us closer to our vision of “Health and Nutrition for All”. The Level-up program | G4A comes to offer the supplies needed for development and continuous development, both of new businesses, and of excellent research groups of our country, so that the Greek innovation ecosystem can be highlighted more. After all, to respond to a rapidly changing environment, we need innovative solutions and these can be achieved, only through meaningful and effective collaboration”.