The awards ceremony at the 1^st Start-up Entrepreneurship Competition, where the registered start-ups of Elevate Greece participated, was completed at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

In the presence of the Prime Minister Mr.Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who also awarded the first prize to the "Start-up of the Year", of the Minister of Development and Investments, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, by the Deputy Minister, Mr. Nikos Papathanasis and the Deputy Minister, Mr. Yannis Tsakiris, the competent Deputy Minister of Development and Investments and Member of Parliament for Corinthia, Mr. Christos Dimas, presented and analyzed the first statistical data and analytical data that are now recorded for the start-up ecosystem, 11 months after its creation and operation National Register of Start-ups Elevate Greece .

To date, 451 start-ups, employing more than 4,380 employees, have completed their registration in the Register.

The state has through the platform a clear and mapped picture of the innovation ecosystem. It has for the first time the ability to design policies tailored to the specific needs of the start-up ecosystem.

Elevate Greece

The Elevate Greece is now an essential tool through which the state provides specialized incentives for start-ups such as tax deductions for angel investors, a modern tax framework for stock options, and even the first NSRF action to enhance their liquidity in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.

The National Register of Start-ups is flanked by a significant network of Official Supporters active in the field of innovation, investment and entrepreneurship, including banks, multinational companies, Greek businesses and institutional supporters.

250 companies registered in Elevate Greece applied to participate in the ^1st Young Entrepreneurship Competition. The 10 winning businesses were awarded with cash prizes totalling €252,000 as well as services from all the Official Supporters of Elevate Greece exceeding €200,000.

The 10 start-ups that won the first National Start-up Awards are:

1. "Startup of the Year" (2021) | "Hexacorp Greece/Orfium" (Music management platform)
2. 'Fastest up-and-coming business' | “Hack the Box” (Cyber Security Training)
3. "Spin-off of the year" | "Gnosis Data Analysis PC" (Life Sciences)
4. "Social Contribution" | "ORama VR" (Applications of Medical Educational Virtual Reality Simulations)
5. 'Environmental Impact' | "Augmenta Agriculture Technologies" (Agrotechnology/ Agri-food)
6. "Women's Entrepreneurship" | "Nannuka" (Assessment of caregivers for families)
7. "Business Development & Extroversion |" Metis Cyberspace Technology" (Monitoring & Management of Maritime Fleet with intelligent electronic systems)
8. "Harnessing Technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution" | "Quanta&Qualia/Magos" (Augmented Reality (XR) Technologies with applications in health, telerobotics, education, etc.)
9. "Startup HeroSolving Challenges from the Health CrisisCovid19" | "Gizelis Robotics SA" (Robotics Applications in Manufacturing)
10. "Top Start-up from the Ecosystem" | "OWIWI" (Human Resources Evaluation through Gamification)