Venture Impact Awards: Applications open to secure funding and support
The application process for the Venture Impact Awards (VIA) has begun and will run until October 20. newbies businesses can prepare their proposals and gather the necessary documentation, to succeed in securing funding and support.
After the application period closes, the evaluation process begins in November. Judges evaluate each proposal based on its potential impact, scalability and innovation. In December, the final candidates and the winners are announced. The selected businesses will have the opportunity to receive funding ranging from $10,000 to $150,000, with the aim of promoting their initiatives.
The Venture Impact Awards (VIA) were established in 2020, with a vision to support Greece’s most talented teams, helping them to create initiatives and proposals that are scalable, sustainable and capable of demonstrating not only a quick return on investment but also a broader impact on society in general.
The VIAs were founded with the initial support of The Helidoni Foundation and operate under the wider umbrella of programs managed and supported by The Hellenic Initiative in the field of economic development. Since 2012, The Hellenic Initiative has backed thousands of entrepreneurs with millions of dollars, helping them unlock third-party investment and boost their revenue. The criteria that must be met to participate in VIA are:
- the proposed idea/business plan has an impact on the economic and/or social sectors of Greece
- applicants must have less than $5,000,000 in debt, grant, equity or other financing
- early stage applicants should be able to provide a full proof of concept
Applications are accepted only from profit-making bodies and finally ventures must be able to have a high impact.
VIAs will provide the necessary assistance and support to start-ups and act as a tool that promotes early-stage impact investments, investing in various business sectors where Greece can offer a strong value proposition, such as Software & Deep Tech, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Agro & Food, Tourism & Real Estate.
Applicants must submit their proposals through the VIA website here.
Those who meet the eligibility criteria will move on to the next phase which will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The judges are Jeremy Downward, Executive Director Aristeus Financial Services, Peter J. Poulos, President Poulos Brothers, Chris Tsiolis, CEO Proago Marketing Systems, Philip Voutsas, Co-Founder Heartwood Sustainable Industries International, Michael Printzos Greece, Country Head The Hellenic Initiative and Vlassis Adraktas, Program Officer The Hellenic Initiative.