Applications have begun for the 18^th cycle of the VentureGarden program in Athens, which is in its 9^th year. The VentureGarden Athens is is an early-stage business idea accelerator (idea accelerator). It is provided free of charge by Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece and implemented by the Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship and Development (AHEAD), Alba's Centre for Entrepreneurship. Alba implements VentureGarden in Southern Greece. Alongside Athens, it organizes VentureGarden Heraklion for the empowerment of entrepreneurs in the wider region of Crete and complementary actions in other areas.

It is aimed at people with vision and dedication, who aspire to join the business ecosystem by starting their own business or growing their already existing company.

VentureGarden emphasizes on people and not on the idea, as both the idea and the business environment are constantly changing. Participants are encouraged to learn to use tools that can be applied to any idea they are inspired by. Program participants who directly want to implement their idea can, based on the preparation they have done at VentureGarden, join incubators, seek funding or support from other actors in the ecosystem. It is worth noting that a recent survey among graduates of the program in Athens and Heraklion recorded 221 new jobs and funding of 2,490,000 euros since 2014. 99% of participants say they would recommend the program to friends and acquaintances.

The VentureGarden programme and the dates

Those interested in the new cycle of VentureGarden Athens are invited to fill in their application at the www.venturegarden.gr by September 11, 2022, when the application process will be completed. The number of places is limited and an evaluation process will follow for the selection of candidates.

Free participation in the program is ensured by its supporters. The founding national donor is The Hellenic Initiative.

VentureGarden starts with an intensive training to develop business ideas, lasting 5 weeks. After the completion of the training, the participants are selected who will continue with mentoring lasting 3 months. The program is implemented in Greek and will take place with physical presence at the premises of Alba Graduate Business School.

Since the launch of the program in February 2014, more than 1,600 applications have been submitted for VentureGarden Athens. Of these, 435 were selected to attend the previous cycles of the program in Athens. During the 17 cycles that have been implemented in Athens, participants attended a total of 498 hours of lessons. 135 rapporteurs and mentors have offered support. This enables participants to to turn their entrepreneurial creativity into tangible results. To this day, more than 2,000 hours of supportive guidance have been offered to the participants of the VentureGarden.

Application deadline: September 11, 2022

For more information and to fill in the application form visit: https://bit.ly/3zoBYUx.