Growing Together: 300 entrepreneurs, investors, bankers, and representatives from European institutions across 8 countries participated in the event held in Athens on April 4 – Hellenic Development Bank (HDB)
60 inspiring speakers participated in the main stage and across 4 thematic sessions covering agri-food, climate, culture, creative industries, and health, sharing their experiences and developmental goals for a stronger Europe. During the same event, 8 Greek entrepreneurs presented their companies to investors and stakeholders in a pitching session organized by the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) in collaboration with Bpifrance.
The Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, honored the event with his presence. Also participating were: The Minister of Development and Investments, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, and the Deputy Minister of Development and Investments, Mr. Giannis Tsakiris.
In conjunction with the Growing Together event, a European cooperation protocol was announced at the Zappeion Hall, signed by five development banks and investment organizations. The protocol aims to increase investment funds for the financing of European technology companies in mature stages of development. According to this agreement, €3.3 billion will be mobilized over the next 3 to 5 years to finance European technology leaders. The protocol was signed by Bpifrance (France), KfW Capital (Germany), Tesi (Finland), Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (formerly TANEO, Greece), and Vækstfonden (Denmark).
The Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI) and Bpifrance have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at accelerating the development of fund managers to further strengthen the venture capital market.
Additionally, the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) signed two Memoranda of Cooperation with the development banks of Belgium and Portugal, namely Sowalfin (Belgium) and Banco Portugues de Fomento (Portugal), marking the beginning of joint initiatives that can create new synergies and opportunities for economic and social development. These cooperation agreements aim to enhance development opportunities and seek to strengthen funding capacity, mobilize investments, and support SMEs. Moreover, these agreements aim to attract investments and enhance the international outreach and competitiveness of Greek entrepreneurship, among others through the platform “InnoAgora powered by HDB.” This is a Greek platform hosted on Bpifrance’s EuroQuity platform, which creates a professional and specialized network of investors and entrepreneurs at the European level.
These synergies represent the commitment of the development banks to a common goal and vision: supporting and promoting entrepreneurship in Europe to grow together (Growing Together).
At the same time, a highly significant strategic agreement for the energy upgrade of Greece was signed between the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) and DEPA Commercial regarding the “White Dragon” project.
This project – an investment proposal exceeding €8 billion – involves the development of an innovative, integrated green hydrogen project in Greece, covering the entire hydrogen value chain. The goal of this collaboration is to create a new ecosystem of companies in the green energy sector through the design of joint support actions and the effective utilization of financial instruments by businesses. The partnership will also explore prospects for cooperation and facilitating access to financing, as well as the conditions for attracting significant investments to transition to clean energy sources.
In addition, eight companies, all members of the Hellenic Development Bank’s (HDB) online networking platform, InnoAgora, participated in an investment pitch session with over 30 investors, aiming to raise over €35 million. The participating companies included: BibeCoffee, Brite Solar, Centaur Analytics, InSyBio, Loctio PC, PaloServices, PD Neurotechnology, and RTsafe.
During the event, eight Greek companies showcased their innovative products: Biopix DNA Technology IKE, EV Loader, Eye Radar, Magos, Moptil-Mobile Optical Illusions, SciDrones, OramaVR, and PD Neurotechnology.
Bpifrance was represented by Nicolas Dufourcq (Chief Executive Officer), Pascal Lagarde (Executive Director of International Strategy, Studies, and Development), and Isabelle Bébéar (Director, Head of International & European Affairs).
The Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) was represented by Athina Chatzipetrou (Chairwoman and CEO) and Pantelis Tzortzakis (Executive Vice Chairman).
The Hellenic Development Bank of Investments was represented by Haris Lampropoulos (Chairman) and Antigoni Lymperopoulou (Chief Executive Officer).
Also participating were:
- Nathalie Berger, Director of Support for Member States’ Reforms, European Commission
- Beatriz Freitas, Chief Executive Officer, Banco Portugues de Fomento (Portugal)
- Jean-Pierre Di Bartolomeo, Chairman, Sowalfin (Belgium)
- Gytis Zakevicius, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Finance of Lithuania
- Ioannis Kaltsas, Director of Funding for Greece and Cyprus, European Investment Bank (EIB)
- Anne Mieke Van der Werf, Director of Business Development, Invest NL (Netherlands)
- Jan Sasse, Chief Executive Officer, Tesi (Finland)
- David Denzer-Speck, Head of European Affairs, KfW (Germany)
Additionally, entrepreneurs and investment funds:
- Bertrand Rambaud, Chairman, Siparex
- Véra Kempf, Co-Founder, Singulart
- Nicolas Fritz, Chief Executive Officer, ContentSquare
- George Tziralis, Partner, Marathon Venture Capital
- Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner, Sofinnova Partners
- Dimitris Dimitriadis, Chief Innovation Officer, TheFutureCats
- George Dimopoulos, Partner, VentureFriends
