PROBOTEK and Travelr Announced as Winners of the 3rd Annual HDB Innovation Challenge – Hellenic Development Bank

The annual 3rd HDB Innovation Challenge #HDB4ElevateGreece competition, organized by the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB) in exclusive collaboration with the National Startup Registry Elevate Greece, concluded with an Award Ceremony. Having now become an established institution, the HDB Innovation Challenge #HDB4ElevateGreece aims to foster creativity and entrepreneurship within the startup ecosystem.

In the category “Development of an advanced digital platform for assessing risk factors arising from climate change and natural disasters affecting residential and business properties across geographical regions in Greece,” the winning team was PROBOTEK.

In the category “Development of an advanced digital platform aimed at financing initiatives for the regeneration of abandoned villages with minimal (fewer than 50) or no permanent residents, with the objective of creating a tool to support investment decision-making for the selection and revitalization of local communities,” the winning team was Travelr.

This year’s competition focused on supporting creativity and cultivating a culture of innovation, contributing innovative solutions to address the adverse impacts of climate change as well as the desertification of rural Greece. The finalist teams presented their solutions live before the judging committee, competing for PoC (Proof of Concept) funding of up to €20,000 per thematic category, with the prospect of entering into a commercial cooperation agreement.

The Call for Participation was announced during the Thessaloniki International Fair 2023 and culminated on 27 November 2023 with the final event held at the HDB headquarters, in the presence of the judging committee. The committee members represented a diverse range of sectors, including the research and scientific community, as well as enterprises with extensive experience in innovation, development, and entrepreneurship.

More specifically, the members of this year’s judging committee were:

• Eleni Kolofoti, Director of Co-Investments Division, HDB
• Lefteris Kororos, Group CIO, National Bank of Greece
• Nikos Karabekios, Head of Innovation and Networking Unit, National Documentation Centre
• Gerasimos Papadopoulos, Professor of Seismology
• Giannis Chatzioannidis, Director of Strategic Planning, ERGO Insurance

The Award Ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB).

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Development Bank, Mr. Georgios Zervos, stated:

“The Hellenic Development Bank is the institution that consistently supports the innovative entrepreneurship of small and medium-sized enterprises through specialized financial instruments. At a time of major transformations, the innovation driven by startups constitutes a key driving force of the productive process.

This is the central pillar of HDB’s strategy for financing environmental sustainability and strengthening the resilience of SMEs against climate change. Within the framework of implementing government policies to address the challenges of climate change and to upgrade Greece into an energy hub, this competition—whose winners are recognized by HDB—represents yet another initiative by the Hellenic Development Bank toward the successful realization of green and sustainable growth for small and medium-sized enterprises.”

The Executive Vice President of the Hellenic Development Bank, Mr. Pantelis Tzortzakis, stated:

“When we launched this initiative in collaboration with Elevate Greece, we were confident in the strong response from companies within the Greek startup ecosystem. Today, three years later, we are demonstrating in tangible terms that Greek startups are rising to the occasion with outstanding ideas.

The competition serves as a pathway for startups to innovate and grow in Greece, enabling them—through appropriate support such as that provided by the Hellenic Development Bank—to act as a catalyst for growth and for strengthening the country’s economy.”