Hellenic Innovation Network

Applications are OFFICIALLY OPEN — StartSmart SEE Accelerator 2026

Deep-tech founders across Southeastern Europe — this is your signal.

If you are building breakthrough technology, pushing scientific innovation forward, and aiming for global scale, this is where momentum happens.

MIT-inspired acceleration. World-class mentors. Global investor exposure. Zero equity taken.

The next wave of deep-tech champions is being built now — be part of it.

Apply now. Move fast. Build what’s next.

Applications for the StartSmart SEE Accelerator 2026 are now open. We support science-driven and deep-tech startups across Southeastern Europe with structured acceleration, expert mentorship, and global exposure. If you are building a technology with international potential, this is your opportunity to take the next step. Apply now here: https://lnkd.in/dH7VpC7h Applications close March 6.

First Modern Panathēnea: Where Innovation Meets Legacy

Reimagining the festival that once defined Ancient Athens, Panathēnea brings together startup founders, investors, and corporate leadersacross technology, art, and business to spark game-changing collaborations.

With 20+ headline speakers, including Canva’s Melanie Perkins, Slush founder Peter Vesterbacka, and leaders from OpenAI and Microsoft, Panathēnea is set to be a landmark event for innovation.

Evenings will feature curated side events, across all of springtime Athens, hosted by top VCs and startup incubators, creating memorable experiences while blending fun and networking.

Be part of history in the making—Join here and get 60% off with the Hellenic Innovation Network exclusive “HIN60” code limited for the first 50 tickets.
https://www.panathenea.org/tickets

About a year ago, we came up with the idea to host our first Hellenic Innovation Network event in Palo Alto. We reached out to Nick Arvanitidis to ask if he would share his 60-year-long story as a Greek entrepreneur in the Bay Area. Nick graciously declined, encouraging us instead to spotlight the younger generation of founders coming out of Greece and the diaspora.

With the help of Dionysis Panagiotopoulos, Partner at LDV Partners, Andreas Stavropoulos, Partner at Threshold Ventures and member of Greece’s National High Committee for AI, and the energy and drive of Tota Zoura, Director at FalconX, we were able to turn this idea into reality.

On March 20, 2025, we hosted "AI and Greece: An Emerging Innovation Destination" at the beautiful offices of Foley & Lardner LLP in Palo Alto.

We’re incredibly grateful to our panelists—Fay Christodoulou PhD, CMT (CSO at INTEGRA Biosciences), Emil Palikot (Founder of MoveUp AI), Minas Liarokapis (Founder of Acumino), and Alex Dimakis (Founder of Bespoke Labs)—for their insights and for representing the cutting edge of AI innovation connected to Greece.

Huge thanks as well to our fantastic moderators, Tota Zoura and George Panagiotakopoulos (Head of Europe & Expansion at Berkeley SkyDeck), for facilitating thoughtful, engaging discussions.

We were honored to have Grigoris Tassiopoulos, Consul General of Greece in San Francisco, open the event with warm and encouraging remarks about the growing Greece–Bay Area innovation bridge.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the team at Foley & Lardner LLP—Chris McKenna, David Kantaros, Meghan Needham, Kelsey Lauren Koziar, and Zhanna Sarkisova—for hosting us so generously and supporting this community effort.