Is there really a Golden Age for founding a startup? According to the recently-published book “Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups” the median age at which unicorn founders started their businesses is 34. Other research highlights 29 as the sweet spot age to found a company, and Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator, believes that if the founder is older than 32, investors start to be a little skeptical.
Today we meet you with 10+ young entrepreneurs from Greece who are living proof that age is just a number when it comes to innovation. Get to know them in the story below.
Who are the Greek Gen Z stars?
Name: Anastasia Ntracha
Position: Ph.D. student in digital biomarkers and co-founder of iCry2Talk
Interests: HealthTech, AI, Female Empowerment
University: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
About: Anastasia is a Ph.D. student in digital biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease. She uses explainable AI and advanced signal-processing techniques to contribute to early disease diagnosis and management. Being passionate about developing and building healthtech and digital health products and human-centric ventures, she is also devoted to making science and technology more accessible for women. Anastasia is co-founder of iCry2Talk, a baby tech startup that translates the baby’s cry using AI, and also the Education Lead in MExoxo, a global NGO that educates and empowers women to unleash their potential.
Name: George Avgenakis
Position: Serial entrepreneur and investor
Interests: AI, Logistics, Marketing
University: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
About: George is a co-founder of Shiplemon, the biggest Greek platform to compare courier rates and find the best way to send a package. He is also a co-founder of Deliverback, a platform that helps hotels manage their lost and found items. George is a Board Member of Loopcv, a startup that helps job seekers automate the initial steps of securing a new role.
Name: Theocharis Vlachopanagiotis
Position: CEO and co-founder of Rhoé
Interests: Sustainability, Energy, Mobility
University: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)
About: Theocharis is the CEO and co-founder of the mobility spin-off startup Rhoe. The mission of his startup is to solve today’s challenges by offering optimization software products related to transportation, e-mobility, and urban mobility to large enterprises, research institutes, and local and national governments. Theocharis has experience in various fields ranging from education and science to public matters and business.
Name: Marina Raphael
Position: Founder and CEO of Marina Raphael
Interests: Sustainability, Marketing, Fashion
University: King’s College London
About: Marina is a creative activist, designer, and founder of the sustainable luxury handbag brand Marina Raphael. Her company promotes environmental consciousness and inclusivity.
Name: Nikos Fifis
Position: Founder at Genius Acropolis
Interests: Non-for-profit, Marketing
University: The Democritus University of Thrace – (D.U.Th.)
About: Nikos is the founder of Genius Acropolis, an international full-service ethical brand & digital marketing agency. His startup agency aims to help purpose-driven companies and organizations get into the spotlight through remarkable communications and strategy. He is also a co-founder and Executive Director at WeFor, an Athens-based NGO focused on reshaping the conversations around important social matters.
Name: Joanna Roussou
Position: Founder of Growth Hub
Interests: Non-for-profit, Volunteering, Youth Mobility
University: University of Piraeus
About: Joanna is the founder of the youth non-profit organization Growth Hub NGO. Her organization aims to involve young people in youth mobility and volunteering on local, national, and international levels to provide youth with the necessary tools and skills for the digital future and promote sustainability and inclusion. She is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Consulting and has experience as Marketing & Public Relations Manager, in various non-profit youth organizations.
Name: Georgios Kakouliadis
Position: CEO and co-founder at BrainFirst
Interests: Education, VR, Software Engineering
University: University of the Aegean
About: Born and raised in Xanthi, Greece, Georgios is co-founder and CEO of BrainFirst, the startup that has a mission to introduce virtual reality into schools. He is also an Apple Developer Academy Graduate and has Master of Engineering Diploma at the University of the Aegean. BrainFirst is a project that was born out of his passion for technology and game development. It aims to design, build, and deploy innovative VR educational games to boost the learning process through experiential learning.
Name: Minas Marios Kontis
Position: Founder and CEO at Univation
Interests: Startups, Education, Events
University: Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia
About: Minas is the founder and CEO of Univation, a program that aims to inspire and empower student-led startups from across a network of universities. Univation has grown to become an Online SaaS Platform for Incubators, Accelerators, and VCs.
Name: Christos Roumeliotis
Position: Co-founder of Gridustry
Interests: Blockchain, Energy, Biomedical Technology, and Health
University: University of Western Macedonia (UoWM) in Kozani, Greece
About: Christos is the co-founder of Gridustry, a Greek cleantech startup that aims to provide customers with powerful digital tools to help them reach 24/7 carbon-free energy goals. He is also the co-founder and COO of NIMIA, a project that aims to develop digital biomarkers that can identify the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) progression from the pre-clinical phase.
Name: Harry Yeremtzes
Position: Co-founder and CEO of AidPlex
Interests: healthtech, electrical and computer engineering
University: Democritus University of Thrace
About: Harry Yeremtzes is the co-founder of AidPlex PC, an orthopedics startup that has developed a portfolio of products for the treatment of fractures of extremities and a wearable medical device for the monitoring of scoliosis treatment.
Name: Erifili Gounari
Position: Founder and CEO at The Z Link
Interests: Social Media and Community Management
University: Imperial College Business School
About: Erifili is the founder of The Z Link, the first Gen Z-led social media agency helping brands reach the generation of digital natives. Its aim is to bridge the gap between businesses and Gen Z. Her startup helps companies optimize their social media marketing strategies to communicate with the young generation.
