An Innovation Platform at TIF 2018 by Found.ation

From September the 8th through the 16th, 2018, Found.ation participated in the 83rd Thessaloniki International Exhibition, with the USA as an honored country. In collaboration with the US Embassy In Greece, Innov.ation HUB, an innovative computer-equipped classroom, was created, where lessons on digital skills and lectures were given daily, with free entrance for exhibition visitors. At the same time, Found.ation also organized the Tech Olympus Summit, a TED conference on innovation.

The Innov.ation HUB program included a total of 40 events, 21 of which focused on digital skills development, 12 on enhancing entrepreneurship, and 7 focused on more specific business needs. More than 60 hours were devoted to lessons and lectures throughout the exhibition, while 50 teachers, speakers, and panelists were recruited. The public interest in the events was extremely high, exceeding any expectations, as more than 2,000 exhibitors attended some of the Innov.ation HUB events.

Found.ation, aiming to feature not only the effort being made in the Greek ecosystem but also in Thessaloniki in particular, has chosen the majority of speakers from the local scene. Many local agencies, such as Rutgers University as well as OK!Thess, which also organized a bootcamp for local startups, contributed to this effort. Through the three-day Innov.ation Bootcamp process, participants were able to learn the basics of a business plan, pitching and startup finances.

Numerous entities visited the site and were informed about the schedule of actions and events, including political figures, academics, business people, and guests of the US Embassy, ​​such as Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State Department for Educational & Cultural Affairs.

At the Tech Olympus Summit, approximately 200 guests had the opportunity to attend 15 distinguished speakers from Greece and abroad for 5 hours. The US Ambassador in Athens, Geoffrey Pyatt, presented the conference while Michael Kratsios, Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy at the White House, was among the speakers. Other notable speeches were those of Karina Sotnik, on the association between Universities and the market in the context of innovative entrepreneurship startups, as well as the speech of Christina Tremonti on corruption. Tech Olympus Summit talks will soon be available online for those who haven’t been able to follow them closely.

Last but not least, the contribution of companies and organizations that supported our actions, such as Envolve Entrepreneurship, Eurobank, Microsoft Hellas, The Hellenic Initiative and Athens International Airport, among others was crucial.