The VC and Startup Ecosystem is brimming with talented female entrepreneurs. We have already discussed the leading women from the Balkan states and Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, Western Balkans, Poland, Belgium and Austria. Now, we will take a closer look at the Top Women from Greece's venture capital and startup world!
Katerina Pramatari
Katerina Pramatari is a Partner at Uni.Fund and associate professor at Athens University of Economics and Business. Pramatari interrupted her academic career in informatics and in 1990s she joined Procter & Gamble’s European technology team, where she was developing the consumer goods group’s first sales and marketing software. Returning to Greece as the dotcom boom took off, she launched an ebusiness start-up to sell fast-moving consumer goods online. Since 2018 she is a Partner at Uni.Fund, which is a €30m venture capital fund whose backers include the EU’s European Investment Fund and Greek institutional investors and provides pre-seed and seed funding up to €1m to its start-ups, along with mentoring aimed at transforming Greek scientific researchers into ethical entrepreneurs.
Paula Schwarz
Paula Schwarz is a half Greek and half German woman whose aim is to build bridges through venture capital. She identifies and incubates promising underprivileged founders in Greece and Germany, coaches them, and provides access to funding and sponsorships from VC.
In 2015 she founded Startupboat which is an incubator for innovative solutions to social challenges. Throughout the years, she engaged a variety of global influential people to help her in developing her mission. One of the ideas was to establish a free co-working space for social change makers who perceive mass migration as an opportunity, rather than a challenge - this initiative was called The Migration Hub Network. Through her work, she shows that by empowering one another we can achieve the best result for all.
Evangelia Balatsou
Evangelia Balatsou is the creator of Greek Girls Code, a project designed to motivate young women to delve into science through the use of Twitter account takeovers.
Her area of expertise is cognitive neuroscience, focusing particularly on the brain's ability to recognize, interpret and generate language. Her doctorate in Neuroscience was earned from Bangor University. Currently, she is a Speech Scientist and Project Manager at voiceweb.
Stefi Vasilopoulou
At the beginning of 2022, Stefi Vasilopoulou created Hellenides, a career network that supports women in Greece. She is also renowned for being one of the first angel investors in Greece, with a successful exit. Moreover, Stefi is an advisor and Managing Partner at ORAMA Ventures.
Since 2008, Stefi has been developing various businesses, with the first being a digital platform for students to exchange books. In 2009, she then created an online advertising and performance marketing marketplace. In 2018, Vasilopoulou launched the first inspirational podcast in Greece.
Stella Kasdagli
Stella Kasdagli is the co-founder of Women On Top, a Greek non-profit that helps to empower women professionally and promote gender equality. She is in charge of designing and carrying out mentoring and professional development services for women, as well as services for companies looking to achieve equality, diversity and a better work-life balance.
The worldwide web has become an indispensable part of our lives. It's a tool that has revolutionized the way we communicate, work, and even live. It has become so integrated into our everyday lives that it is hard to imagine life without it.
Eri Pavlaki
Eri Pavlaki is a co-founder and director of the Greek nonprofit "Women Do Business” - an organization that fights stereotypes and works to encourage female entrepreneurship. The organization holds events to provide women with an opportunity to discuss their success in the business world. Pavlaki's NGO is dedicated to inspiring and empowering women in business.
In 2022 Eri founded Start Sleep - which is an online platform that enables booking a night in a luxurious & comfortable bed, to sleep in nature or in any open space, right under the stars at affordable prices.
Rania Lamprou
Rania Lamprou is the CEO and co-creator of Simpler, an e-commerce business that was established in 2021. Simpler's approach is named "headless checkout", which for the first time, separates the checkout process from the online stores.
Rania gained her professional experience while working for Market Group as a Director of Product DSP, Product Manger at Glispa and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Avocarrot.
She graduated from Bocconi University, Rotterdam School of Management and CEMS.
Ioanna Angelidaki
Ioanna Angelidaki is the cofounder and CMO of InstaShop, a mobile app and e-shop for groceries that covers the entire Middle East and North Africa. Prior to this, she was the co-founder and CMO of Voundapp, which is a voice social network allowing people to create and share sound and video snippets.
She graduated from Technical University of Crete and University of Aegean. SInce 2014 Ioanna is a Speaker of "How to leverage Social Media for Business" organised by Chania Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit of the Technical Universtity of Crete.
Olga Mavi
Olga Mavi is the Product Director of Upstream that helps businesses grow their digital reach & toolkits to optimize user experience, increase engagement, attract new customers, and boost their revenues.
She is also a Product Trainer at Product-Led Growth Hub and Organizer at Product Community Greece. Previously, Olga was holding Co-founder & Head of Product position at Socital: personalisation for e-commerce.
She is an experienced Head of Product with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Olga has strong product management skills in negotiation, analytics, coaching, communication, and event management.
Zina Mavroeidi
Zina Mavroeidi, the founder of e-fresh.gr, created the largest and most comprehensive online supermarket in the region of Attica. This website was developed to provide an intuitive experience, coupled with a novel storage and delivery system, thus forming a complete e-retailing service. She has expertise in consulting, advertising, budgeting, ebusiness, marketing, media buying, media planning, negotiation, programming, research, and retail. Zina is an experienced professional. Before she founded the e-fresh.gr, she was working as a Senior Consultant at Deioltte and Mangerat EY.
Christina Karapataki
Christina Karapataki worked for 5 years in corporate venture capital, and now she invests on behalf of Breakthrough Energy Ventures since 2017. Energy Ventures is a VC which invests in companies creating tech solutions addressing climate change. Christina focuses mainly on decarbonization solutions for the electricity, transportaion and manufacturing sectors, and I am interested in finding technologies that can leverage expertise from established industries to solve climate problems. She is driven by finding solutions that can be commercially deployed at scale and have a significant impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Karapataki has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and has a Global Corporate Venturing (GCV) Rising Stars award in corporate venturing.
Anastasia Psomiadi
Anastasia Psomiadi is the founder and president of SOTL Global Movement, a group devoted to empowering women in the cigar industry and the founder of APSON CSR, the first Greek company to specialize in Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility. Additionally, she is the founder and leader of a global social initiative: Sister of the Leaf Global Movement.
Fueled by her passion to create connections, Anastasia is an experienced public speaker and instructor/facilitator at Conferences, Seminars and Workshops that focus on Social issues, Business Ethics, Female Leadership, Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability. As a Communication Consultant and Project Manager, she has represented and re-positioned multiple organizations. Additionally, she has been involved in organizing a number of scientific and cultural conferences throughout the world.
Melina Taprantzi
Melina Taprantzi is a social entrepreneur who was chosen to receive the "SDGs and Her" award in 2020, bestowed by the United Nations and the World Bank in recognition of her work with the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. She has worked as an advisor on CSR, EDI and SDGs, providing aid to Fortune 1000 companies. In 2013, Taprantzi created the non-profit organization "Wise Greece" to help small farmers and food producers grow and ship their products, with the proceeds from the sales going to provide food aid for those in need.
She is highly involved in a variety of capacities related to sustainability, social impact, and corporate social responsibility. Additionally, Melina is an Ambassador of the Think Young Entrepreneurship School and a TEDX Speaker, while also organizing workshops on CSR for corporate executives and teaching courses on sustainability and social impact in undergraduate programs. She is also a co-builder of the World Human Forum.
Maria-Christina Tsitsopoulos
Maria-Christina Tsitsopoulos is a Regional Manager for Techstars' Startup Programs in Southern and Western Europe, and also a mentor for the Girlz program that pairs teenage girls with female leaders. She has a keen interest in psychology, learning, and development, and is passionate about helping startups and entrepreneurs progress from the inception of an idea to a successful IPO.
Myrto Papathanou
Myrto Papathanou is a highly skilled professional with a proven track record in technology and the high-tech industry from both the corporate and venture capital sides. Currently, she is a Founding Partner at Metavallon VC, an early-stage venture capital firm that supports Greek and European tech businesses. Additionally, she has been part of the formation of a few tech startups, and is also a Board Member of notable Greek startups like Better Origin and FerryHopper.
Thaleia Misailidou
Thaleia Misailidou holds the position of Principal at Marathon Venture Capital and is a co-founder of Greek Tech Finance Network, a collective network of professionals engaged with start-ups in the finance industry. Prior to this, she served as an Analyst with Cartagena Capital, a consultant with Augmenta, and a Principal at Marathon Venture Capital. Her educational experience in mechanical engineering as well as financial engineering has birthed her passion for Robotics, AI, and gaming.
Peggy Antonakou
As the Head of Google for South Eastern Europe, Peggy Antonakou is devoted to supporting business development and technology enablement in the ecosystem. She is determined to assist the up and coming generations of digital frontrunners, to empower people to thrive in the ever-growing global environment. She is passionate about the technology of tomorrow and is dedicated to ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth for all.
Alexandra Choli
Alexandra Choli is an ecosystem pioneer and early stage tech startup investor, currently active in the impact investing space through her latest venture, Epagon VC. She has 20 years of experience in the fields of operations, business development, and entrepreneurship, and is passionate about growing innovation-driven high-impact startups.
In 2011, Alexandra founded Metavallon, a model social enterprise that introduced the first startup incubator in Greece and spearheaded the formation of the startup ecosystem in the country. Four years later she launched Metavallon Ventures Limited, a micro-fund that introduced the first startup acceleration program in Greece. In 2018, she co-founded and became a Partner at Metavallon VC, a €32mm venture capital firm investing in very early stage technology companies in Greece and Europe, with the European Investment Fund as an anchor investor in its inaugural fund. Prior to all ventures Metavallon, she worked in operations, management, and business development at several early-stage & small- to medium-sized businesses, both for-profit and non-profit, in Greece, UK, United States, Nicaragua and India.
In recognition of her pioneering work and entrepreneurial achievements the past decade, Alexandra has been featured in publications and university-taught case studies, was among Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in 2020, and was presented the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award by the British Council in 2018. She holds a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College London and a Master of Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business, where she specialized in entrepreneurship, social innovation, and strategy.
Magy Kontou
Magy Kontou is startup, mobile and technology enthusiast. During her postgraduate studies, she co-founded SimpleApps, an award-winning mobile and digital marketing agency that won various youth entrepreneurship and innovation competitions. Currently, Magy is a co-founder and Lead Product and UI/UX Designer of SimpleApps. She also co-organized the Google Developers Group Athens (GDG Athens) and is an ambassador for Women Techmakers (Google). Kontou is often invited to speak at tech and entrepreneurship events.
Denise Xifara
Denise Xifara is a holder of a PhD in Statistical Genetics and a MMath in Mathematics & Statistics from Oxford University. She has a background in academia at Oxford and has received awards from the American Society of Human Genetics and the Leventis Foundation. Additionally, Xifara has provided corporate training in code, AI, and other technical skills, as well as advised them in data governance and data strategy. Denise is a non-executive director of A Million Ads, has worked with start-ups on building AI, blockchain, and chatbot applications, and is the co-founder of Nupinion, a start-up devoted to improving the way people engage with news. She is passionate about applying big data to gain insight from global news content.
Konstantina Psoma
Konstantina Psoma is the originator of Kaedim, a tech start-up that utilizes AI to simplify and accelerate the production of 3D assets for video games, movies, and more, which has just raised a hefty pre-seed round. The AI technology that Kaedim provides allows 3D artists to create their 3D assets in a matter of seconds, which is more than 100 times faster than the existing methods.
Matina Thomaidou
Matina Thomaidou is a Senior Director of Customer Success at Wappier and a thought leader in insights. She leads a team that enables the success of mobile games and apps through AI. Moreover, she is a co-founder of the NGO Greek Women Do Tech, which strives to connect, inspire, motivate, and empower women in tech fields around the globe. Before joining Wappier, Thomaidou had extensive experience in the tech field, working at companies such as Facebook Ireland, IBM Ireland, Accenture Greece, Microsoft Norway, and Ecole Polytechnique in France. She is also the head of Lean In Greece's Women in Tech Global Circle.
Dora Trachana
Dora Trachana is passionate about technology trends, coaching teams, and meeting new people and new products. She graduated from the Department of Management Science and Technology at the Athens University of Economics and Business and also she holds a MSc in Information Systems. Since 2018 she is working for Uni.Fund, where she started as an Associate and in 2022 she became a Junior Partner. During the last years in Uni.Fund, Dora has led the VC evaluation procedure with more than 1500 startups and spinoffs from the EU region and she has led and managed more than 40 transactions including deal structuring, negotiations, due diligence, and deal consummation.
Moreover, Dora is a Borad Member at Bespot - a provider of location fraud detection and intelligence solutions, dedicated to the retail, gaming, and hospitality industries, Head of Strategy and Growth at CYPRUS P.C. and Supercharger at neonVest that supercharges founders' networks by connecting early-stage founders to curated VCs and elite founder-operators for 1-on-1 coffee-chats.
Marina Kalogerakou
From the beginning of 2023 Marina Kalogerakou is holding the position of Investment Associate in Genesis Ventures where she is focused on finding and supporting the next wave of tech-enabled disruptive companies, that already have, or want to set foot in Greece.
Previously, Marina was a Researcher at the Marie Sklodowska Curie ITN program "INSPIRE" and Research and Development Specialist in Group Science.
She graduated from National Technical University of Athens and London Business School.
Helen Kontozopoulos
Helen Kontozopoulos in 2018 co-founded ODAIA, an AI-powered commercial insights SaaS platform for Pharma companies. At ODAIA, Helen is not only the co-founder, but also the Chief Technical Evangelist. She combines her knowledge about artificial intelligence, customer analytics and digital transformation to help pharma teams adopt AI and to achieve a competitive advantage.
Moreover, Helen is the host of the 'Making Impact' podcast, where she is holding discussions with life sciences leaders about how their work impacts our lives through technology. She also co-founded Univeristy of Toronto’s Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab (DCSIL), which is an incubator supporting students and faculty to commercialize their innovations in emerging technologies, especially AI.
She graduated form University of Tasmania, York University and Massachusetts University od Technology.
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