{"id":17655,"date":"2024-08-05T13:50:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T11:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thessinnozone.gr\/?p=17655"},"modified":"2024-08-06T14:22:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T12:22:24","slug":"80-startup-founders-land-at-aiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thessinnozone.gr\/en\/80-startup-founders-land-at-aiz\/","title":{"rendered":"80+\u00a0 Startup Founders Land at AIZ!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Tuesday 16 July 2024, the Greece Startup Conference 2024 was organized by Startup Network Europe<\/a>, at the premises of the Alexander Innovation Zone. The conference, an initiative of Adam Fulham, founder of Startup Network Europe and with the support of AZK, for the second year in a row in Thessaloniki, brought together 80+ startuppers, offering a unique opportunity for networking and exchange of knowledge between the innovation ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was welcomed by the President of the Board of Directors of AIZ<\/a>, Dr. Panagiotis Ketikidis, who pointed out the importance of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation was followed by a greeting from Dr. Evdokimos Konstantinidis<\/strong>, representative of the Medical, Physical and Digital Innovation Laboratory of AUTH<\/a> and ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs)<\/a>, who talked about innovation and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of the 4th helix for the successful cooperation of the public, private sector and the academic community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Bootstrapping:<\/strong> It is important to know about self-financing and using limited resources. Inventiveness and innovation are key to a sustainable startup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Financial Understanding:<\/strong> Learn key financial concepts to make decisions and manage your business effectively. Knowledge is power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Customer-centric Innovation:<\/strong> Your best investor is your customers. Listen to their needs and take advantage of feedback from them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Scale Assessment:<\/strong> As you expand, you constantly evaluate and adjust your business plan. Stay flexible and ready to adapt to changes when necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The panel was attended by four founders of major startups of the European innovation ecosystem, with Mr. Chrysovalantis Koutsoumpos<\/strong>, CTO at EveryPay<\/a>, to start the discussion. He was referred to the actions that a startup should do before scaling up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key takeaways: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Creating new product categories:<\/strong> Create new product classes to differentiate your startup in the  market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Human resources with values<\/strong>: Make sure your team shares the same core values. Use a framework to be fair and keep your employees committed. Set your strategy with clear goals and precise results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Adaptability:<\/strong> Adjust your skills to the value proposal of your business. This will seal the growth of your startup and ensure that you stay on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation continued with Mr. George Fylaktopoulos<\/strong>, CTO at Comidor<\/a>, who talked about Artificial Intelligence in Industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Some of his most important arguments concerned: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Process Targeting<\/strong>: Artificial intelligence dominates business process management (BPM) by targeting and optimizing specific processes, making them more efficient and effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Innovation with AI:<\/strong> The integration of artificial intelligence into low-code platforms enables faster development, automation and personalized user experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Impact on Industry: <\/strong>These innovations lead to significant improvements in operational efficiency, reducing costs and allowing more flexible operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion continued with Mr. Wout Eggink<\/strong>, founder of TwinAI<\/a>, who raised the question “Why do Startups fail?”, answering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany people think they understand why startups fail, but the reality is often more complicated. It requires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n