I started investing in the stock market at the age of 14 while at 23 I was working as investment analyst for a private equity and later on for the European Central Bank. However my volunteering experience in the cultural field inspired me to realise that finance can be used to create sustainable business models and address social issues so I decided to explore this path combining it with my passion for traveling & food. During this quest I had an exchange with the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program on sustainable/alternative tourism (Italy) I pursued a Master of Philosophy in Finance (University of Cambridge) and volunteered for multisensory cultural projects (Greece Austria Germany). Returning to Greece I worked as Associate to the Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Finally I felt I had enough experiences and the right team to establish Dishcover.
My participation in EYE was transformative. Before that I had awards and distinctions on relevant projects and studies. However during my cooperation with the Host Entrepreneur and the team of Smeralda Consulting my skills and knowledge reached a different level through robust experience. Indicatively I:rn- got professional experience around designing tree diagrams Gantt tables and setting milestones among others for effective project planning and management. – involved in projects of cross-border partnerships – researched and created manuals around agricultural and maritime tourism- involved in special events such as the “Magie d’Inverno” that combined exhibition of luxury products (Cartier etc) with local culture and products – familiarized with youth programs and programs of knowledge and innovation transfer- experienced how my finance research and business skills can lead to preservation of cultural heritage through and got to know the whole process.
Being in a different country helped me to open my horizons and mind: new practices approaches and understanding of different cultural contexts. The Host entrepreneur provided me with several opportunities for learning while the help of Asset Tec and Mr. Andreadis during the application and goals-setting process was important for the effectiveness of my staying. All in all EYE supplied me with skills and a compass towards my entrepreneurial journey. Recently we had the first agreement for cooperation outside Greece and we want to accelerate this process and further expand. Moreover we have started planning our fundraising efforts. We recognize that the investment landscape for travel tech startups is very challenging but we have a very strong value proposition and innovative approach while we have achieved several milestones by bootstrapping. Fundraising would help us to expand faster taking advantage of the current opportunity and evolve further our technology.
For more information, please contact the local contact points involved in the exchange:
New entrepreneur’s contact point:
Asset Technology (Athens)
Host entrepreneur’s contact point: ART-ER S.c.p.a. (Bologna)
ART-ER S.c.p.a. (Bologna)