About The Venture Impact Award
About the Venture Impact Award:
The Venture Impact Award (VIA) was founded in 2020 amidst the global pandemic and financial turmoil. The vision was to support Greece’s brightest and most talented teams, helping them create ventures that are scalable, sustainable and able to demonstrate not just a quick return on the investment but also a broader impact on the society at large.
VIA was founded with the initial support of The Helidoni Foundation, founded by Dimitris and Sarah Georgakopoulos in 2019 and the Estate of Charles Condes.
The Helidoni Foundation is bearing the Greek name for the swallow, a bird that has symbolized rebirth, hope and good fortune since ancient times, The foundation aims to promote renewal and progress by nurturing philanthropic and social impact ventures from ideation to viability.
Charles Condes† was a successful entrepreneur who loved Greece and wanted to support budding Greek entrepreneurs.
The VIA runs under the broader umbrella of programs that The Hellenic Initiative administers and supports on the economic development sector. Since 2012 The Hellenic Initiative has supported thousands of entrepreneurs with millions of dollars, helping them unlock third party investments, salaries and boost their revenues. The Hellenic Initiative’s economic development efforts follow a long term approach aiming at job creation through the promotion of entrepreneurship.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for funding through the VIA, you need to meet the following criteria:
– The proposed idea/business plan should showcase impact in Greece’s economic and/or social sectors.
– Applicants must have incurred less than $2,000,000 in debt, grant, equity or other sort of funding.
– Early-stage applicants should be able to demonstrate a complete proof of concept.
– Applications are welcomed from for-profit and hybrid for-profit/nonprofit legal entities, such as social enterprises.
– Ventures are expected to be able to demonstrate a high impact, be sustainable and scalable.
The Prize:
Minimum $25,000 max $150,000 in prize money per winner.
Process:
Applicants need to submit their proposals through the VIA website following this link. The ones meeting the eligibility criteria will pass on the next phase being reviewed by a group of judges. During a special ceremony winners will be announced and presented with their awards.
Payments of Prizes:
Winners must be present to receive a cash award. The cash awards paid by the Venture Impact Award sponsors do not constitute an investment in the winning proposals and sponsors do not receive equity or issue a loan in exchange for the prize money. Awards will be issued in the name of the company. The award sponsors will issue a letter confirming the use of the funds and the terms of payment. Each award will be split into 2 equal payments that will lie 6 months apart. Before releasing the 2nd payment winning teams should submit a 6-month report detailing how they used the funds previously transferred to them and also how they plan to use the future ones. Sponsors will review and approve the 6-month report before releasing the 2nd payment. At the end of the 12 months, winning teams should submit a 12-month report detailing how they used the cash awarded together with a cover letter addressed to the award’s sponsor.
Timeline:
September/October – Applications are open
October/November – Applications are due. Review of proposals.
December – Finalists and Winners announced.
Past Winners:
Tier 1:
Wise Greece @$30,000:
Wise Greece is a multi-awarded social enterprise with a double mission. They help 100 small farmers and food producers grow and export their products, turning the profit from the sales into food supplies for people living under the poverty line in Greece.
Enaleia @$30,000:
Enaleia is a social enterprise aiming to create a sustainable marine ecosystem while creating jobs for people looking to enter the fishing sector. Back in 2016, Enaleia created the first professional fishing school in Greece.
Proud Farm @$30,000:
Proud Farm group of farmers focuses on young people who want to enter the dairy sheep and dairy goat sector. Proud Farm provides a wide variety of training and services to existing dairy sheep and goat farmers from Western Macedonia.
Tier 2:
Staramaki @$20,000:
Staramaki is a social cooperative based in a rural region in Greece that utilizes the most widely produced local product, wheat, to create a viable eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic straws and at the same time create employment opportunities and promote social cohesion.
3S School Synergy Snacks: @$20,000
3S School Synergy Snacks is a social cooperative enterprise working with people facing intellectual disabilities. The team consists of 4 classmates (young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities) from the special vocational education laboratory of Agios Dimitrios. After graduating in 2016 and with their parents and teachers’ encouragement and support, they started producing snacks at their school canteen. Today they are continuing to promote and distribute healthy nut bars in many points of sale across Greece.
Phee @$20,000
PHEE designs and manufactures unique natural products by recycling the leaves of seagrass (Posidonia Oceanica). It also has a patented technology called PHEE-board, a flat panel made from the same seagrass.
Impact Hub @$20,000
Impact Hub Athens develops tools and initiatives that offer direct service to clients, but at the same time work as platforms for other small, social and innovative entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Solmeyea @$20k
Solmeyea is a hybrid AgTech company intersecting with CleanTech, BioTech & Agriculture.
Tier 3:
Stevia Hellas @$10,000
Stevia Hellas Coop, is the leading dry stevia leaves producer across Europe. Established and operating in Central Greece, they cultivate stevia in Greece and manufacture final stevia products in France.
AFI @$10,000
AFI is a Civil Non-Profitable Company established in 2014 with its mission being to combat economic and social exclusion through the introduction and provision of microfinance services in Greece. AFI aims to provide access to finance and business development services to potential and existing micro-entrepreneurs,.
Apiceuticals @$10,000
Apiceutical’s technology turns the output of bees into overall well-being products (that neutralize free radicals, the no1 cause of aging. Apiceuticals utilizes the “secondary” (not-often-used), but extremely powerful bee ingredients — Propolis, Pollen, Royal Jelly — , proposing a POWERHOUSE ANTIOXIDANT BLEND which works synergistically, offering the World’s Most Antioxidant Holistic Propositions, under a PATENTED method and scientifically proven results.
Recytrust @$10,000
Recytrust has created a groundbreaking patented solution that utilizes IoT and Smart Contracts on blockchain technology. Recytrust increases operational efficiency and uncovers economic value in streams of recyclables for businesses. Recytrust helps companies manage their recycling waste effectively while generating revenue for them by auctioning off their generated waste volumes to a certified collectors network.
Incommon @$10,000
InCommOn is a non-profit civil company that promotes sustainable and participatory urban development to tackle the problems that Greek cities are facing
Elektronio Wheels @$10,000
Elektronio wheels were founded in Thessaloniki in 2015. It designs, develops and manufactures premium electric bicycles following a unique geometry.
