The 8th consecutive cycle of egg – enter•grow•go, an initiative jointly designed and implemented since 2013 by Eurobank and Corallia of the Athena Research Centre, is under way, supporting innovative entrepreneurship, aiming at its sustainable development.
Based in the experience from the previous cycles and the international trends, egg is solidifying its position as an integrated startup business accelerator in Greece and is reinforcing the support offered to businesses, further improving the quality features of the Programme in the new cycle of the egg Start Up platform. Specifically:
- The limit as to the age of an innovative business that wants to participate is lifted.
- The Extroversion Programme for businesses participating in egg, as well as the actions to link them to the real economy are further strengthened with a series of initiatives, in cooperation with recognised domestic and international organisations.
- The monitoring and guidance of business teams that will enter the Programme this year are intensified, to accelerate the implementation of their business plan.
The business teams will work to achieve specific and measurable business plan milestones, even monthly, such as: focusing on the target-market, designing the business model, prioritising products/services, organising and managing the business, carrying out financial management and tracking business expenses, and getting suitable partners.
The Programme activated its new structure as of the 7th cycle, addressing innovative business teams which have a business plan that can lead to investment growth and commercial activities, but also supporting the business teams through two distinct and complementary platforms. Specifically:
- The egg Start Up platform, which is addressed to business teams and aims to support entrepreneurship at the early stage of incubation.
- The egg Scale Up platform, the advanced business accelerator of egg – enter•grow•go, which is addressed to more mature startups and businesses that seek to accelerate their product development, increase sales and find new financing.
Proposals from all sectors of economic activity can be submitted during the 8th cycle of egg, provided the submitted business plan meets the requirements of business innovation, excellence and sustainability, in line with the trends in the Greek and international market.
We particularly encourage business plans that build on long research activity or extensively use innovations in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cybersecurity, Tourism Technology and Modern Services, FinTech, Robotics, Virtual/Augmented Reality, Industry, Biotechnology, Medical Technology and Methods, Agricultural Technology, Environmental Technology, Energy, Education etc.
We also provide an integrated package of financing solutions that give young entrepreneurs the option to make the most of various financing channels:
- Microfinancing in the context of the European EaSI programme, in partnership with AFI (Action Finance Initiative) at the incubation stages of egg.
- Working capital and long-term loans.
- Financial support through three (3) funds, Velocity.Partners, Uni.fund and Big Pi Ventures of EquiFund, the investment platform that invests in startups and operates under the auspices of the European Investment Fund (EIF). These three funds can financially support:
- companies and business teams with innovative ideas that are just starting off, such as the ones participating in the egg Start Up and egg Scale Up platforms,
- companies created in universities and research centres, etc.
Teams of people aged between 18 and 65, who aspire to boost the future prospects of their business ideas or their business can apply to enter the new cycle of the egg – enter•grow•go, programme, and specifically the egg Start Up platform, which runs for 12 months in total.
Applications to enter egg – enter•grow•go may be submitted by Monday 6 April 2020, at 15:00, while the first Open Day of the 8th cycle will take place on Wednesday 4 March 2020 at 17:00, at the egg facilities.
Interested parties may find further information on the egg – enter•grow•go platform.