The first major step in the significant 5-year agreement secured by Eurobank was sending a delegation of the first business teams of the egg – enter•grow•go Innovative Youth Entrepreneurship Programme to Canada. The agreement was signed with Ryerson University to boost Greek innovative, youth entrepreneurship.
Three very promising egg teams – VesselBot, which is an online commercial ship charter platform, Cloudpharm, active in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industry, and Exit Bee operating in online advertising – will explore new networking and growth paths, making the most of the solid know-how offered by Ryerson University, Canada, as well as the options available through the Canadian startup system.
The five-year agreement also fosters synergies between Eurobank and DMZ startup business accelerator, a unit of Ryerson University. In the eight years it has been operating it is ranked first globally* in its category. Since 2010, when it was established, it has supported more than 350 startups, which have raised $477.2 million in seed funding and have contributed to creating more than 3,300 jobs.
The Deputy CEO at Eurobank, Mr Stavros Ioannou, stated, “In a decisive moment for the powerful and sustained recovery of the Greek economy, supporting young, talented and competent scientists and entrepreneurs is a priority. With the right tools and incentives, they may contribute to restarting the Greek economy and turning the brain drain into a brain gain. Creating opportunities for healthy business units whey they are starting off is a significant strategic pillar for Eurobank. With egg as the flagship, it has been systematically investing in innovative youth entrepreneurship over the last years. Today, three egg teams are making the most of an amazing opportunity, travelling to Canada, in the context of the agreement between Eurobank and Ryerson University. It is the first step of a very promising programme that we are anticipating will offer tools, know-how and international networking opportunities to startups, contributing to their business transformation.
The visit of the three teams to Canada and the chance to participate in and receive mentoring from the DMZ signals the start of a series of actions, which will continue in spring 2019, with the next round of teams.
The second pillar gradually taking shape is the chance for Eurobank Group executives and young Greek entrepreneurs from the egg to participate in e-learning programmes at Ryerson University, as well as other Eurobank actions.
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*According to the UBI Global ranking among new business incubators managed by universities.