On February 25th, InnORBIT partner Corallia - ESA BIC Greece Manager launched the first space initiative of InnORBIT, the 1st Greek Space Cafe!
The space cafe was held using a hybrid format, with physical presence of the organisers and Greek speakers on the premises of Corallia in Athens, while several participants from Athens and beyond, joined through online means.
The first event was relatively small and intimate, with more than 20 external participants, though showing signs of tremendous potential for scaling up to a wider audience of space experts, non-space innovators and space enthusiasts in Greece to build a strong space community.
The event started with a welcome note to participants by Mr. Jorge Sanchez, one of the co-founders of Corallia and Director of ESA BIC Greece. Ms. Stellina Patellida briefly introduced the InnORBIT's business support elearning platform that contains valuable material for startups and innovators to build their skills on space entrepreneurship. Finally, Mr. Orfeas Voutyras, closed the introductory session with a presentation of the most recent headlines, achievements and news in the global space sector.
The core session of this space cafe was dedicated to the keynote speeches of the three invited experts who then had the chance to answer questions and provided valuable tips for space innovators to navigate the NewSpace market in Greece. The first keynote speaker was Mr. Rainer Horn, Managing Partner of SpaceTec Partners and SpaceTec Capital in Munich, Germany. Rainer presented his more than two-decade-long experience in the space sector in Germany and Europe and also presented some of the greatest achievements and projects his firm has led over the years, including the Copernicus Accelerator. Then, Rainer, discussed with participants about his experiences with the space sector in Greece and provided his insights on how space entrepreneurs could best strategize their ideas and successfully reach out to investors.
Mr. Athanasios Potsis, Director of Business Development in EFA Ventures and vice president of the si-cluster (the first space cluster in Greece) made the second keynote speech and he talked about his personal experience during the infancy stages of development of the Greek space sector. Mr. Potsis then discussed with attendants the key strategic entry points in the local space sector, explained its individualities and outlined a long-term roadmap on how to initiate a successful space venture and how to keep it evolving in a challenging market.
Finally, Mr. Stellios Bollanos, the co-founder and Director of Planetek Hellas shared his experiences at the early stages of his career in Planetek Italia and the history of how the firm expanded its activities in Greece and the value it adds through space-enabled technologies and applications to the present day. Stellios focused and highlighted the importance of mentoring and guidance in the space sector and how it contributed to a successful space company in Greece with a strong business model.
The 1st Greek space cafe was closed by the Corallia team, thanking participants and speakers for their contribution to a successful Greek Space Cafe. Through the Greek Space Cafe LinkedIn Group, members were invited to freely suggest topics for the next space cafe on April.
Looking forward for the next one!
