Winners of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award 2013 Announced

Four Greek businesses named as the first recipients of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award – Winners share over €500,000 in business start-up funding
The Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award today announced the four winners for 2013 who will receive business start-up funding as well as mentoring and business support services. Funded and administered by the Libra Group on behalf of The Hellenic Initiative (THI), the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award helps Greek entrepreneurs to overcome economic barriers and pursue innovative business plans. The Libra Group, which has committed €5,000,000 to the award, initially pledged €500,000 in funding for the 2013 winning companies, but following a highly competitive selection process it was felt that the strong business plans presented by the four winners merited increasing this year’s total to €575,000. The additional funding will be provided by Jalouise Pty Ltd, another supporter of The Hellenic Initiative. The 2013 winners are:
· Stella Mare – A seafood business focused on sardines and anchovies from the Greek seas. Stella Mare fillets and organically processes the fish, preserving the finished product in a unique blend of organic olive oil, vinegar, herbs and spices. The business will receive award funding of €190,000.
Applicants: Mr Giorgos Terizakis, Mrs Aggeliki Tsimpli
· Corfu Living History Museum – Recreating the environment of an historic mansion on Corfu, the Living History Museum depicts the everyday life of 19th century nobility. It will include animated figures and the essences and sounds of the age to create an authentic and involving experience. The business will receive award funding of €145,000.
Applicants: Mrs Ekaterini Rantou, Mrs Theodora Efthimiou
· Great Catering – A catering concept for corporate or private entertaining. Great Catering does not utilize standard menus but offers a wholly bespoke service with a special emphasis on presentation, based on the host’s individual preferences. The business will receive award funding of €130,000.
Applicant: Mrs Margarita Vitali Sarantopoulou
· RabT – A smartphone and tablet application that generates a curated video sequence for every user based on a dynamic algorithm that analyzes users’ profile and feedback on every video watched. The business will receive award funding of €110,000.
Applicants: Mr Yiannis Broustas, Mr George Lentzas, Mr Leonidas Garyfallos
“The judges were extremely impressed with the creativity and thoughtfulness displayed by the winners’ business plans. All of them are smart business ideas grounded in the pragmatism and financial prudence essential to business success. We hope that the funding and support provided by the award will help each business to achieve its goals,” said Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Director of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award.
The winners were chosen on the basis of their business plans which demonstrated innovation, job creation, financial discipline, sustainability and social responsibility. In addition to the business funding, each winner will receive business support including legal, accounting, communications and IT consultancy services. Furthermore, all four will be assigned a mentor – a highly experienced business professional from one of the Libra Group’s global businesses.
“These entrepreneurs represent the future of Greece. We are proud of their courage and their commitment to building strong businesses as the foundation for economic renewal in Greece and future prosperity for its people,” said THI founding member and Chairman of the Board, Andrew N. Liveris.
Launched in 2012, the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award seeks to help experienced and new entrepreneurs bring new business ideas to fruition and break through the economic disadvantages that have plagued Greece. As its primary supporter, The Libra Group has committed €5,000,000 to the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award to enable Greek entrepreneurs to support their communities and drive economic growth. The Australia-based property investment and development company, Jalouise Pty Ltd, has contributed a further US$500,000 to the award program.
838 people registered on the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Award website resulting in 295 business plans submitted within the application deadline. The judges carefully scrutinized each plan before selecting ten finalists, and finally the four winners. More information about the award can be found at http://www.hellenicaward.com/en/.
About The Hellenic Initiative:
Founded in 2012, The Hellenic Initiative (THI) is a global, non-profit, non-governmental, secular institution whose vision is to mobilize the Greek Diaspora and philhellene community to support sustainable economic renewal for Greece and its people. Oli Mazi – All Together.
About The Libra Group
The Libra Group is an international business group with principal operations in five core sectors: shipping, aviation, real estate, hospitality and energy. The group which is owned by the Logothetis family comprises 30 subsidiaries operating from 25 locations across four continents. Libra is distinguished by a combination of traditional values, new ideas and an agile mindset that allows it to take advantage of opportunities. For more information please visit www.libra.com.