Innovation on the Frontlines

The next generation of European defence is being built right now — and the hardest conversations are happening in Athens.

Five panels. Twenty speakers. One evening that cuts to the core of where European defence innovation actually stands: the real-world barriers stopping solutions from reaching the field, what investors need to see before they write a defence check, how militaries are navigating the ethics of AI and autonomy, and whether Greece can become a serious launchpad for defence founders — not someday, but now.

The evening closes with a fireside chat between Greece's Minister of National Defence and the CEO of Saronic Technologies — on autonomous systems, contested maritime domains, and what deterrence looks like when the weapons think for themselves.

This isn't “another defence conference”. It's where policy meets the frontier.

Speakers

Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defence,
Dino Mavrookas, Founder & CEO, Saronic Technologies, 
Vasilis Nedos, Kathimerini, 
Artem Moroz, Head of Investor Relations & Deputy Head of Partnerships and International Cooperation, BRAVE1, 
Vootele Päi, Head of Dual‑Use Technologies, Tehnopol, Estonia, 
Georgia Prasinou, HCDI/ΕΛΚΑΚ, 
Johannes Galatsanos, Co‑Founder & CEO, Diffraqtion, 
Marika Petrakis, Co‑Founder & COO, Avronna,
Niko Eftathiou, WIRED Greece,
Nikos Antoniou, Managing Partner, Apeiron VC,
Akis Bratsos, Partner, Lakestar,
Sam Burrel, Partner, Expedition Fund, 
Gilles Le Cocguen,Director, EuroQuity BPI France, \
Panagiotis Papageorgiou, Executive Board Member, HCDI/ΕΛΚΑΚ, 
James Lythgoe, Head of Eastern Europe, Shield AI, 
Vassilis Skiadopoulos, Director, Government & Industries EMEA, Microsoft for Defence, 
Georgios Kontogiannis, CTO, Wonderful