Africa–Europe Scaling Corridor & HFAISTOS as a Living Lab

Brought by Changemakers Lab, HFAISTOS, Academy of Entrepreneurship, Uni.Fund, Deep Ecosystems, Athens Tech Circle, Youthmakers Hub, THE FACTORY MUSIC GROUP

17:30

HFAISTOS Educational Association of Athens

28/05

Perfect Pitch Night

Brought by StartSmart SEE x National Bank of Greece

18:00

Megaron Karatza

directions

Building Global SaaS from Europe: What’s Changing Now

Brought by UPSET Partners & Minuttia

18:30

Epignosis

The Perfect Pitch Night is a flagship event of the StartSmart SEE Accelerator, where semifinalist teams present their ventures to a selected audience of mentors, investors and industry professionals.
This year, the event stands out in a special way as it is co-organized with NBG Business Seeds at the iconic Karatza Mansion, as part of Panathēnea 2026.

🏆 Case Study: Optimems – The power of both programs
Optimems, winner of the StartSmart SEE Accelerator (2023) and #1 Startup in Greece at NBG Business Seeds (2025), is a clear example of the value created through this collaboration. Starting as a team of five engineers from CERTH, Optimems achieved €2.5M in revenue and a 25% market share in Greece within just 6 months.

Agenda

Reception & Networking
Opening Remarks – Short welcome remarks by the organizers (StartSmart SEE & NBG Business Seeds)
Startup Pitches – Presentations by the semifinalist teams of the StartSmart SEE Accelerator 2026 to a jury of mentors and investors
Fireside Chat: “From Lab to Market” – Discussion with 1–2 teams that participated in both programs, highlighting the benefits of the StartSmart SEE & Business Seeds collaboration
Networking

MEGARON KARATZA

A collage of Panathenea festival images and graphics.

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