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VentureGarden Heraklion
2108964531 (ext.2288) venturegarden@bizrupt.gr

VentureGarden Heraklion started in 2019, and the choice of the city was not accidental. Alba Graduate Buisness School, The American College of Greece had already organized many entrepreneurship-related activities in Heraklion. The combination of business tradition and innovative research found in the area showed early that an educational program like VentureGarden can thrive and deliver to the local business community.

In the broader area of ​​Heraklion, we meet several family businesses that need digital transformation, technology companies seeking to develop new services/products, and many potential entrepreneurs who need support in their first steps.

The program is implemented in collaboration with Bizrupt Organization, a local non-profit organization of entrepreneurship and innovation, which started its activities in 2017. Bizrupt's mission is to contribute to developing new sustainable businesses in the county, and its vision is  to create a strong innovation ecosystem in the Greek county, starting from Crete.

Participation Heraklion

Organizer

Organizer

National Donor

National Donor

  • 7

    Rounds

  • 401

    Applications

  • 120

    Participants

  • 109

    Business ideas

  • 198

    Classes hours

  • 342

    Mentoring hours

Team

  • Marina Nikolarou

    Marina is a Project Coordinator at AHEAD - Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship and Development at Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece. With an academic background in Anthropology, she approaches entrepreneurship through a deep understanding of human behavior and social dynamics. In her role, she designs and implements initiatives that foster innovation and growth, building meaningful connections between ideas, people, and opportunities. She focuses on creating impactful actions, combining strategic thinking with creativity and a collaborative mindset.

  • Alexandra Karapidaki

    Alexandra is the Co-Founder of Bizrupt; working on strategy and project management of organization’s projects. An experienced Marketeer with a demonstrated history of working in the web/technology industry and non-profit organization management industry.

  • Alexis Komselis

    Alexis is the director and co-founder of AHEAD-Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship and Development at Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece. He designs and implements programs to support entrepreneurs and family business members. He regularly participates in judging committees of awards and entrepreneurship competitions, or as a mentor supporting teams that take part in such events. He teaches entrepreneurship courses for Alba's MSc in Entrepreneurship and The Alba MBA, and seminars on the Business Model Canvas at Incubators and Accelerators. His academic research focuses on business models, and family business sustainability and governance. He studied business administration at Deree - The American College of Greece and entrepreneurship at postgraduate level at the University of Aberdeen.

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