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Hellenic-Dutch Association of Commerce & Industry

Hellenic-Dutch Association of Commerce & Industry

Member: Society Premium
Since: 27.02.2014

18, Nikolaou Zekakou Street & K. Karamanli, GR-151 25 Marousi, Greece
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HeDa: Supporting entrepreneurship in Greece

20.10.2016 Share

[Good news for the Netherlands: the World Economic Forum has again placed the Netherlands in the top five of its ranking of the most competitive countries in the world.] 

This year, the Netherlands reached the number 4 spot of the Global Competitiveness In-dex, first among all EU countries, even passing by our German neighbours. We do not want to sit on our laurels however, and are willing to share Dutch expe¬rience in this field with Greece: entrepreneurship and innovation as export products. Ultimately, creating a more dynamic Greek economy by inspiring Greeks with our business mind-set, is in our own interest in the context of the Eurozone. 

Three years ago, my predecessor took the initiative to found Orange Grove, the first start-up incubator in Greece. The aim was to share a new, entrepreneurial spirit with young Greeks. This autumn, Orange Grove is celebrating its third birthday. Innovation, initiative, creativity: these are elements that are still very much needed to create a more competitive Greek economy. 

Thanks to the enthusiastic contribution of Dutch companies in Greece, Orange Grove has been able to develop itself. Major Dutch companies have involved themselves, such as Heineken, KLM, Philips Hellas & Philips Lighting, Friesland Campina, ABN-AMRO Bank, Interamerican/Achmea, Nationale Nederlanden, Unilever, Shell Aviation/Coral, Jacobs Douwe Egberts. Several Greek companies and the Bodossaki Foundation followed and Orange Grove was able to further grow with the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. 

Over the past three years, the Embassy has nurtured Orange Grove with its network, know¬how and its reliability as an Embassy. We are proud of the results. But for Orange Grove to expand even more, it needs a more independent, private sector structure – while remaining non-profit, transparent and internationally connected. 

To make this possible, the Athens Start-up Factory (ASF) has been set up, a non-profit entity, with its own legal status under Greek law, to which Orange Grove has now been transferred. Orange Grove will keep its name and remains in the same building. The Embassy is part of the board of directors of ASF and continues to have a day-to-day involvement. I believe in the Greek parenting style: we will continue to be involved in Orange Grove. As a proud parent, the Embassy will continue to be there in order to offer any support its offspring may need. I will personally stay involved. 

I am pleased to see that the Dutch private sector remains committed, by providing financial support, mentoring and other ways of partnership to Orange Grove’s next phase. At the latest Squeeze pitching event, in the presence of my predecessor Jan Versteeg, I invited everyone who has been involved in Orange Grove to continue to participate in its develop¬ment, by providing ideas, inspiration and connectivity. This way, I believe that Orange Grove will continue to be the coolest, most ‘on the edge’ and best-connected start-up incubator in all of Greece. Let’s hope that maybe, one day, the stories of our start-ups will more widely resonate in Europe and beyond: something new is brewing in Greece… 

What started out as an idea, has become reality. We are now entering a new phase. Orange Grove will be more independent, but by nature cannot function on its own: Orange Grove and its start-ups will constantly need inspiration, ideas and input from those with practical experience in the private sector. 

I hope all of us in the HeDA network will continue to participate in our search for the future, in the development of Athens’ start-up ecosystem and in the creation of a new generation of entrepreneurship in Greece. ✿ 

Caspar Veldkamp 
Ambassador of the Netherlands

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