ARIS A Really Inspiring Space participated in the International Investment Forum in Ruse, Bulgaria organised by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the framework of the Gazelle project (“Organizing acceleration for high-potential innovative SMEs”), funded by the Interreg Balkan-Mediterranean Programme 2014-2020. The Forum that was held with great success on the 18th May of 2022 provided the opportunity to fifteen SMEs & Startups from the Balkan MED region to pitch in front of a wide audience including business angels and investors and participate in matchmaking and networking activities. The delegation of Cyprus led by Eliza Loucaidou, ARIS Manager and Director at Deloitte’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Centre, was also joined by Rafaela Tsolakki on behalf of Exerte Partners and Chris Droussiotis of Kinisis Ventures, and included three startups supported by Gazelle, Verality, Mindswaps and Pokerload.
The Gazelle project aims to tackle the major obstacles in the development and growth of Gazelles (innovative companies characterized by their rapid growth pace) such as access to finance through the support of the creation and the valorization of Business Angels Networks (BANs) and access to external knowledge whether this is knowledge of the market or technical expertise by boosting technology transfer strategies and facilitating the connection between universities and innovative SMEs. Main objectives are to develop and implement a pilot for a coherent mechanism for accelerating the development process for innovative companies; strengthen organizations that can support the creation of business Angels networks; and facilitate the knowledge transfer, and transfer of best practices, including the development of tools for business angels and entrepreneurs.
The Consortium led by the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, includes the Cyprus University of Technology, the University of Athens, ENTERPRISE GREECE, Ruse Chamber in Bulgaria, and the Chamber of Commerce in Northern Macedonia. In Cyprus, ARIS has been appointed as the local Project Support Centre, supporting startups throughout their entrepreneurial journey and participating in investment forums in Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
For more information, news, and updates, stay tuned at:
• Website: https://ariscy.com/, https://gazelle-project.eu/
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• LinkedIN: https://www.facebook.com/gazelleprojecteu/
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