The winners of the 9th Youth Innovation Competition, Idea Platform

• The 6th Youth Innovation Competition Idea Platform of CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator was enriched with upgraded entries and original ideas. The Closing and Award Ceremony took place yesterday, Tuesday, May 6, in a festive atmosphere where 3 innovative proposals were announced as winners.

At the event, which took place at the EVDOMOS multi-purpose venue, the Accelerator of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels welcomed representatives of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and Hospitality, as well as strategic partners, speakers, judges, and mentors, along with the 7 teams that successfully completed the Idea Platform competition program.

This year’s Competition teams, through valuable workshops and coaching sessions, further developed their ideas, with the aim of creating start-ups that will offer solutions to tourism and hospitality issues, earning praise and recognition from the audience that attended the event.

The final presentation of their business proposal was judged by the Jury consisting of: Nikos Papagiannopoulos, Athens International Airport, Thanasis Sofianos, Relevance Digital Agency, Spyros Arsenis, NBG Business Seeds, Stefania Flegga, Hospitality Consultant & Hotel Management Expert, Lisa Katsouraki, Startup Expert & Angel Investor.

The 3 teams that prevailed were Umbrella Add on, Bookerty, and ePhiloxenia, winning cash prizes from the accelerator, free services and benefits from strategic partners of the program as well as their entry into the 8th Acceleration Cycle of CapsuleT.

The winning teams in more detail:

Umbrella Add On

A smart, multifunctional device that adapts to any umbrella and is aimed at high-end hotels and beach bars. It offers solar charging for mobile devices, storage space for personal items, and an integrated ordering system. It enhances the guest experience with comfort and autonomy, while offering hospitality businesses added value through practical, sustainable, and technologically advanced solutions.

Bookerty

Bookerty is the Greek OTA platform that hosts both hotels and short-term rental accommodations with extremely low booking fees and innovative features such as Guest Bidding, Auction System, and Host Phone Number Display. It offers maximum flexibility, economy, and freedom to its users, redefining the hospitality sector in Greece.

e-Philoxenia

e-Philoxenia is an application that improves the guest experience and automates hotel operations. It offers personalized services, an AI assistant, mobile check-in/out, and reservations. It analyzes guest behavior with AI, recommends services, and integrates with PMS, making hospitality efficient and personal.

In total, the 7 teams that successfully completed the program were:

Bookerty, e-Philoxenia, F.I.O.R.I., Sustain Habits, Umbrella Add on, UNLMTD, Verda Vista.

The President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Mr. Alexandros Vassilikos, stated, “It is very important and I am very happy that we function as a link between generations. We must give the space and opportunity to young people to express themselves. Generations are intertwined and mixed, and what comes out of this exchange is the wealth that we all need in order to develop, in this case, hospitality. We can give you the values ​​and, through these values, you must develop your ideas. I wish you all a very beautiful future, which belongs to you. Tourism is not our industry, it is yours. This is inevitable, we will deliver it to you. So do what, through the values ​​we all advocate, you all believe is worth doing and going in the ways that you believe are appropriate for today's generation".

Ms. Katerina Saridaki, Director of the Accelerator, said characteristically, "At the 6th Idea Platform, we saw with great joy and emotion 7 teams that completed the program successfully presenting and being able to showcase their ideas in a business proposal. There is a big difference that we see from the initial phase to the final day of today's presentation, where we see the evolution, the work that the participants have done together with the mentors and presenters from the workshops. And for this, we want to thank the strategic partners as well as the mentors of the program very much. Because without them we could not have reached this level that we saw today".

For the successful conduct of the 6th Idea Platform, the CapsuleT team joined forces with leading companies in the tourism ecosystem. The strategic partners included Athens International Airport, Expedia Group, NBG Business Seeds of the National Bank of Greece, HotelBrain Group, FNG Law Firm, and Relevance Digital Agency. The Accelerator program was also supported as mentors and speakers by representatives of recognized tourism startups, Camspsaround, Clio Muse Tours, Ferryhopper, Sammy, Tourmie, TravelMyth, Triparound, and Welcome Pickups.

Follow CapsuleT’s activities through the Accelerator’s Website and Social Media.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report