3rd Idea Platform | The applications are open!
The CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator, an initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, invites young people with innovative ideas that will solve practical problems in tourism through the use of technology to participate in the 3rd Idea Platform.
The new application period starts today, Monday, February 21 and runs until Monday, March 21, 2022 and takes the baton from two successful youth Idea Platform competitions of CapsuleT for the acceleration of technology start-ups in tourism.
The accelerator, always focused on promoting innovation and upgrading the Greek tourism product, invites teams to apply for a place in the competition and – if selected – have the opportunity to work intensively on their idea with the help of industry experts. The 12-day competition program is full of workshops, mentoring sessions and speeches by industry experts, such as recognised start-up founders and executives of large organizations and companies active in tourism, with the ultimate aim of guiding the start-up teams, supporting the further development of their idea and its transformation into a start-up business.
Who can participate?
The Idea Platform is addressed to young students, graduates, postgraduate or PHD students of the country’s schools, young unemployed executives, as well as new businesses at a very early stage of activity with a technological and entrepreneurial background. The goal for participating teams should be to submit business proposals that can solve practical problems identified in tourism through the use of technology and focus on the categories/sectors of the competition.
The Accelerator team is looking for ideas that can evolve into startups with a positive impact on the digital transformation of the Greek tourism industry, and if they wish, the 3 winners of the competition will have the opportunity to qualify directly to the 5th cycle of the Accelerator Programme, in order to further develop their business activity.
More specifically, eligible applicants, in order to secure a place in the programme which will take place between 28 March and 14 April 2022, should be:
– teams (at least 2 people) with an innovative business idea for the tourism sector, which requires the use of the appropriate technology.
– team members must be 18 to 35 years old, graduates or postgraduate students of schools related to fields such as Science, Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration, Economics, Tourism Management and so on.
– applicants must have Greek citizenship or be a resident of Greece.
– applicant teams must not have received any other funding, except for a first round of funding from friends and family (not exceeding 50.000 euro)
– in case they have already established a company, the period of establishment should be less than 6 months from the date of application for participation in the program.
The teams participate with ideas for applications in products and services that are relevant to the objectives and concept of the Idea Platform, applications and solutions, such as:
a) for the hotel and catering tourism sector (hotel management, revenue management, channel management, HR management, guest products & services, etc.),
b) for tourism transport (Distribution & Transfers),
c) for booking engines and online travel agencies (booking engines & OTAs),
d) for tourism and cultural activities, guided tours and events,
e) products and solutions for airports, sea tourism – marinas,
f) sustainability solutions, such as applications and solutions for saving energy and natural resources, food waste, recycling of materials, etc. (indicatively applications – solutions for hotels, tourist facilities, museums, but also for islands, villages, areas with high tourist concentration, etc.),
(g) applications using space technologies under the “Space for Tourism” funding program in areas such as communications, connectivity, accessibility, travel safety, etc,
(h) specialized communication and promotional solutions (such as measurement and evaluation of services, social networks, advertising, etc.).
At the same time, and again this year, there is a special section for functional ideas concerning applications for solving and managing needs that have arisen in businesses, institutions and tourism units due to the pandemic caused by Covid-19.
The structure of the program
The 3rd Idea Platform will have a total duration of 12 days and will take place online between 28 March and 14 April 2022. The Idea Platform will include workshops, talks and mentoring (implementation of the program in the afternoon/afternoon hours). It is noted that the 12-day period includes both the preparatory period and the competitive part. For the successful completion and eligibility of the teams to participate in the Closing Ceremony (competitive part – presentations) on 14 April 2022, the attendance and participation of at least 1 team member is required throughout the duration of the program.
Leading companies on the startup’s side
The Idea Platform has been designed by the CapsuleT team and the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels with the active support and assistance of major organizations of the country as well as startup companies of the tourism ecosystem. Indicatively, Google, Athens International Airport, Expedia Group, NBG Business Seeds of National Bank and Programize, among others, are also participating in the program this year as strategic partners. In addition, the accelerator’s efforts will be supported by representatives of recognized start-ups in the tourism sector, including Clio Muse Tours, Ferryhopper, Triparound, Welcome Pickups, Woof Together, Workathlon, Zoottle, etc.
Submission of applications
The application period for CapsuleT’s 3rd Idea Platform starts on Monday, February 21 and will close on Monday, March 21, 2022.
Please click here to submit your application.
Before applying, please carefully read the eligibility criteria, the terms/conditions of the program and prepare all the necessary content to include in your application (details, team members’ CVs, summary of the central idea).
Please note that the application is submitted in Greek as the program is also implemented in Greek but English terminology is used.
Important note: The submitted team applications will be evaluated by the accelerator’s steering committee throughout the application period (21/2 – 21/3) and those of them that meet the criteria will immediately secure their participation in the program. Candidate teams are therefore invited to apply as soon as possible in order to secure their place in the program in good time.
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