8th Cycle of CapsuleT | The applications are open!
CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator, an initiative of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and the only Greek accelerator that focuses exclusively on travel tech startups, is back with great momentum.
After the successful implementation of seven (7) Accelerator Programs, CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator, invites startups in the sector to register for the 8th cycle of the Accelerator Program from Monday, May 26, 2025 to Thursday, June 26, 2025.
As the 8th cycle (September 2025 – February 2026) is just around the corner, the Accelerator expects to include in its community new startup teams that are at an early stage of development and provide technology solutions with applications in tourism, as well as startups whose services promote the key points of global tourism recovery such as sustainability/savings solutions for food, energy, natural resources, etc., within a specified period, taking into account the evaluation criteria and the conditions for participation in the five-month program.
What do we offer?
Through our Program, we help young entrepreneurs to upgrade their technological start-ups, which provide innovative solutions in the travel and hospitality industry. Our main goal, as a tourism tech startup accelerator, is to provide meaningful support and guidance through our free content-rich program that meets the startups’ business needs while providing practical training opportunities, industry interface – with hotel and tourism business owners, executives and representatives – and useful tools on how they can scale up and meet market demands.
More specifically, the Acceleration Program is offered to the selected groups free of charge and without any other financial requirement (e.g. equity or shares from their company). Its duration is 5 months, during which time the selected start-ups – in addition to their participation in the program – can use the accelerator office space free of charge with the possibility of extending the period of use for a further 3 months after the end of the program.
The program includes activities such as workshops and mentoring meetings, while an important part of the program is also the presentation opportunities and meetings with tourism executives (meetups), visits to hotels and leading travel agencies (on-site visits), as well as networking activities through attendance at networking events. In addition, additional activities – through conferences and participation in exhibitions and delegations in Greece and abroad – constitute another part of the program, so the startups can connect effectively with important representatives of the Hellenic and global touristic market.
What companies can apply in the program?
Eligible to participate are companies that provide technological applications and solutions for the hotel and catering sector, the field of tourist transport / smart cities/mobility, booking engines and online tourist offices, tourist and cultural activities / tours / events, as well as companies that provide applications and services for sustainable development, food, energy and natural resources saving, accessibility solutions or specialized communication and promotion solutions and fintech solutions for travel. Indicatively, the categories to which they can belong to join the program are Internet & web platforms, Mobile apps, Chatbots, Software, Hardware, Energy solutions, Mobility & Transportation solutions, Blockchain / Fintech solutions, AI solutions, Big Data, Internet of Things.
Evaluation criteria
The evaluation criteria, which are examined in detail by the Accelerator’s jury and must be derived from the entire application in order for a startup to join the Accelerator Program, are:
1. The idea in terms of its innovation and the offered solution to a problem in the tourism market, the degree of originality and uniqueness of this solution, as well as the degree of use of technology for its implementation.
2. The team in terms of its members and their formal characteristics, their qualitative characteristics, as well as their perception of and commitment to the implementation and expansion of their team/company in the market.
3. The business maturity and prospects of the product or service in terms of its scope for further growth and expansion in the Greek and global market and its profitability prospects.
Cash prizes up to 40,000 euros
At the end of the 6th Acceleration cycle, companies compete for final prizes totalling €40,000 – as an additional financial support – and free services/privileges from strategic partners of the CapsuleT community.
Timetable of the 6th cycle of the acceleration program:
– Application period: 26 May to 26 June 2025
– Evaluation period: Until 29 July 2025
– Accelerator Programme period: September 2025 to February 2026
Submission of an application
The application period starts today, Monday, 26 May 2025 and ends on Thursday evening, 26 June 2025. Applications must be submitted electronically and in English here, after having read the detailed terms and conditions of participation in the program.
Rules & Conditions for participation in the program
You can find detailed information on the Rules and Conditions of participation in the program here.
Why are you in “good hands”? Let the numbers speak for themselves!
September 2019 to February 2025, 6 years full of programs and events:
– 7 Acceleration cycles
– 6 Idea Platform Competitions
– 126 teams / startups
– +240 workshops, meetups & events
– +170 speakers, judges & mentors
– +3,600 mentoring hours & support
– 23 participations at Greek & international exhibitions
– +110 on-site visits
– +15 events with Local Hoteliers Associations
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