“If an idea manages to operate successfully in the tourism market of Greece, then it is almost sure that it can be developed globally”
Listen to the opinions of specialists and apply for the 5th cycle of the accelerator program.
Startups related to technology are filled with fresh ideas, innovative solutions to create something new for the tourism industry and are all those that have passed through the CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator‘s door since 2019 and have completed the Acceleration Program. All of them are examples of a 5-month free program that has the sole purpose of directly and purposefully developing startups operating in tourism to produce products/services that will provide practical solutions and contribute drastically to the digital transformation of Greek tourism. However, the people at the basis of this effort, such as the Judging & Advisory Committee, the specialized mentors and the close partners of the accelerator are the ones that form the Acceleration Program.
“The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels with a clear analysis of the global trends and responsibility towards its members, it created CapsuleT with the purpose of enhancing the ecosystem of startups in tourism, to ensure new possibilities and chances for young scientists and entrepreneurs with the technological development of the hospitality industry as a stable goal” underlines Mr. Alexandros Vassilikos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and initiator of CapsuleT in the period also of applications for the 5th cycle of the Accelerator Program.
“Through the program of CapsuleT we identify the missing points that the startups might have in their business model, their beliefs about how hotels operate and how they should present their product to their clients. From us and our partners the startups acquire important help through a range of questions and an exchange of information, receiving also consulting help from mentors with a deep knowledge of the subject, while having the opportunity to capitalize the feedback received from the professionals with whom they get in contact with on the on-site visits that the program offers” underlines from her side Ms. Katerina Saridaki, President of the accelerator.
What do the Mentors and the Judges say about the program?
For Mr. Alexis Komselis, Mentor of the Acceleration Program and Director of AHEAD – Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship and Development “Tourism is in the case of Greece a very good test market for any technological idea. It is one of the most traditional economic activities of the country, it involves countless profiles of professionals and gathers together in one market people from different cultures. If something works in the Greek tourism market, it is almost certain that it can grow globally. Choosing an accelerator focused exclusively on tourism enables any startup to accelerate market research, get immediate and usable feedback from every user or customer involved and find new applications for the technological solution it proposes.” The opinion of Mr. Alexis Komselis is also confirmed by Ms. Vassiliki Mavrokefalou, member of the CapsuleT Judge and Director Market Management of Expedia Group, who emphasizes that “If the solution offered by a technological startup concerns businesses operating in the tourism sector, it is imperative to participate because automatically, due to the dynamics and importance of this sector, there is room for the development of new products and services”.
Taking the conversation one step further, Ms. Lisa Katsouraki, Program Mentor and Head of Corporate Development of Etraveli Group points out the necessity for “sustainability solutions, avoiding hypertourism, distributed tourist traffic, differentiated products, customer service solutions and back office (process) automation, but also dealing with the overlap of remote of work/tourism”, with Mr. Alexis Komseli adding to that: “The most important issues for the tourism market are the better utilization of the infrastructure (optimization), the sustainability of tourist activities and dealing with crises. An important issue that emerges this year is the lack of human resources, while energy saving, infrastructure management and availability solutions will also be of interest in a way that extends the duration of each tourist product, marketing experiences and connecting employees with the labor market”.
Mr. Evgenios Vassilikos, Mentor of the project and Chief Operating Officer of Airotel Group of Hotels refers to the essential contribution of CapsuleT to the development of a start-up in the sector: “The possibility of a direct communication with tourism professionals at the highest level of the industry is one of the most important things that the Accelerator offers”, while at the same time Ms. Vasiliki Mavrokefalou highlights one of the common difficulties that startups of the Acceleration Program face: “They face difficulties in how to present their business model in a simple and understandable way, in order to convince their clients that their product or service that they offer is viable. With the meetings, mentoring and workshops offered there is a clear improvement from the start to the end of the program.”
Finally, Ms. Liza Katsouraki supports: “It needs a very good understanding of the bigger picture, as well as of the small details which make them stand out from the competitors”.
The application procedure for the 5th cycle of the Acceleration Program is until the 23rd of July 2022!
The application period for our program for the 5th cycle of CapsuleT will be completed on Thursday, 23rd of June 2022.
Find out the criteria of participation, the financial rewards that you can win and the structure of the program here: https://www.capsuletaccelerator.gr/accelerator/
Do your application with ease here:
https://www.eventora.com/en/Events/CapsuleTApplicationForm5thCycle
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