Judges & Mentors – 4th Cycle

MENTOR

Effie Lazaridou
Managing Director - New Agriculture New Generation

Effie has been appointed Managing Director of ‘New Agriculture New Generation’ in June 2018 to lead the design and implementation of this innovative multi-year initiative in Greece.

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Effie Lazaridou
Managing Director - New Agriculture New Generation

MENTOR

Stefanos Sidiropoulos
CEO - Trekking Hellas Group

Stefanos Sidiropoulos is a hospitality entrepreneur specialized in the field of authentic outdoor experiences.

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Stefanos Sidiropoulos
CEO - Trekking Hellas Group

MENTOR

Matina Mykoniati
Manager, TLS - PwC Greece

Matina Mykoniati has over 20 years of professional experience in shepherding complex and politically sensitive initiatives towards Start-ups, SMEs, Large Enterprises and Public Sector Entities.

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Matina Mykoniati
Manager, TLS - PwC Greece

MENTOR

Elsa Exarchou
CEO - Branding Greece

Elsa Exarchou holds a MBA Hotel & Tourism Management Degree from Surrey College, specializing in Sustainable Tourism.
She is the owner of Mikro Papigo 1700 Hotel & Spa.

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Elsa Exarchou
CEO - Branding Greece

JUDGE

Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Director Market Management - Expedia Group

Vassiliki is responsible at Expedia Group for leading the market management team for Greece, Cyprus and East Adriatic. She's an expert in driving and improving businesses’ performance of hoteliers.

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Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Director Market Management - Expedia Group

JUDGE & MENTOR

Michael Mavropoulos
Michael Mavropoulos
CEO - LIKNOSS

Michael is an accomplished executive with proven track record in different leadership roles in Greece and abroad. Prior to his latest role, he was the Regional Director of TUI Destination Experiences for East Mediterranean.

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Michael Mavropoulos
CEO - LIKNOSS

MENTOR

Alexis Komselis
Alexis Komselis
Director - Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship & Development

Alexis has implemented several entrepreneurship support and outreach programs. He works with startups and family businesses to set up a feasible business model.

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Alexis Komselis
Director - Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship & Development

MENTOR

Lisa Katsouraki
Lisa Katsouraki
Head of Corporate Development - Etraveli Group

Lisa is heading Strategy, M&A and Strategic Partnerships for Etraveli Group, one of the leading global flight centric OTAs and the #1 global flights platform enabling flights distribution via innovative tech solutions.

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Lisa Katsouraki
Head of Corporate Development - Etraveli Group

JUDGE & MENTOR

Emma Gavala
Emma Gavala
Strategic Marketing Consultant - Gavala & Co

Emma is an Economist, ex-Googler, Glamping researcher and traveller. She's the founder of Gavala & Co, a specialised boutique consultancy, offering advisory services to Glamping & Alternative Tourism operators.

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Emma Gavala
Strategic Marketing Consultant - Gavala & Co

JUDGE & MENTOR

Nikos Karaflos
CEO - Dexamenes Seaside Hotel

Nikos Karaflos is the CEO of Dexamenes Seaside Hotel. With a strong background in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Lighting and Multimedia, he believes in devising powerful ideas with cultural and social impact.

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Nikos Karaflos
CEO - Dexamenes Seaside Hotel

JUDGE

Brian Marrinan
Brian Marrinan
General Partner - Team ABC

Brian is a General Partner at Team ABC, a new venture capital firm focused on the sustainability and digital transformation of air, land and sea transportation and tourism. He has worked at the cross-section of talent and innovation for 20 years.

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Brian Marrinan
General Partner - Team ABC

MENTOR

Xenophon Petropoulos
Xenophon Petropoulos
Country Director - Horwath HTL, Greece

Xenophon is the Country Director of Horwath HTL in Greece. He holds more than 18 years of experience in sales management, customer service, corporate communications, and reputation management.

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Xenophon Petropoulos
Country Director - Horwath HTL, Greece

MENTOR

Pantelis Angelidis
Pantelis Angelidis
Chairman of the BoD - HAMAC

Pantelis is an innovative entrepreneur. He is the Founder and President of VIDAVO and has patented two telemedicine devices. He is currently the Chairman of the BoD at HAMAC.

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Pantelis Angelidis
Chairman of the BoD - HAMAC

JUDGE & MENTOR

Gerasimos Michalitsis
Gerasimos Michalitsis
'New Ventures' Dept Manager - INTRASOFT International

Gerasimos has accumulated 20+ years of experience in leading firms of the Information and Communications Technology sector. He is now focusing on innovation and creativity, for transforming an idea into a profitable venture.

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Gerasimos Michalitsis
'New Ventures' Dept Manager - INTRASOFT International

JUDGE 

Yannis Tsichlis
Yannis Tsichlis
Marketing Director - Grecotel Hotels & Resorts

Mr Tsichlis is the Marketing Director of N. Daskalantonakis Group (Grecotel), reporting to the BoD. He has over 30 years of working experience in hotels and resorts.

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Yannis Tsichlis
Marketing Director - Grecotel Hotels & Resorts

JUDGE

Sotiris Andriopoulos
Sotiris Andriopoulos
Director of Rooms - Athenaeum InterContinental

With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Sotiris Andriopoulos is the Director of Rooms at Athenaeum InterContinental Athens, managing the operation of Housekeeping and Front Office.

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Sotiris Andriopoulos
Director of Rooms - Athenaeum InterContinental

MENTOR

Christos Perakis
Christos Perakis
Co-Founder, CEO - Zoottle

Christos is the CEO of Zoottle, an award-winning hospitality company. He spent over 10-years at Apple, where he managed $2B in revenue. His last role was that of Apple’s Country Business Manager for Greece and Cyprus.

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Christos Perakis
Co-Founder, CEO - Zoottle

MENTOR

Eugene Vassilikos
Evgenios Vassilikos
Chief Operational Officer - Airotel Group of Hotels

Evgenios Vassilikos was born in 1984 in Athens. Because of his French origin, he attended the Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix. He continued his studies in Paris, majoring in Hotel Management.

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Evgenios Vassilikos
Chief Operational Officer - Airotel Group of Hotels

JUDGE

Apostolos Moussamas
Apostolos Moussamas
Vice President - Athens Hotel Association

Mr. Moussamas has been a graduate of Cornell University, one of the most prominent universities for hotel administration. As the CEO of Moussamas Bros, he was responsible for the full reconstruction of Crowne Plaza Athens.

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Apostolos Moussamas
Vice President - Athens Hotel Association

JUDGE & MENTOR

Constantine Moros
Constantine Moros
Director, Consulting Services - EY

Constantine is a Director at EY - Consulting Services in Greece and the CESA Advisory Markets Coordinator. He has over 20 years of accumulated professional experience in various fields.

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Constantine Moros
Director, Consulting Services - EY

JUDGE & MENTOR

Konstantinos Santikos
Konstantinos Santikos
Managing Director - Santikos Collection

Konstantinos Santikos is a hospitality entrepreneur. He holds a Business & Finance Degree from Babson College. He has worked at UBS bank in Zurich and CondeNast Traveller in New Work.

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Konstantinos Santikos
Managing Director - Santikos Collection

JUDGE & MENTOR

Christos-Lytras
Christos Lytras
Managing Partner - Hippocampus

Christos is Managing Partner of Hippocampus, a consultancy assisting in bridging the gap between Corporates & Startups. Until 2016, Christos was Product & Service Lead at The Eurobank Innovation Center.

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Christos Lytras
Managing Partner - Hippocampus

JUDGE

Yiannis G. Economou
Yiannis Economou
Managing Director - Economou Hotels

Yiannis Economou was born in 1975 in Heraklion. He's the Managing Director of a private corporation that owns 2 hotels in Heraklion, the Galaxy Hotel Iraklio – 5*, 260 beds, and Galaxy Villas Resort – 4*, 220 beds.

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Yiannis Economou
Managing Director - Economou Hotels

JUDGE

George Kyvernitis
George Kyvernitis
Vice President - Kyvernitis Group

Mr Kyvernitis is the Vice President of Kyvernitis Group, one of Greece’s leading corporate & leisure travel services providers. He graduated from the Illinois State University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

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George Kyvernitis
Vice President - Kyvernitis Group

JUDGE & MENTOR

Yanni Korkovelos
Yianni Korkovelos
Director of IT - Charles Hotel, Cambridge MA

Yianni Korkovelos has a diverse background in the hotel industry, with almost 20 years of experience, most of that experience coming from management positions. He's currently the Director of IT at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge Ma.

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Yianni Korkovelos
Director of IT - Charles Hotel, Cambridge MA

JUDGE & MENTOR

George Agas
George Agas
Managing Director - Vrahos Boutique Hotel

George Agas got a Master's degree in electrical engineering (University of Patras) in 1990. He also got a Diploma in Marketing after that. Since then, he has been making electromechanical studies for the construction of buildings.

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George Agas
Managing Director - Vrahos Boutique Hotel

MENTOR

Christina Kartsiotou
Christina Kartsiotou
Senior Business Consultant

Mrs Kartsiotou is an experienced business consultant that helps businesses to grow. She started her career in 1984 by starting up successfully an IT company, New Logic in North Greece.

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Christina Kartsiotou
Senior Business Consultant

MENTOR

Filippos Zampelis
Hotel Manager - Hotel Semiramis

After finishing his MBA, he started his career in Front Office at Renaissance Manchester as Telephone Operator, then as Front Office Agent and was promoted as Shift Leader.

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Filippos Zampelis
Hotel Manager - Hotel Semiramis

JUDGE & MENTOR

Spyros Arsenis
Spyros Arsenis
Coordinator - NBG Business Seeds

Dr. Spyros Arsenis is the Coordinator of the NBG Business Seeds program and the initial Coordinator of the act4Greece crowdfunding platform. He's a member of the advisory boards of Uni.fund, Metavallon, Big Pi and OK!Thess.

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Spyros Arsenis
Coordinator - NBG Business Seeds

JUDGE

Pakis Papademetriou
Pakis Papademetriou
Manager, Corporate Quality - AIA

Pakis has been serving Quality and Sustainability since 1995. He is an experienced integrator of management systems and a passionate advocate for sustainability. He joined Athens International Airport (AIA) in 1999.

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Pakis Papademetriou
Manager, Corporate Quality - AIA

MENTOR

Dimitris Kossyfas
Dimitris Kossyfas
Co-Founder - Travel Food People

Dimitris is the Co-Founder of Travel Food People, a company focusing on personalised travel guides globally. Prior to that, he led the Ads sales team for Travel and Tech at Google in South Europe for 10 years.

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Dimitris Kossyfas
Co-Founder - Travel Food People

MENTOR

George Nikolaou
George Nikolaou
SME’s Business Banking Supervisor - NBG

In his current position as “SME’s Business Banking Supervisor” at NBG Moschato’s branch, George is helping firms meet their funding goals and grow their business, by using the right tools.

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George Nikolaou
SME’s Business Banking Supervisor - NBG

JUDGE & MENTOR

Philippos Koutropoulos
Philippos Koutropoulos
Director of Revenue Management - Hotel Grande Bretagne & King George

Mr Koutropoulos is the Director of Revenue Management for the Hotel Grande Bretagne, King George and Sheraton Rhodes Resort. He holds a Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree.

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Philippos Koutropoulos
Director of Revenue Management - Hotel Grande Bretagne & King George

JUDGE

Dafni Michalopoulou
Dafni Michalopoulou
Development Manager - Dolphin Capital Partners

Prior to joining Dolphin Capital, Dafni held several positions in the tourism industry in France and Greece. Moreover, she was recently appointed to the BoD of the Greek National Tourism Organization.

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Dafni Michalopoulou
Development Manager - Dolphin Capital Partners

MENTOR

Alec Karys
Alec P. Karys
Start-up Evangelist, Board of Advisors - Soli

Mr Karys is an international start-up evangelist, angel investor and a Mentor/Judge at start-up accelerators, such as MIT Enterprise Forum of Greece, MassChallenge (Boston), TechStars (Cambridge).

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Alec P. Karys
Start-up Evangelist, Board of Advisors - Soli

JUDGE & MENTOR

Dimitris Serifis
Dimitris Serifis
CEO - Nelios

Dimitris is considered by many as the expert in digital transformation for the travel industry. In 2008 he took the decision to create Nelios.com, providing specialized digital services for the industry.

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Dimitris Serifis
CEO - Nelios

JUDGE

Tonia Panagopoulou
Tonia Panagopoulou
Owner/General Manager - Archipelagos Luxury Hotel, Mykonos

Tonia started her career as a Procurement Planning Executive at Nestlé Greece and then took the position of Production Planner Manager at Nestlé's headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland.

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Tonia Panagopoulou
Owner/General Manager - Archipelagos Luxury Hotel, Mykonos

JUDGE

Achilleas Papoutsakis
Achilleas Papoutsakis
General Manager - Crowne Plaza Hotel

Mr. Papoutsakis studied in the Technological Educational University of Larissa, Tourism Management Dpt. In 2003 he was promoted to Front Office Manager of both Athens Holiday Inn and Holiday Suites hotel.

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Achilleas Papoutsakis
General Manager - Crowne Plaza Hotel

JUDGE & MENTOR

Elena Papadonikolaki
Elena Papadonikolaki
Hospitality Expert

Elena Papadonikolaki is a highly motivated and goal-oriented sales professional with over 20 years of demonstrated experience in hospitality sector driving top line revenue and market share.

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Elena Papadonikolaki
Hospitality Expert

MENTOR

Martha Kesisoglou
Martha Kesisoglou
Marketing & Communications, CSR and Public Relations Strategist

Martha is a marketing, corporate social responsibility and sustainability and public relations executive with broad expertise in the areas of tourism & travel, finance, and the start-up ecosystem.

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Martha Kesisoglou
Marketing & Communications, CSR and Public Relations Strategist

MENTOR

Christos Ioannou
CEO - Mast Hotels & Resorts

Christos Ioannou holds an MSc in Management from London Business School and a degree in Civil Engineering from National Technical University of Athens.

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Christos Ioannou
CEO - Mast Hotels & Resorts