Launch a Startup in 54 Hours

Even If You Have No Idea

How

Techstars Startup Weekend is a three-day program where aspiring entrepreneurs can experience startup life by learning the ins and outs of launching your own startup. Over three days you’ll pitch your ideas, team up with co-founders to prototype your product, get feedback from mentors, present to industry judges – and celebrate with a party. Learn more. Techstars invests in early-stage startups led by unstoppable entrepreneurs with transformative businesses. With 45+ accelerators worldwide, an unrivaled network of alumni, mentors, commercial partners, investors, and dedicated operating teams, Techstars supports entrepreneurs throughout their entire startup journey while helping to build thriving startup communities. Since 2006, we have invested in more than 4,400 portfolio companies, accelerating the growth of businesses including Chainalysis, Zipline, DataRobot, Alloy and many, many more. www.techstars.com How you can be part of Techstars Startup Weekend Thessaloniki:
    • Participants → Dive into an intense 54-hour experience, collaborate with a team, build a prototype, and pitch your idea to the judges.
    • Mentors → Offer your expertise, inspire teams, and guide them through challenges on the way from idea to execution.
    • Volunteers → Join the organizing crew, support the preparation and live operation of the event, and gain hands-on experience behind the scenes of a global startup initiative.
    • Sponsors → Empower the event with resources and visibility, connect with the startup community, and showcase your brand in a high-impact environment.
Thessaloniki Techstars Startup Weekend Location

supported by:

Logo of Region of Central Makedonia
Agenda Agenda Agenda Agenda
picture of Nikolaos Tzollas, Αντιπεριφερειάρχης Ψηφιακής Διακυβέρνησης

Through Techstars Startup Weekend, we give young people the opportunity to learn, create and innovate, just like in the world's largest startup hubs. The Region of Central Macedonia, through continuous outreach and digital innovation actions, creates fertile ground for the next generation of startups

—Nikolaos Tzollas, Deputy Regional Governor for Digital Governance Region of Central Macedonia

Techstars Startup Weekend Thessaloniki 2025 Winners

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        December 5th 2025

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        What is Startup Weekend? Click Below to Watch!

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        Winning Prizes

        Cosmin Pirvu

        Facilitator

        Ilias Louis Hatzis

        Speaker

        Pitch Your Idea Gather Your Team Build Your Startup & Win

        Pitch Your Concept Concept Concept

        If you’ve got an idea, pitch it on Friday and gather a team to help it bring it to life. No idea? No problem. Jump into a project you love and build something amazing together!

        four people standing

        Workshops & Mentorship Mentorship Mentorship

        In just 54 hours, you’ll test your idea, create a prototype, design a business model, and sharpen your pitch. On Sunday, you’ll present to the jury and compete for exciting prizes.

        Woman building a robotic arm

        Build & Win Win Win

        With the help of a group of driven builders, artists, and problem-solvers, take your idea from concept to functioning prototype.Regardless of the outcome, you will leave with new abilities, new contacts, and possibly your next big thing.

        Learn More Learn More Learn More Learn More

        Startup Resources

        Microsoft Azure Tools
        orai practice pitching card
        miro information card

        Get ready to build, learn, and grow!
        By clicking the button below, you’ll find a collection of tools and resources designed to help you prepare for Startup Weekend, from shaping your idea and understanding the startup process, to collaborating effectively with your team.
        All materials will remain available during and after the weekend, so you can keep creating long after it’s over.

        More Tools More Tools More Tools More Tools
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        Global Sponsors

        GOOGLE FOR STARTUPS

        Google for Startups is Google’s initiative to help your startup thrive, no matter where you live. 

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        DEEL

        Deel is the only all-in-one platform bringing together hiring, payroll, and compliance for international and US-based contractors and employees.

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        BREX

        Brex is a financial technology  company that offers a financial operating system for modern businesses.

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        JOIN THE

        Ἀρχὴ ἥμισυ παντός

        Πλάτων

        Be a Mentor!

        At Techstars Startup Weekend Thessaloniki, mentors play a decisive role in shaping the experience. In just 54 hours, teams need expert guidance to validate their ideas, explore their market, and turn concepts into actionable plans.

        As a mentor, you bring your expertise, perspective, and critical questions that push participants beyond assumptions. Your insights can be the turning point between an idea that stays on paper and one that evolves into a real venture.

        Beyond supporting teams, mentorship is equally rewarding for you: it’s a chance to connect with fellow professionals, expand your network within the startup ecosystem, and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

        Be a Mentor Be a Mentor Be a Mentor Be a Mentor

        Main Supporter

        Local Sponsors

        Platinum Sponsors

        Gold Sponsors

        Supporters

        Logo of SEVE Greek exporters Association
        Logo of SETPE Σύνδεσμος επιχειρήσεων τεχνολογίας πληροφορικής Ελλάδος
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        One Stop Liaison Office logo

        Sponsors in Kind

        Media Sponsors

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        ZeniaX

        "Know your Guests, Elevate your Stay."

        ZeniaX is a smart digital assistant for hotels that improves the guest experience and simplifies the hospitality operation. Through a QR code, without the need to install an application, guests can directly communicate with the hotel, receive answers to frequently asked questions, request information and report any problems in real time. At the same time, ZeniaX collects useful behavioral data, allowing the hotel to offer more personalized services, save time at the reception and prevent negative reviews, resolving issues before they become public

        VardionAI

        VardionAI was born from a simple but essential observation:
        Manual shifts create chaos—especially in the foodservice industry. Apostolos Tekidis, a Chemical Engineering student at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a passion for how optimization can be truly accessible, and Eftychia Ioakeimidou, an Accounting & Finance student at Universicty of Macedonia, joined forces to solve a problem they know from the inside.

        Having worked in the foodservice industry, Eftychia knows well the daily pressure, last-minute changes, and costly mistakes to employees and businesses. Combining optimization techniques, financial mindset, and authentic “from the field” experience, VardionAI brings the power of intelligent organization to the world of shifts—in a simple, reliable, and effective way.

        NavyFunder

        Navy Funder is the idea we developed at Techstars Startup Weekend Thessaloniki. The original idea was proposed on friday’s fire pitch by Vasilis Fioravantes, our team member, who observed a problem in shipping financing: Many small to medium shipping companies have difficult acces to low interst capital as they dont easily get qualified for loans by banks.

        Thats where our idea comes to play, Navy Funder. We help shipowners who strugle with difficult acces to low interest capital by offering a marketplace wich connects investors with potential or existing shipowners. Unlike other similar companies, Navy Funder offers a seamless, user friendly experience on both ends.

        Cosmin Pirvu

        Founder, Community Builder, Program Designer

        Cosmin Pirvu has spent more than a decade working in, with, and around startups as a founder, community builder, and program designer. 

        He has facilitated 23+ Startup Weekends across Europe and Asia and has been involved in over 30 hackathons and innovation programs, guiding thousands of participants from first idea to working prototype.

        His background spans product management, community leadership, and early stage acceleration, shaped by both running his own startup and supporting founders through university programs, corporate innovation tracks, and national multi-city initiatives like Startup Weekend Romania. He also created VibeHack, a vibecoding and AI powered hackathon format designed to help people build fast using accessible tools and playful challenges.

        Across all events, his goal stays the same: create the right mix of structure and excitement so people feel supported enough to take risks and build something that matters.

        Ilias Louis Hatzis

        Tech Entrepreneur

        Ilias Hatzis is a tech entrepreneur with 30+ years in building startups. He’s built and scaled companies across the U.S. and Europe—from early search and adtech to e-commerce, crypto, and web3—alongside roles at Google and JWT.

        He’s launched companies, raised capital, invested in founders, run a startup accelerator, and mentored teams at MITEF, Techstars, and MassChallenge.

        Today he’s the founder and CEO of Inkjin, a full-stack AI tattoo platform operating in Greece and the UK, making getting a tattoo as seamless as booking an Uber or finding an Airbnb.