Following the Startups4Peace Pitching Battle, three startups have secured a combined €20,000 in seed funding and sponsored trips to Web Summit Lisbon 2026. The pitching battle brought together Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs, who presented their business ideas to an independent jury.
Velograph took first place, receiving €10,000, while Takodo and ParkInTown finished second and third, each securing €5,000. All three teams will also travel to Web Summit in Lisbon this November.
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The competition marked the conclusion of the pitching process for the 2026 Startups4Peace (Su4P) programme, an EU-funded bicommunal startup accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses while encouraging collaboration between Cyprus’s two communities.
Meet The Winning Startups
First-place winner Velograph uses data from everyday cycling journeys to produce standards-based safety assessments of urban cycling networks.
Second-place winner Takodo develops plug-and-play programmable electronics designed to make coding accessible through short lessons for children aged eight to 14.
Third-place winner ParkInTown offers automated parking payment and barrier systems aimed at reducing revenue losses for parking operators.
The winning teams will have opportunities to network with international investors, hold one-to-one meetings and explore possibilities for growing their businesses during Web Summit 2026.
Building Businesses Across Communities
Before the competition, participating entrepreneurs completed two intensive bootcamps, each lasting two full days, with mentoring sessions between them to help strengthen their business models and enhance their strategies.
For Spyros Christofi, founder of Velograph, the programme offered an opportunity to develop his understanding of business despite not having a strong business background.
“The program was great,” he said, describing its value for people like him who were not business-savvy.
Raluca-Iona Man, who served on the judging panel, believes initiatives such as Startups4Peace have an important role in bringing entrepreneurs from across Cyprus together.
“I believe Startups4Peace is a valuable initiative for Cyprus because it brings entrepreneurs together, encourages collaboration and creates opportunities to exchange ideas, learn from each other and build meaningful connections,” she said.
However, she also stressed that the support entrepreneurs receive after the competition is just as important as the experience itself.
“What I would like to see next is more collaboration, more business partnerships and, equally important, a stronger and better-connected startup ecosystem that continues to guide and support these entrepreneurs beyond the bootcamp, the pitch and the competition.”
Man pointed to the challenges entrepreneurs face when moving from a promising idea to a sustainable business, particularly the need for guidance, funding, professional networks and commercial opportunities.
“For me, the real value of initiatives like this is also in what happens afterwards. How many of these ideas move forward, how many businesses grow and how many of these connections turn into long-term partnerships.”
Man, whose background includes business strategy and advisory, said she joined the jury to contribute her experience and encourage participants to think further about their ideas and business models. She also welcomed the opportunity to learn from the entrepreneurs themselves.
“I left with new perspectives, interesting connections and a reminder that Cyprus has talented people with ideas worth supporting. And I think that is something we should all invest more time and effort in.”
Support Beyond The Pitching Competition
This year’s Startups4Peace graduates will also gain direct access to the eunite Angel Investor Network and the Access to Finance (A2F) pipeline, providing further opportunities to pursue investment beyond the accelerator.
The initiative combines business training and mentorship with seed funding and international networking, supporting entrepreneurs as they develop their ventures.
About Startups4Peace
Startups4Peace is a bicommunal startup accelerator funded by the European Union through the EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, under the eunite Programme, and implemented by GIZ International Services.
The programme brings together Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs, with the involvement of the eunite team and programme partners including CyprusInno, CYENS Centre of Excellence, the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
