Breaking news

Greek Startups Attract Global Investment, Show Continued Growth In 2024

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 27, 2025

In 2024, Greek-founded startups continued to experience impressive growth, with total funding surpassing $1.3 billion globally, marking an increase of $200 million from 2023. Despite a global liquidity slowdown, this upward trend signals renewed investor confidence after two years of contraction. The sector’s significant achievement includes the acquisition of the Greek technology company BETA CAE by Cadence for $1.2 billion, one of Europe’s largest tech M&A transactions of the year.

Global Funding And Investment Trends

The global funding for Greek startups has been on a steady rise, with 2024’s $1.3 billion exceeding previous years’ totals, such as $962 million in 2019 and $1.2 billion in 2020. Marathon Venture Capital highlighted that major global investors continue to back Greek startups, with Sequoia investing in Reflection AI, Andreessen Horowitz in Kaedim and Pantheon AI, and Alibaba in Connectly, among others. This suggests that despite global market challenges, confidence in the Greek startup ecosystem remains strong.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Funding rounds are relatively stable, with an average of 150 rounds per year. However, the trend of larger funding rounds is evident, as seen in the increase in average seed round size from $1.8 million in 2019 to $3.5 million in 2024, narrowing the gap between Greek and US startup funding rounds.

Notably, growth-stage rounds have seen a rise, with 24 growth rounds in 2024 compared to just 14 in 2019. However, Series A rounds have seen a decline, a reflection of the global trend of reduced early-stage financing following the boom years of 2021 and 2022.

Acquisitions And Exits

Twelve Greek-founded startups were acquired in 2024, including BETA CAE, InAccel by Intel, and Multi by OpenAI. This is a slight dip from the 16 acquisitions in 2023, following the global slowdown in tech mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, exit announcements from startups operating in Greece decreased significantly, with just 3 exits compared to 11 in 2023. However, the BETA CAE deal marked the largest-ever acquisition of a Greek tech company, underscoring the sector’s continued maturation.

Greek Startups On The Rise

Venture capital funding for startups operating in Greece saw a notable 32% increase in 2024, reaching $400 million. A significant portion of this funding—about a third—was directed to AI companies, highlighting AI as a top sector for investment. Other key sectors included healthcare, fintech, and climate technology.

While the number of funding rounds in Greece remained stable at around 60, startups based in Greece tend to secure smaller funding rounds compared to those operating abroad. Startups in tech hubs like London and New York raised larger seed and growth rounds due to higher personnel costs, with average amounts of $5.1 million and $53.3 million, respectively, compared to $2.1 million and $27.8 million for startups in Greece.

The gap in funding size and the fewer exit announcements suggest that startups operating abroad are further along in their development compared to those still active in Greece. Nevertheless, the success of acquisitions like BETA CAE indicates a promising future for Greek startups both locally and globally.

In conclusion, the continued growth and international interest in Greek startups reflect a maturing ecosystem, with over $1 billion in new capital raised annually and a growing number of exits. Ten years ago, this level of success seemed unimaginable, but the sector is now firmly on the global map.

The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

ECB Launches Geopolitical Stress Tests For 110 Eurozone Banks

The European Central Bank is preparing a new round of geopolitical stress tests aimed at assessing potential risks to major financial institutions across the euro area. Up to 110 systemic banks, including institutions in Greece and the Bank of Cyprus, will take part in the exercise, which examines how geopolitical events could affect financial stability.

Timeline And Testing Process

Banks are expected to submit initial data on March 16, 2026. Supervisors will review the information in April, while the final results are scheduled to be published in July 2026. The process forms part of the ECB’s broader supervisory work to evaluate financial system resilience under different risk scenarios.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Geopolitical Shock As The Primary Concern

The stress tests place particular emphasis on geopolitical risks. These may include armed conflicts, economic sanctions, cyberattacks and energy supply disruptions. Such events can affect banks through changes in market conditions, borrower solvency and sector exposure. Lending portfolios linked to regions or industries affected by geopolitical developments may face higher risk levels.

Reverse Stress Testing: A Tailored Approach

Unlike traditional stress tests that apply the same scenario to all institutions, the reverse stress test requires each bank to define a scenario that could significantly affect its capital position. Banks must identify a geopolitical shock that could reduce their Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio by at least 300 basis points. Institutions are also expected to assess potential effects on liquidity, funding conditions and broader economic indicators such as GDP and unemployment.

Customized Risk Assessments And Supervisor Collaboration

This methodology allows banks to submit risk assessments based on their own exposures and operational structures. The approach is intended to help supervisors understand how geopolitical events could affect institutions differently and to support discussions between banks and regulators on risk management and contingency planning.

Differentiated Vulnerabilities Across Countries

A joint report by the ECB and the European Systemic Risk Board indicates that countries respond differently to geopolitical shocks. The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to higher energy prices and inflation across Europe, prompting central banks to raise interest rates. Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Austria experienced increases in borrowing costs and lower investor confidence. Germany, France and Portugal recorded more moderate changes, while Spain, Malta, Latvia and Finland showed intermediate levels of exposure.

Conclusion

The geopolitical stress tests will not immediately lead to additional capital requirements for banks. Their results will feed into the Supervisory Review and Evaluation Process (SREP). ECB supervisors may use the findings when assessing capital adequacy, risk management practices and operational resilience at individual institutions.