GAZELLE teams in MWC BARCELONA 2023
Convening over 88,500 attendees from 202 countries and territories, including policymakers and business leaders from the mobile ecosystem and beyond, the MWC Barcelona 2023 is world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. MWC creates a unique
platform for the amplification of industry announcements and thought leadership. As digital transformation flourishes around the world, attendees came to be inspired by curated content – from the father of the cell phone, Martin Cooper, honoured as the first recipient of the GLOMO Lifetime Achievement Award, to the pioneers, thought leaders and innovators of Web 3.0. MWC Barcelona invites each year representatives from the global mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries to network, make deals, and learn about the future of connectivity. We’re proud to anonce that on 2 March 2023, our GAZELLE team, the GZELLES: TRAQBEAT TECHNOLOGIES PC and INTELIGG P.C./SMARTH-PROP activly attended.
GROWING AND SCALING THE GAZELLES IN BALKAN-MED AREA – BEYOND EXPO 2023
May, 24-26, Thesloniki BEYOND is the first international stage for Industry in South Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the MENA
region. The exhibition was designed to address today’s needs and become the melting pot of the world’s brightest minds, talents, and products. From top speakers and exhibitions to open innovation, live experiences and product launches. For the first time in Greece, Beyond offered a dedicated stage for all those who thrived in the business of consumer technologies, a hybrid “exhibition meets summit” platform. It aimed to transform Thessaloniki into a technology and innovation hub for the broader region and contribute constructively into Greece’s digital transformation.
“BEYOND 2023 gathered over 180 exhibitors from 36 countries, including 296 Greeks and 43 foreign speakers. Gazelle Project participated with 21 innovative SMEs from Balkan Med area (Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Cyprus), hosted in Pavilion 13. All GAZELLES presneted their business during the “Pitch Session: High- potential innovative SMEs in Balkan Med area”to 60 investors and business angels. Specifically, the following SMES: the Greek CAMPSAROUND, IVOLUNTRY, VIVESTIA, QUETRI, ATHLETON, UNLIMITED ADRENALINE, ELECTRIBE, INTELIGG, DATAPHORIA, PROJECT PARENTING, RHOE, WELLBEE, KLEESTO and QUANTUM NEURAL TECHNOLOGIES, the Cypriot IREROBOT, the Bulgarian Voca Academy and the SMEs Avtomotodrom, CarbCoin, Hovercraft Adria, MIR-JOS LLC Tetovo and Green Transport from North Macedonia.
THE INTERNATIONAL IMPACT OF THE GAZELLE PROJECT – 87TH THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FAIR
The 87th TIF is the largest trade event in Southeastern Europe and the ideal event to enhance financial, business, political, cultural, and educational relationships. Bulgaria was the Honored Country at the 87th Thessaloniki International Fair, which was held from 9-17 September at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre in Pavilion 13. 
A large number of trade and business meetings held between Greek and Bulgarian enterprises. Despite the catastrophic floods that hit Greece and the region, the event was a great success and was attended with great interest. With 1500 exhibitors, 18 international participations, 382 SMEs represented by 49 Chambers, and 9 thematic events, the 87th TIF held from 9 to 17 September was the focal point of Greece’s political and economic scene.
The interest of Bulgarian enterprises in the TIF translated into an estimated 1000+ b2b meetings with Greek enterprises, organized by the exhibition body and the Federation of Greek Industries (FING). At the same time, there was the highest possible institutional representation in the Bulgarian participation at the 87th TIF, 
with the President, the Prime Minister, and many members of the cabinet of the government of Bulgaria attending. More than 15 GAZELLES, part of the GAZELLE project, pitched their businesses to potential investors and Business angels. The Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a lead partner of the GAZELLE team, informed the audience and all stakeholders about the project and main results achieved.
THE END OF A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
After four years of hard work by the entire project team, we can be proud of the successful completion of our journey. We have built 4 fully operational business support centres, trained and supported more than 35 innovative SMEs, organized numerous events, investment forums, accelerator programs, developed the network of business angels in the Balkan-Mediterranean area. During our journey together we discovered and demonstrated the problems and possible solutions for building a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. We studied the foreign experience during our study visits and tried to put it into practice. We realized that there is much more to be done and we will continue to do so after the end of the project. In September, all partners organized their final events where they presented everything we have achieved together.
The Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) successfully hosted the final event of the BalkanMed Gazelle project on June 1st. The event was a showcase of the project’s achievements, innovations, and success stories, marking the conclusion of an initiative that has substantially driven the growth of the startup ecosystem in the Balkan-Mediterranean region. The event took place in a hybrid manner with both online and face to face participants. In an exciting and interactive finale, attendees were invited to pitch or present their own business ideas to the panel of experts. This opportunity saw one attendee step forward, receiving valuable feedback for his business idea called Re-Aqua.
On Saturday September 16, ACCI, Enterprise Greece and NKUA co-organized a successful “PITCHING SESSION of innovative Greek STARTUPS” with which all participants again had the opportunity not only to present themselves, but also to learn about all the achievements that the partners in the project together realized.
On September 27, 2023, the Center for Knowledge Management (KCM)
organized its final event in Skopje showing the innovations in North Macedonia and the Balkan region. The attendees had the opportunity to get to know the innovative companies and projects that resulted from the “Gazelles” project. The pitching sessions provided the entrepreneurs with an opportunity to share their vision and present their work to potential investors from the country, and 6 investors and startup supporters from the region and the USA, who joined us in an online session.
Individually, each startup had 10 minutes to present their projects, ideas and innovations.
The final conference of the GAZELLE project, organized by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 28.9.2023, presented the opportunities for financing and growth of innovative companies. During the event, the attendees were introduced to the main activities of the Support Centre for Innovative Companies at the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which was established under the Gazelle project and is part of the newly formed Balkan-Mediterranean Business Support Network. As part of the programme, specific funding opportunities for SMEs were presented under the Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises, Human Resources Development and Integrated Territorial Investments programm es. Attendees were also introduced to the products and instruments to support innovation development and enterprise growth offered by the Bulgarian Development Bank, as well as to the opportunities for applying under the Sustainable Transition to Agile and Green Enterprises – STAGE programme.
Partners Meeting
Within the two BYOND EXPO in May, a partner face to face meeting was held. We also had the pleasure to meet the representatives of the Interreg BalkanMed Programnme’s Joint Secretariat. We discussed with them all the results achieved by the project, their reporting and all the important moments of the end of the programme. We received valuable advice on how to better coordinate our joint actions and implement the final phase of our project.
The discussion focused around work packages included all finished and forthcoming activities as: Overview and key takeaways from events; feedback from the participants.
The partners also discussed technical and financial issues related to project implementation and reporting.
As the project was extended, the partners agreed to organize further events to promote the project results, which will benefit the innovative start-ups as well. We also discussed the organization of the final events and their scheduling.
PARTNERS
| Lead Partner: | |
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Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Address: 7-9 Akademias Str., 10671, Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 3631317 E-mail: helfoti@acci.gr |
| Project Partners: | |
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National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Address: 1 Sofokleous & Aristidou Str., 10559, Athens, Greece
Tel: +30 210 3689437 E-mail: alivieratos@econ.uoa.gr |
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Enterprise Greece
Address: 109 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 11521, Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 3355711 E-mail: y.retsas@enterprisegreece.gov.gr |
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The Center for Knowledge Management (CKM) Address: 11. October 25 (7th Floor), Skopje, North Macedonia
Tel: +389 78 30 15 40 E-mail: info@knowledge-center.org |
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Cyprus University of Technology
Address: 31 Archbishop Kyprianos, 3603, Lemesos, Cyprus Tel: +357 25 00 2500 E-mail: petros.kosmas@cut.ac.cy |
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Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Address: 3A Ferdinand Blvd., 7000, Ruse, Bulgaria Tel: +359 82 825 875 E-mail: info@rcci.bg |
| Observer Partner: | |
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University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”
Address: 8 Studentska Str., 7017 Ruse, Bulgaria Tel: +359884343132 E-mail: dpavlov@uni-ruse.bg |