With the completion of another successful annual cycle, the STARTAB Entrepreneurship Program is now the first step for young people towards entrepreneurship in Greece, having helped nearly 1000 young men and women to explore it.

The support and dedication of partners, volunteers and donors, led to the program being evaluated positively by 96% of participants, 87% of them reporting improvement in at least 3 skills related to entrepreneurship and 100% recommending the Program to others. Also with the special actions, an ideal gender balance of close to 50-50 was achieved and this period ends with the highest number of applications in a year.

The vision of the Program remains the continuous training and guidance of young people to develop their business skills, to achieve financial independence, to give them the opportunity to change their lives and start their own business.

The Director of the STARTAB Program and co-founder of Corallia of the Athena Research Center, Dr. Jorge-A. Sanchez-P., said about it: «With our partners, we have completed the digital transformation of the program, but we are also making moves to return to physical meetings. We remain committed to our mission of empowering young people to learn, thrive and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It is with great pleasure that we observe youth unemployment decreasing in recent years in Greece».

According to research carried out as part of the Programme, 78% of young people said they would like a job in line with the green economy, while more than 50% would like the government to ensure that schools teach work-related skills and provide more start-up programs in the private and public sectors, as 36% of young people said they plan to start their own business. The Program is a safe way out in these circumstances by offering free training, support and guidance.

STARTAB promotes and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are considered vital by 67% of young people. By promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, ensuring equal access to education, achieving gender equality and building partnerships that put young men and women at the forefront, the Program ensures that education is free, fair and high quality for everyone.

Since the start of the Program, 47 cycles of entrepreneurship seminars have been completed. Konstantinos, concluding the 4-day Seminar, said: «As far as the Program is concerned, there hasn’t been anything better in that regard. The 4 day Entrepreneurship Seminar was fantastic, I heard and learned a lot of things I didn’t know and that’s what led me to continue with the mentor and decide to start a business.».

More than 300 young people have received counseling guidance from the Program’s 110 mentors. Speaking about his own experience, Andreas said: «My mentor, gave me directions and to understand how things work. The animation part was important, as were the expert answers you get from someone who knows.».

The success stories and businesses founded with the support of the Program are constantly increasing and are active in various sectors of the Greek economy. Retail stores, dietetics services, creative studios, sustainability services, educational centers, are some of the ideas that became reality in Attica, Thessaloniki and Patras, effectively supporting the self-employment of young people throughout Greece.

The cycle closes with the Young Entrepreneurship Award, which is addressed to all graduates of the Program who presented their business idea from April 2022 to March 2023. The Competition will take place in three phases from 20.04.2023 until 28.04.2023 where it will end with the announcement of the result.

STARTAB is run by Corallia with support from Prince’s Trust International and is offered free of charge to young people aged 18-35. STARTAB’s goal is to establish itself as the largest Entrepreneurship Program in the country. The experience of the contributors in supporting new entrepreneurs and a strong network of advisors is a valuable asset for supporting startups that will play an important role in starting the economy.

Interested in participating in the Program, they can express their interest at the link https://startab.gr/apply-now.Volunteer mentors can express their interest at https://startab.gr/mentors. Sponsors can learn how they can support the Program on the Program’s website.