Athens is an emerging international hub in the technology sector. A number of Big Tech firms have already established a presence here and the list is growing fast. In 2016, Oracle opened a cloud computing and customer support centre in Athens, the company’s second largest hub worldwide. Apple operates its support services for EMEA out of Athens. And TESLA has set up an R&D unit in Athens where its latest electric motor was designed.
Athens continues to attract high-profile investments by some of the biggest global technology brands, like Nokia-Siemens and Samsung. Since 2013, around €250 million has been invested in Greek start-ups, many of which are fast becoming global success stories. Daimler’s acquisition of the taxi-hailing app BEAT for starters. Τhe €300 million EquiFund, launched in 2018 by the European Investment Fund and the Greek state, is attracting additional investment from both public and private Greek companies.
The local start-up ecosystem is home to many ambitious and visionary entrepreneurs. Athens offers a highly skilled and competitive workforce that combines worldwide experience with an entrepreneurial mindset. This human capital is being nurtured by Greece’s robust ICT infrastructure, including public and private incubators, R&D clusters, software product development, data and call centres, and co-working spaces.
Athens has many competitive advantages in the technology industry:
Strategic Location
Athens is the EU's gateway to key Asian ICT markets, such as China, Japan and Korea. Coupled with excellent logistics infrastructure, affordable real estate, and a first-rate and financially competitive workforce, Athens is an ideal location for assembly facilities for ICT products; as well as a fertile ground for the development of software-as-a-service providers such as Workable, balena, and Pollfish, three of Athens’ most notable international success stories.
Skilled Workforce
The Economist ranks Greek engineers and new technology professionals among the world’s top 20 for ICT expertise. Many are multi-lingual and have studied or worked abroad.
Funding Opportunities
The EU's structural funds and public-private partnerships, combined with an influx of venture capital, drives large-scale projects in the public sector and fuels the expansion of small-scale start-ups.
Research and Education
Athens has spawned many new ICT clusters, incubators and accelerators, which complement a thriving network of science and technology parks and leading educational institutions