The “Green Dreams” Competition, organized by ALBA and the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Association

The “Green Dreams” Competition, organized by ALBA Graduate Business School and the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Association, has reached the final stage for 2008. The competition, run for the first time this year, encourages the development of innovative environmental entrepreneurship. It offers an opportunity to anyone, regardless of age, to combine their imagination and practicality to create smart entrepreneurial ideas which treasure the environment.

For the 2008 competition, 45 individuals and teams submitted proposals for environmental entrepreneurship. More than 50 participants attended the Green Dreams seminar on new venture development organized by ALBA Graduate Business School in October. The competition’s evaluation committee selected 13 ideas to proceed to the second round of the competition, with 5 grand finalists eventually progressing to the third round, and recently presenting their ideas to the committee.

The selection of the final winner from these 5 grand finalists will be difficult indeed, since all the ideas were very powerful and impressed the committee enormously with their innovation, their quality and their creativity. They included an idea for the organic production of high-value products from seaweed, an idea for a floating, ecological, multi-power source desalination plant, an idea for a hyper-sound water-purifying system, and a Green IT concept for developing a range of services around energy management and information services. The final team – made up mostly of ALBA graduates – presented an idea for the production of biomass fuel from wood waste. All teams received a commemorative certificate from the President of the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Association, Mr. Aristides Belles, and the President of the Evaluation Committee, Mr. Constantinos Mitropoulos.

The ultimate winner will be awarded during the Hellenic Entrepreneurship Association’s Kouros Awards, which will take place in Athens on November 20. The winning individual / team will also be “adopted” by members of the Association’s Board, which includes Greece’s leading entrepreneurs. What does this mean? It depends on the idea, and its needs, but it goes far beyond financing: it incorporates guidance, bridges to key players, and advice.

For more information you may contact Ms. Iliana Eythimiadi, 210 8964531-8, [email protected].