The document discusses the approach of StartTech Ventures, a Greek company, for helping technology startups go global. It emphasizes the importance of having an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports knowledge sharing and synergies. Key aspects of the StartTech approach include planning for scalability, prototyping in Greece, focusing on key customers and support, using incentives for partners, and establishing "antenna offices" in major target markets to provide local market intelligence and support. StartTech Ventures has seen success with this model, with portfolio companies now generating over 95% of their revenue from international markets like the US, Canada, and Australia.

1. Materializing Innovation

2. Going Global!
The StartTech Ventures Approach
Dimitris Tsigos
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tsigos
Exports Conference
Athens, November 30th 2013

3. It all started like this…

5. Greece Today

6. Tech in Greece

7. The Failure of the Greek
Tech Industry

8. Talking about Quality

9. Being Extrovert is the
ONLY Way

10. Is it easy?
Absolutely ….

11. …NOT!

12. The ingredients necessary
Customer orientation
Agility
Excellence – Quality
Efficiency
Commitment
Patience
Ready to Change
Become a marketing guru!

13. LUCK!

14. Ready to Fail and Start
Again!
The Culture of Failure

15. Doing International
Business is NOT Easy
Time Zones
Cultural Diversity
Language Barrier

16. The StartTech Approach

17. Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneurial_ecosystem
“An entrepreneurial ecosystem is a group of non-competing
companies, including start-ups, established companies and one or
more coordination entities, which share the same vision, values,
culture, strategy and business processes and decide to form an
organization in order to explore economies of scale in business
functions such as business development, financing, market
analysis, marketing communications, IT / MIS infrastructure,
human capital management, legal support, financial & accounting
management”
© Dimitris Tsigos | Virtual Trip, November 29 th 2009

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Planning for scalability
Prototype in Greece
Key Customers in Greece
Open Source and/or Free Version
Focus to Customer Support
Incentives for Partners
Aggressive Pricing
Local “antenna offices” to major target
markets

19. Antenna Office
• Local market intelligence
• Key accounts management
• Partners selection, management,
coaching
• Product localization
• Support centers

20. Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem
• StartTech Ventures invests only in IT
companies…
• …which are NEVER competitors to
the existing portfolio
• Know-how sharing
• Business development synergies
• Business Development <> Sales

21. StartTech Ventures
Today
• Presence in Spain, Brussels, US
• VAR Partners in 60+ Countries
• Epignosis, AbZorba Games
– 95% ++ revenues coming from
international markets
– USA, Canada, Australia
– EU

22. Contact Us!
• www.starttech.eu |
info@starttech.eu
• Santaroza 1 & Stadiou, 7th floor,
Athens, Greece
• Tel. +30 210 6756008
• http://twitter.com/StartTechVC

23. Make it happen!
www.starttech.eu