What is Roots?

Roots aims to accelerate the growth of innovative Greek SMEs and start-ups, and help them obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to design and effectively communicate their proposals to investors, and access financing opportunities through the Greek capital market.

ATHEX, in cooperation with the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and the support of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Economy and Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is mobilizing key players in the capital markets ecosystem to support the financing needs of a competitive Greek entrepreneurial ecosystem.

What are the program objectives?

Mobilize the capital markets ecosystem to diversify and strengthen the financing options available for SMEs.
Train, mentor and accelerate innovative SMEs to the point of investment-readiness.
Εnable SMEs to present their investment case in terms of risk return and to facilitate investors to make their decision.
Facilitate knowledge transfers, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices.

Who is it for?

The Program is designed to support innovative SMEs and startups with:

Established commercial activity
A feasible business proposal, with proof of concept
An ambitious growth plan
An attractive investment proposal
Activity and/or seat in Greece. Companies having their seat in another country have their main operation and/or production in Greece.
Legal form of a Société anonyme (S.A.) or intention to transform into a S.A. (or the equivalent S.A. legal form for companies having their seat in another country).

Which sectors does Roots support?

The Roots Program is designed for companies that are active across all sectors of the Greek economy, and demonstrate high potential for growth in an increasingly innovation-focused, digitalized, and globalized economy.

How does Roots work?

Roots provides access to an international network of experts, coaching and training opportunities that will help SMEs build their growth capacity and access financing tools in the Greek capital market.

The core pillars of the program are:

Selection

A Selection Committee of international and local experts will assess the applications and select the companies that will participate in the Program.

Advisory

Participating companies will be matched with a Mentor and an Investment Advisor that will support them as they complete program deliverables and help them fine tune their strategy based on the needs of their organization, by offering guidance, and technical advice.

Capacity Building & Training

Companies with be given access to training material, workshops and knowledge-based events modelled on global best practices, according to their needs determined in collaboration with their Mentor and Investment Advisor.

Your Benefits

Connect

and build lasting relationships with international experts and companies, learn from their expertise, and explore opportunities for collaboration

Master

the development of strong business plans, appropriate financial structures, and corporate governance and learn how to successfully engage and pitch your business to investors

Learn

which financing options are most suitable for your company, and how to access them

Accelerate

company growth through proper and timely financing, capitalizing on your newfound knowledge

Strengthen

your brand and expand your network by increasing your visibility and boosting credibility through your association with the Program

Achieve capital market readiness

and present your investment proposal to a wider investor audience.

Process flow and timetable

Following the selection of the participating companies by the Selection Committee, they will be matched with a Mentor and an Investment Advisor that will support them as they complete program deliverables, by offering guidance, and technical advice.

The capacity-building curriculum of the Program has been developed alongside key partners that possess expertise in an array of topics that are of interest to growth-oriented companies participating in the Program. The curriculum includes some core topics, which are supplemented by ad-hoc workshops in areas where participating companies have specific needs.

The Roots Capacity Building Program is structured around three (3) key deliverables that mark the completion of each of the three (3) capacity building stages:

Stage 1 – Deliverable: Business Plan

Stage 2 – Deliverable: Financial Structure

Stage 3 – Deliverable: Investment Proposal & Pitch

Following the completion of each stage, Progress Review Committees will provide feedback to participants on the Program’s deliverables they submit.

The concluding evaluation in the Roots Program takes place at the Demo Day event where Roots companies have the opportunity to present their proposal to investors, receive feedback and network with market participants.

The approximate duration of the capacity-building component of the Program is 6 months. Companies can move through stages at their own pace, depending on their needs and their readiness level agreed with.

14 DECEMBER 2018

Applications are open

You can fill in and submit your application online
20 MAY 2019

Start of the Evaluation process

The Selection Committee will evaluate the applications and select the companies that will participate in Roots
JUNE - DECEMBER 2019

Join the Roots program

Companies selected to participate in the Roots program will meet their Mentor and their Investment Advisor, who will support them as they prepare Roots' deliverables and will have access to training material, as well as to networking events and workshops.