The 10 new startup teams that achieved the highest scores and were selected by the Evaluation & Mentoring Committee to join the 8th Cycle of the Acceleration Program were welcomed at the facilities of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels’ accelerator, CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator, on Thursday, September 4.
At the opening event of the 8th Cycle, during a special in-person “Welcoming Event,” the first to greet the startups on stage was the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Mr. Alexandros Vassilikos, who addressed them with the following words:
“I would like to welcome you to this big family. You have a difficult program ahead of you — I say this every year, but every year you are rewarded for your effort, and it is worth making this journey. It is worth making this journey together because the process you have begun is exactly what the title suggests: an acceleration, so you can reach your goals much faster. And if there is one thing that is certain, it is that this development will not be linear but exponential, just like the growth rates of our ecosystem. Through it, we hoteliers are upgrading technologically, while you can learn about and respond to the needs of the sector. Absorb everything you can from this program; it has much to offer. I wish you all the best.”
Closing his remarks, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels thanked the CapsuleT team, the Board members of the Chamber, all sponsors, mentors, and supporters, as well as the Evaluation Committee of the new cycle for their valuable contribution.
Next, CapsuleT’s Director, Ms. Katerina Saridaki, presented the content and activities of the 8th cycle program to be implemented in the coming five months. She welcomed the sponsors, mentors, trainers, and previous startups of the accelerator who attended the event, while also warmly greeting the new program teams. She concluded by announcing:
“Today, our new website is live — refreshed, more user-friendly for the general visitor, the interested hotelier, and tourism professional. It now allows the search for startups by category and focus on specific sectors. I would like to warmly thank the Nelios team for designing, supporting, and implementing our vision for this website: to become a reference platform for innovation and technological solutions in tourism overall. We invite you to visit it and follow its evolution with us.”
After the greetings, the 10 new startups joining the program had the opportunity to briefly present their business proposals to members of the CapsuleT community present at the event. A key part of the event was, of course, the networking and first in-person interaction of the new teams with representatives of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, mentors, program judges, strategic partners and sponsors of the accelerator, as well as other members of the Greek tourism ecosystem, with whom they exchanged views while clarifying the content of the five-month program.
The teams of the 8th cycle
The teams joining the new acceleration cycle are the following:
Ask Navina
askHermis
Bookerty
Discoverly
SAIL-E
New Generation Hotelier
plana
Tundra Ventures
UMBRELLA ADD ON
ZERO STaRS HOTELS
What the Acceleration Program offers
The Acceleration Program is offered to the selected teams free of charge and without any financial obligation. It will run from September 2025 to February 2026. During this time, the chosen startups will participate in activities adapted to current market needs and developments, such as workshops on business and AI, mentoring sessions, presentation opportunities, and meetings with tourism executives (meetups). They will also take part in on-site visits to hotels and leading travel agencies, as well as networking activities at dedicated events. Additionally, outward-looking activities — through conferences and participation in exhibitions such as Philoxenia – Hotelia and XENIA 2025 in November — will serve as another pillar of the program, aiming to effectively connect startups with key representatives of the Greek and global tourism market.
Which leading companies will support the startups?
The 8th Cycle of the Acceleration Program will be supported by the non-profit organization The People’s Trust, which, for the fifth consecutive year, will contribute to the further growth of tech startups in the tourism sector. It will also sponsor the competition segment of the program by donating cash prizes to the three winners. Aegean Airlines will serve as the official airline for the teams.
For the first time, the distinguished technology companies specializing in tourism products and services, LIKNOSS GDS and webhotelier | primalres, will join as Program Sponsors, also contributing with training workshops and mentoring sessions for the new cycle’s teams.
Other important strategic partners supporting the accelerator’s activities include: NBG Business Seeds, Nelios, PwC Greece, T?V AUSTRIA Hellas, Blue Functor, and Investing For Purpose.
At the same time, CapsuleT continues its collaboration with well-known tourism startups such as Clio Muse Tours, Ferryhopper, Triparound, and Welcome Pickups, which have joined the program as community partners. Finally, Douwe Egberts/Foodrinco will be a supporter providing coffee products.
