When in 2012, Ms. Eleftheria Zourou, a former executive of multinational companies, returning from a trip abroad, wanted to make an appointment for a preventive check-up with a doctor, she discovered that the way the health system is organized did not allow her to use the National Health System. She then decided to create an alternative doctor-finding service that would make her life and that of her fellow citizens easier.
Doctoranytime.gr is considered the most innovative health service in the Greek market. Its operation is very simple and resembles a booking system on travel websites, but it offers the possibility of finding a doctor or diagnostic center: the interested party can see detailed information about medical services and their costs, such as which doctor by specialty is located in close proximity to him and decide, taking into account the opinions and views of other patients, whether to ultimately choose that particular doctor.
The inspirer and co-founder of Doctoranytime.gr, Ms. Zourou, defying the business uncertainty of the time, dared and proved that entrepreneurship is a dream that every young man and woman in Greece can pursue today. The obstacles she encountered concerned the difficulty of cooperation between medical associations and the reluctance of doctors to listen to developments and realize that they must move forward with the data of the new era.
“Entrepreneurship is undoubtedly a difficult path, with disappointments, pressure, insecurity and a lot of struggle. But creating something from scratch and developing it into a recognizable brand name, which changes the data in its field, is magical,” stressed Ms. Zourou.
To make your idea a reality you need guidance, networking and funding from potential investors. You will find guidance and networking in various accelerators such as Endeavor Greece, Metavallon and Founder Institute. The next stage is to seek funding, either through European Union programs (information at the link https://ec.europa.eu/easme/sme_en.htm) or from other international Funds such as Openfund and Start Tech Ventures, as well as funds from crowdfunding platforms such as Groopio (https://www.groopio.com) and Give&Fund (https://www.giveandfund.com) to complete your idea.
Below are a series of events and competitions that those who wish to implement a business idea and receive funding can participate in:
E-commerce for Beginners, a seminar from the e-commerce laboratory of the Athens University of Economics (https://www.eltrun.gr/ecommerce-for-beginners/)
Third Applied Research and Innovation Competition (https://www.kainotomeis.gr/), an initiative of SEV and Eurobank
Startup Weekend University, an institution that promotes youth entrepreneurship and encourages the realization of innovative ideas on October 18, 19 and 20 (https://athens.startupweekend.org/)
Global Entrepreneurship Week: 17-23 November 2014 https://gr.unleashingideas.org/
The Startup Europe initiative is part of the European Commission's Digital Agenda Action Plan and is supported by Vice-President Neelie Kroes, with the aim of strengthening the business environment for web and ICT startups in Europe, contributing to innovation, growth and jobs in Europe, and promoting web and ICT entrepreneurs starting their businesses in Europe, giving them the opportunity to flourish in Europe.
Source: kathimerini.gr
