Innovation Bee: Innovation bee, the start-up Artificial Intelligence from Kozani

The team of engineers who enter into research projects, prepare digital project for the central government and see the international market

Anne Karolidou

More productive bees than the start ups of “Innovation Bee IKE” are hard to find in the startup entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The young company, which was started in Kozani, by a group of young engineers from the University of Western Macedonia, plays in many research and commercial tables, having in its quiver the most advanced technological IT tools, while now introducing itself as a start-up Artificial Intelligence.

Having already successfully launched on the market, Anti-Bullying.gr, the first platform for comprehensive prevention and combating bullying, has undertaken a very important project, in the context of promoting productive investments, between Greece and a third country, while at the same time participating, through consortia, in tenders for European technology projects.

As he prepares to submit two projects to ‘Research Innovate’ and, one more project to ‘Horizon Europe’, wanting through research to move into business with technology products, he also supports the business initiatives of third parties, co-investing in two IT companies, in Bulgaria and Estonia.

“We are a group of young people – the oldest is 28 years old – passionate about technology and the work we do at “Innovation Bee”, Christos Roumeliotis, electrical and computer engineer (EMMY), co-founder and partner, told makthes.gr of the “Innovation Bee” and one of the 20 young entrepreneurs of the international IEEE CS, i.e. the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers/Computer Society.

Started by “Gridustry”

The beginning for “Innovation Bee” was made by “Gridustry”, which was the kick off of Anastasios Garinis, Vassilis Balafas and Christos Roumeliotis, in the business world.

All three EMMY students in Kozani, in the midst of the pandemic, were working on ideas that would have commercial interest. So somehow, in November 2021, after contacts with Dr. Vassilis Nikolopoulos, R&D Director of Protergia and co-founder of Avokado (Mytilineos group), created “Gridustry”, a cleantech company.

“At Gridustry we are working on a blockchain infrastructure, we have even signed a memorandum of cooperation with the SUI foundation, with the aim of using the Sui blockchain platform”, explained Christos Roumeliotis.

On the Forbes Under 30 list

With “Gridustry”, which has now turned into a spin out of “Innovation Bee”, the three start ups, in 2022, entered the Forbes Under 30 list, as among the most dynamic young people in Greek business, under the age of 30.

“Gridustry” was still in its infancy, when the group concluded that for business reasons it had to penetrate into projects for other sectors, beyond energy, as well as, in front and above all the technological tools it uses, to put the Artificial Intelligence.

Thus, in May 2022 they founded “Innovation Bee” and immediately strengthened the original team, in house, Marios Karamintzios, Giorgos Tsiliopoulos and Konstantinos Kolonias, while four more Greeks work for Innovation Bee as external partners.

“Having previously worked as a freelance developer, we know how alien sourcing projects work. Thus, we also have cooperation with some, few, Indian and European developers, as directly connected partners with “Innovation Bee”.

In competitions of European technology projects

The Company, through mixed schemes, already participates in tenders for European projects, with a total budget of 8 million euros, with the participation rate of “Innovation Bee” being approximately 21% (1.7 million).

“We also participate in European research projects, hoping that the result of the research will be able to have, in a second stage, commercially usable products. Our purpose is to take steps in entrepreneurship, responding to the needs of the market or anticipating needs, which are created due to the development of technology. Our aim is not only to publish papers in scientific journals”, explained Christos Roumeliotis.

“Innovation Bee” responded to a social need and, based on an idea and study by the consulting company Info-Plan, developed the Anti-Bullying.gr Application Suite, which has attracted the interest of the Modern Education Schools in Athens and Aristotle College in Thessaloniki.

Joint project on sustainable mobility

“Innovation Bee”, collaborating with another company, which operates in Britain and Greece, is preparing a project that will concern sustainable mobility, an intelligent system for the movement of citizens in urban centers, which through a mobile app, will reward users, depending on their choices.

In 2024, Innovation Bee, through joint venture schemes, will submit proposals to Horizon Europe, as well as to Research-Innovation. One of the proposals for ‘Innovation Research’ will concern the field of Health and Healthcare and the other proposal, Smart Agriculture, using Artificial Intelligence techniques.

In these projects, Innovation Bee collaborates with universities, institutions and private companies from all over Europe.

“The Company, on the one hand, has the services (blockchain solutions, R&D, AI & ML Engineering, Application Development, Product Development), which it uses for the projects and contracts it undertakes. On the other hand, it has the products it wants to develop and is already implementing. Our purpose is for the technological tools to serve our own products, each of which will be addressed to a specific market”, added Christos Roumeliotis.

But how will “Innovation Bee” organize its development in the future?

“When the approval of the projects we are targeting is finalized, the Company’s headquarters will be transferred to Athens, marking a new era for its course. A development department, a tech hub, will remain in Kozani, while for commercial reasons we are thinking of creating a branch abroad. What will follow next, we cannot know. Maybe we’ll take a next step in America or somewhere else, but we’re looking abroad.”

Within three years, the bees of “Innovation Bee” have demonstrated an incredible dynamism in the field of start-up entrepreneurship, at the same time making many openings, with the aim of developing in the limitless field of the New Economy.

Source: makthes.gr