On December 18, 2020, Campsaround, a leading camping and glamping startup, won the first prize in the startup acceleration program, an initiative by Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, CapsuleT Travel & Hospitality Accelerator which helps emerging businesses in travel industry to grow. During the third cycle of CapsuleT’s three-month program, Campsaround was able to increase its awareness, develop its team and find a product-market fit.
CapsuleT Acceleration Program’s mentors alongside the Evaluation and Steering Committee assessed the participating startups based on different criteria. Specifically, the innovation, and the business maturity of their idea, the potential of their service, and the formal qualifications of the members of each team, as well as the company’s progress during the program. Among the eight teams that successfully completed the third cycle of the program, Campsaround team emerged as the big winner and was awarded a monetary prize of €10,000 combined with free corporate web design services from Nelios. Campsaround also won the Audience Award, as they were voted for by the audience who attended the online event.
The online, Covid-style, closing ceremony, saw the participation of distinguished personalities from across different industries that focus on hospitality and technology. Namely, Mr. Christos Dimas, the Deputy Minister of Research and Technology, Mr. Dimitris Fragakis, General Secretary of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), Mr. Alexandros Vassilikos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, alongside Ms. Katerina Saridaki, the Director of CapsuleT.
The online event started with opening statements of the Deputy Minister and the President of the Chamber of Hotels. In his address, Mr. Dimas pointed out the importance of technology and innovation in the Greek hospitality and tourism industries, especially because Greece is “one of the global players” in the tourism sector that has greatly suffered during the pandemic.
Speaking about the unfavorable context caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Vassilikos posed a question – why are startups lucky in current times compared to bigger organizations? He then claimed that it is much easier for startups to turn a young company around as it is fresh, and has fewer people compared to larger organizations like hotels. So the benefits the startups gained from this program are very substantial.
The co-founder of Campsaround, Kyriakos Tsigkros, after the announcement of the results , shared the following about Campsaround’s participation and victory in the CapsuleT Acceleration Program:
“Thank you very much […].I really hope you continue the work that you are doing because as I said before the steps that we have taken this trimester have been huge. So really keep up the good work and hopefully at some point we can in turn help other start-ups, thank you very much.”
Then, referring to the resources Campsaround has secured through the acceleration program, he added:
“By participating in the third cycle of CapsuleT, in just 3 months, we have been able to grow our business through the guidance we received, adapting it to the new pandemic conditions and laying the foundations for our continued expansion. The educational workshops, meetings with major hotel owners, mentoring and being part of an innovative tourism ecosystem all contributed to this.”
Campsaround is a growing outdoor community, and an online booking platform that goes beyond offering traditional travel accommodations. It’s a place that helps travelers find the best spots to relax, reconnect, and engage with locals year round while also encouraging them to respect the nature. Campsaround collaborates with owners of camping sites, glamping spots, and land plots to help them become eco-entrepreneurs, who provide sustainable lodging alternatives, tailored to the needs of modern travelers.
Watch the highlights of the Closing and Award Ceremony of the third cycle of Capsule T’s Acceleration program:
