The 8th Cycle of the Capsule^T Travel & Hospitality Accelerator, the accelerator of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, kicked off dynamically on Thursday, September 4th, 2025. At the Capsule^T premises, we welcomed the 10 new startups that stood out from the Evaluation & Mentoring Committee and will participate in the program until February 2026.

At the opening event of the 8th Cycle, a special in-person “Welcoming Event,” the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Mr. Alexandros Vassilikos, was the first to welcome the startups on stage, saying:

“I want to welcome you to this big family. You have in front of you a demanding program — I say this every year, but every year you are rewarded for this effort, and it is worth taking this journey. It is worth taking this journey together, because the process you have embarked on is exactly what the title says: an acceleration, in order for you to reach your goals much faster.

And if there is one thing that is certain, it is that this progress will not be linear but exponential, just like the pace of evolution of our ecosystem, through which we hoteliers are technologically upgraded while you are able to get to know and respond to the needs of the industry. Absorb everything you can from this program; there is much to be gained. Best of luck to all.”

Closing his remarks, the President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels thanked the Capsule^T team, the members of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, as well as all the sponsors, mentors, and supporters, and the Committee of the new cycle for their valuable contribution.

Next, the Director of Capsule^T, Ms. Katerina Saridaki, presented the content and actions of the 8th Cycle program that will be implemented in the coming five months. She, too, welcomed the sponsors, mentors, trainers, and former startups of the accelerator who attended the event, while warmly greeting the new teams of the Program. She concluded by announcing:

“Today, we are launching our new website, renewed, more user-friendly both for the general user and for the interested hotelier and tourism professional, as it now offers the possibility to search for startups by thematic category and focus on specific sectors. I would like to sincerely thank the Nelios team for the design, support, and implementation of the vision we had for this site: to become a reference platform for innovation and technological solutions in tourism at large. We invite you to visit it and follow its evolution with us.”

The 10 new teams presented their business proposals, networked with mentors, partners, and ecosystem representatives, and took their first step in a demanding but creative journey.

The teams of the 8th Cycle
Ask Navina, askHermis, Bookerty, Discoverly, SAIL-E, New Generation Hotelier, plana, Tundra Ventures, UMBRELLA ADD ON and ZERO STaRS HOTELS.

What the program offers
The 8th Cycle, which will run from September 2025 to February 2026, provides free participation for the teams, with no financial requirement, and access to the accelerator’s facilities for 24 months after its completion. It includes workshops, mentoring, on-site visits, networking events, participation in exhibitions and international missions, giving startups the tools and connections they need to grow.

Strategic partners & supporters

The 8th Cycle is supported by The People’s Trust, which will again serve as the Donor of the winners’ cash prizes for the 5th consecutive year, and by Aegean Airlines as the official air carrier. Joining us as Sponsors for the first time are LIKNOSS GDS, and  webhotelier | primalres which will also participate in the Program by offering training workshops and mentoring to the startups of the Cycle.

Strategic Partners are NBG Business Seeds, Nelios, PwC Greece, TÜV AUSTRIA Hellas, Blue Functor, and Investing For Purpose, while Clio Muse Tours, Ferryhopper, Triparound και Welcome Pickups will continue to support the Program as Community Partners. Supporter for coffee products is Douwe Egberts/Foodrinco.
 

With a vision to strengthen innovation in tourism, Capsule^T continues to build bridges between startups, businesses, and institutions, contributing to the shaping of a modern and sustainable tourism ecosystem.

Visit the new Capsule^T website and explore it! There you will discover actions, news, and opportunities that bring innovation closer to tourism and the future of the ecosystem.

And if you want to be the first to hear the news of our startups and of the Greek tourism ecosystem overall, subscribe to Capsule^T’s newsletter here.