One of them produces exoskeleton systems that make robots more dexterous. Another promises with its software a stay of less than five minutes in the MRI scanner, while another digitizes key stages in the process of developing new drugs. These are some of the deep tech companies that are developing innovations in Greece, claiming a share of a market that has exploded.

According to Dealroom’s research on the European ecosystem of deep tech companies, this sector attracted the largest volume of capital in Europe last year, with the total amount reaching $20.3 billion, from $16.9 billion in 2024 and $2.9 billion 10 years ago.

These companies develop innovations that are largely based on scientific discoveries (artificial intelligence drug discovery, autonomous driving, AI chips), attracting one third of the total volume of venture capital funds last year. 

The key to transforming these scientific ideas into commercial products is talent, given that, according to the study, Europe hosts 30% of the world’s leading universities in the deep tech sector and produces twice as many engineering and scientific graduates as the US.

Although it is in an embryonic stage of development, at least compared to other countries, Greece is not off the map, although a large part of the startups maintain their official headquarters abroad. “In recent years, deep tech companies have also developed on Greek soil, many of which develop high-tech solutions in the healthcare sector,” explains Nikos Kalliagkopoulos, partner at Greek venture capital firm Big Pi Ventures.

“What sets them apart is certainly their innovation, but also the fact that the team is made up of people who have a real scientific background, i.e. PhD holders etc. Although most of them maintain an official headquarters abroad, we observe that the majority of the people they employ are in Greece. The same goes for their founders,” he adds.

Among them, TileDB stands out. It manages a huge volume of highly complex data (like satellite images and genetic data), which traditional databases cannot process, as well as Minas Liarokapis’ Acumino, which attempts to make robots more skillful, in an era when factories and industries are becoming automated.