After Spain, Beyond Borders — the program run by Endeavor Romania and Banca Transilvania for Romanian companies looking to scale internationally — continued in Athens on October 12–14, 2026.

Over three days, participating entrepreneurs got an inside look at the Greek market and business environment through a program that included:

• Meetings with local entrepreneurs and business leaders from companies and groups such as Fourlis Group, ERGON Foods and Hellas Direct;
• Discussions with representatives of Platis – Anastassiadis & Associates, EY in Greece and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
• Visits to ERGON House, the Embassy of Romania to the Hellenic Republic and Endeavor Greece.

Entrepreneurial perspectives 

• Vassilis Fourlis, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Fourlis Group, spoke to the entrepreneurs about leadership and adapting a business at a time when technological change and the sheer volume of information are pushing companies to make decisions ever faster. His advice for those eyeing the Greek market was to invest in research to understand it in depth, based on objective data and information, before taking the plunge — from consumer behavior and local specifics to the competitive landscape and the real opportunities for their own business model.

Fourlis Group is the largest retail group in Southeastern Europe, with operations including Romania, and is a partner of international brands such as IKEA, INTERSPORT, Foot Locker and Holland & Barrett. In addition to retail, the group operates in logistics (via Trade Logistics) and real estate investment (via Trade Estates).

• Aris Konstantopoulos, Brand Strategy Director at Ergon Foods, presented to the Romanian entrepreneurs the company’s hospitality concept, built around gastronomy, the restaurant and the hotel, as a unified brand experience.

The company was founded in Greece by Endeavor entrepreneurs Thomas Douzis and George Douzis, and is present in six other countries. Since 2011, it has been bringing people together by building a community of Greek artisans and small producers. ERGON Foods offers over 1,200 artisanal products from more than 150 local producers.

• Endeavor entrepreneurs Alexis Pantazis and Emilios Markou, Co-founders and Chief Executive Officers of the digital insurer Hellas Direct, offered a different angle on international expansion, pointing to the opportunities that Romania itself can offer Greek companies.

Hellas Direct entered the Romanian market four years ago, and Romania has become one of its main growth markets, with opportunities for expansion in insurance.

The networking evening also brought direct meetings with other Greek entrepreneurs, with businesses in areas such as: food production and ingredients for HoReCa, natural cosmetics and personal care products, fashion retail, stationery and packaging, distribution of digital printing equipment, water treatment technologies and corporate travel services.

Legal and tax perspectives  

Discussions with specialists from Platis – Anastassiadis & Associates (with Eirinikos Platis, Managing Partner, and Lia Vitzilaiou, Corporate & Commercial Law Director) and EY in Greece (with Marta Iliopoulou, Tax Partner, and Konstantinos Krimpas, Tax Senior Manager) complemented the business view with information on Greece’s legal and tax framework, offering practical pointers for preparing a potential entry into the local market.

Institutional perspectives

• Andrei Stănișoară, Minister-Counsellor, Office for Commercial and Economic Promotion, Embassy of Romania to the Hellenic Republic, spoke about Romania’s economic relations with Greece, and also highlighted the following:
  • The specifics of Greek business culture: deeply relationship-driven, where business decisions are made with people, not with companies.
  • Key opportunities for Romanian companies in the Greek market: energy and equipment, ICT, and the agri-food sector.
  • The biggest economic risk for Greece: its relatively high dependence on tourism, a sector sensitive to geopolitical developments, the pace of absorbing EU funds and the tendency of the workforce to emigrate.
  • Economic strengths: substantial investment in energy, infrastructure and digitalization is contributing significantly to diversification and resilience.

• Victoria Zinchuk, Regional Director for Romania, Bulgaria and Greece at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as a Board Member of Endeavor Romania, expressed her openness to support Romanian entrepreneurs interested in international expansion.

The EBRD, one of the founders of Endeavor Romania and one of the largest institutional investors in Romania, supports the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises both through financing and through expertise and advisory.

The companies taking part in Beyond Borders Greece operate in diverse sectors, from the food industry, beauty and medical aesthetics to fashion, industrial packaging, PET recycling, retail furniture, exhibition systems and technology. Some are already present in international markets, while others are exploring, in countries such as Greece, new avenues for development and potential partnerships.

The Beyond Borders program continues in Istanbul in February 2027.