The 3rd Hellenic Impact Investing Conference (HIIC), the annual event organized by the Hellenic Impact Investing Network, took place on October 13–14 in Athens, bringing together professionals, investors, foundations, and organizations actively engaged in impact investing.

With a central focus on building a strong impact entrepreneurship ecosystem in Greece, the conference explored ways to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and the financing of initiatives that combine financial returns with social value.

Helidoni Group supported the conference as a sponsor, while its team was present throughout the event, actively participating in talks and thematic sessions. In parallel, three founders from companies within the Helidoni Group portfolio (Robenso, Plan(e)t Foods, and FlexThis) participated in the Impact Startup Showcase: Greece Edition, where live pitches by Greek startups took place.

On the second day, Apostolos Tsatsoulis, Associate at Helidoni Group, participated in the session titled IGNITE, SUPPORT & SCALE: Building Deal Flow for Impact Investors, where strategies for strengthening deal flow in the impact investing space were discussed.

The conference concluded with the Stewardship Panel: From Ownership to Outcomes, curated by Helidoni Group. Panel participants included Leonardos Valettas, CEO of Stewards and Ten Million Hands; Alexis Zitrides, Managing Director of Helidoni Group and Helidoni Foundation; Sotiris Petropoulos, Co-Founder of HIGGS; Christos Porios, Founder of Schema Labs and Open Council; and Adam Markakis, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Astylab.

During the panel, two steward-owned companies from the Helidoni Foundation portfolio were presented: Ten Million Hands, which issues the first social-purpose food and gift cards, and Open Council, which strengthens citizen participation in local decision-making processes.

The previous week (October 8–9), Helidoni Foundation and Stewards participated in the SO:25 Steward-Ownership Conference, the global conference organized by the Purpose Foundation in Berlin and the most important international gathering dedicated to the Steward Ownership model-a proven corporate structure that connects business success with social purpose and long-term responsibility.

Attendees included Dimitris Georgakopoulos, Founder of Helidoni Foundation; Alexis Zitrides, Managing Director of Helidoni Foundation; and Leonardos Valettas, CEO of Stewards and Ten Million Hands.

The conference program featured the “Berlin through the Lens of Steward Ownership” tour, a thematic visit to Berlin-based companies that apply the model in practice, such as MOGLi Naturkost, Haferkater, Vyld, and Stapelstein®. Participants had the opportunity to engage firsthand with organizations that embed transparency, participation, and social impact into their corporate structures.

In Greece, Helidoni Foundation supports initiatives that promote the Steward Ownership model, such as Ten Million Hands and Open Council-two companies already operating under stewardship structures. At the same time, it supports Astylab’s Incubator program and the HIGGS Accelerator, strengthening organizations that educate and guide new entrepreneurs in founding or transitioning to business models that connect entrepreneurship with social purpose.

Alexis Zitrides, Managing Director of Helidoni Group & Helidoni Foundation, stated:
“Through these two conferences, we saw in practice the convergence of impact investing and the Steward Ownership model-a new understanding of entrepreneurship, where positive social impact is combined with financial sustainability. This is a pathway toward an economy that serves people and the future.”

Leonardos Valettas, CEO of Stewards and Ten Million Hands, added:“The international Steward Ownership community is growing rapidly, and it is very important that Greece, through Stewards, is part of this conversation-building businesses that connect entrepreneurship with social purpose.”