That is the question we are here to help you answer. We work with early-stage tech founders — people and teams at the idea, concept, or early product stage who are about to make major strategic decisions.
For us, a startup is any temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model. A founder is anyone in search of one.
The work is practical, iterative, and sometimes uncomfortable. Don't expect us to tell you your idea is great. We will help you find out whether it truly is.
We also back what we believe in. Ideas Forward has invested in pre-revenue startups from its own founder community and built software products of its own. We take risk alongside the founders we support — not as a rule, but when the evidence warrants it.
They pushed us to question assumptions we thought were already settled. The Next Stage program helped us get clarity on our customers' needs and what made our product different. That's not something you get from most acceleration programs.
The founders we work with best tend to share a few things: they are tackling a real, specific problem — not a vague opportunity space. They are willing to speak to users, run experiments, and change direction if the evidence demands it. They care about whether the thing they are building should exist, not just whether it can be built. And they want challenge as well as support.
The strongest fit is with founders in deep tech and research-originating ventures, where the path from idea to company is longer, the assumptions are harder to test, and the cost of getting it wrong is higher. We also work effectively with early-stage tech founders more broadly through our programs.
We are a poor fit for founders who are primarily looking for pitch coaching, visibility, or encouragement without pressure-testing the problem. If the goal is a shortcut to fundraising, we are not the right partner. We are also not built for SMEs seeking broad business support. Our work is specialized around the challenges of tech ventures in search of product-market fit.
The form of engagement depends on where you are, what you are working on, and what the work requires.
Next Stage is our own founder support platform, running programs for Greek tech founders at an early stage of venture creation. If you are a founder in Greece working on a tech startup or spin-off, Next Stage is the most direct route to working with us.
Each collaboration looks different. What they share is an early stage, a willingness to test assumptions, and decisions that meaningfully shaped what the venture became. Ideas Forward has also built two products of its own — CO2Path and ArticleReader AI — applying the same methodology internally. Not every incubated team becomes an investment. Backing is selective, based on the potential of Ideas Forward to add meaningful value, not just capital.
Acquired by Neurons Inc AI eye-tracking
Started as a cloud-based eye-tracking platform for designers and marketers, who were dependent on expensive eye-tracking hardware. Raised €300k from a VC fund and Ideas Forward. Pivoted to an AI-powered visual attention predictor, achieving 93% accuracy without hardware — a decision that opened a different market and ultimately led to acquisition by Neurons Inc.
Acquired by Pace Sports Running event platform
A digital platform connecting running event organizers, sponsors, and participants. Product and business model were developed through close collaboration over multiple phases — customer discovery, model formation, and investor readiness — leading to €300k raised with Ideas Forward as lead investor alongside HeBAN angel investors.
VC-backed, growing
Came through Next Stage with a focused question: could scoliosis treatment be tracked continuously, not just at clinic visits? The team developed ScolioSense, a wearable that gives clinicians real-time monitoring data. They won first place at Next Stage Challenge 2021, achieved CE marking and ISO 13485 compliance, and closed a $340K round with TECS Capital and angel investors. Ideas Forward invested alongside that round. The company has since expanded internationally.
Angel-backed, growing
Elevated cholesterol, hypertension, pre-diabetes pose health risks that go undetected because the systems meant to catch them are fragmented. NudgeCare uses AI to connect bloodwork, wearables, and clinician input into a single app, turning checkup data into a personalized ongoing plan. One of the founders is a Next Stage alumnus. Ideas Forward invested in the company's first capital raise.
Bootstrapped Logistics emissions
Originated from internal R&D by the Ideas Forward team on greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. The Forward Method was applied to validate a decentralized carbon accounting model for logistics providers, with a specific focus on EU regulatory reporting requirements. Won €300k in innovation grants and spun out as a standalone venture after securing its first customers.
