Athens Tech Festival Drew 11,500 From 60 Countries
Athens just wrapped its biggest tech and innovation festival yet. Panathēnea 2026 ran from May 27 to 29 at the Zappeion and across dozens of venues throughout the city, drawing more than 11,500 registrations from 60 countries, with nearly 30% of attendees coming from abroad.
Over 3,000 founders and startup builders took part, alongside more than 250 speakers across five stages. More than 90 side events ran throughout Athens, supported by nearly 500 volunteers. The startup competition drew over 100 entries from 20 countries, with six finalists pitching to investors. GigPossible won the competition.
"The goal is to make Greece a genuine node in the global innovation map, not a peripheral observer." — Leuteris Katsiadakis, CEO of Panathēnea
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke at the festival in a conversation with Mati Staniszewski of ElevenLabs and Panagiotis Karambinis of Endeavor. The session revealed a partnership between the Greek government and ElevenLabs to bring voice AI tools to public services through Gov.gr, allowing citizens to speak directly with an AI system instead of filling out forms.
Artificial intelligence ran through almost every discussion at the event. Microsoft's Ulrich Homann told attendees that AI agents are already widely deployed at the corporate level, while a panel featuring Laura Modiano of OpenAI focused on how AI models can be turned into real market products rather than staying in research.
The festival also announced a three-year deal between the Greek Ministry of Education and Canva, giving primary and secondary school students and teachers free access to Canva Education. Minister of Education Sofia Zacharaki said the agreement is part of a broader digital education plan.
Leuteris Katsiadakis, CEO of Panathēnea, said the goal is to make Greece a genuine node in the global innovation map, not a peripheral observer. The festival takes its name from the ancient Panathenaic Games and aims to revive that spirit as an international gathering of technology, arts, and entrepreneurship.
