Until now, Greece only had one widely reported unicorn: VivaWallet, a neobank which JP Morgan acquired a minority stake in earlier this year for an estimated €1.5bn.
But there are other tech titans from Greece that have flown largely under the radar outside of the country. Sifted has confirmed two other Greek companies with unicorn valuations, and one that’s edging closer to joining the $1bn+ valuation club.
PeopleCert
PeopleCert, based in Athens, offers certification services for professional and language skills.
The company was reported in the Greek media to have a €1.1bn valuation when it acquired British startup Axelos, another certification company, for €450m.
Skroutz
Skroutz is Greece’s answer to Amazon. It’s an online marketplace and says it’s the fourth most visited website in Greece, behind Google, Facebook and YouTube. The company was founded in 2005.
A Skroutz representative confirmed to Sifted that its valuation is over $1bn. The company employs 700 people, all based in Greece and for the most part in Athens.
Blueground
Proptech company Blueground is like a longer-term Airbnb. It lets people rent properties for stays beyond a month in locations around the world. Blueground helps people source the rental properties and offers interior design services to get them ready.
The company says it can’t disclose its current valuation, but it was last reported in October last year to be $750m.
According to Dealroom, Blueground has raised $251m in funding, including its latest round, $40m in debt from Silicon Valley Bank.
A growing ecosystem
The unicorn count reflects a growing momentum across the wider Greek ecosystem. The country’s startups saw $972m invested in 2021, up from $882m in 2020.
It’s important to note that this figure only covers Greek-founded startups still headquartered in the country, since there are a significant number of them based abroad.
For more on Greece’s tech scene, including other top startups in the country to watch, take a look at Sifted’s new report, Greeking out, sponsored by Endeavor Greece.
