Community events help build thriving ecosystems that are inclusive, diverse, constantly buzzing with innovative ideas. Such thriving ecosystems have the power to transform local economies and communities.
As an impact-driven initiative, Orange Grove eyes at that exactly, to boost the growth of the ecosystem by organizing community events that expose ambitious founders to new insights and ideas, make innovation and opportunities accessible to all and promote a nurturing environment for synergies and co-creation. These include meetups, fireside chats, trainings and networking events that come in all forms and sizes. As times change, so do our events, adapting to the new needs of different circumstances. So, keep an eye on our social media announcements to check out what our latest community events are delving into!
Meetups render innovation open to all. They offer the opportunity to anyone to join in, learn from their peers, connect with experts, expand their network and exchange ideas. From impromptu pizza nights to official networking events, meetups are the most recognizable and cherished community events of Orange Grove. And they come in all sizes and forms. They may be small and closed to Orange Grove members only, or open and large. Focused on specific topics and trends or simply an opportunity to socialize with each other. Organized by Orange Grove or hosted, offering the space to a partner initiative to bring together its own community under Orange Grove’s roof. No matter what they look like, these lively events bring together like-minded people that drive innovation, impact and change.
Fireside chats are open and engaging dialogues that invite the community inside the personal stories of Orange Grove guest speakers during relaxed, loosely structured events. Successful entrepreneurs, investors, fast-growth startuppers, corporate experts, unique storytellers form a line-up of distinguished guests joining us from around the world for informal conversations which provide the audience with unique insights into the personal stories, paths, challenges and thoughts of individuals who have carved out a unique course of successes and, often, failures. Once the chat is over, the buzz begins with the participants invited to network and connect with each other.
The Orange Unconferences are the newest addition to the list of events by Orange Grove! What is an unconference? An unconference is an interactive participant-driven meeting, creating space from the ground-up for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and creativity. No keynote speakers, no powerpoint presentations. Everyone is given the space to voice their thoughts. Participants decide what the discussion topics of the unconference will be, divide per topic group of interest and then brainstorm, share experiences and exchange ideas on the specific topic. Our first unconference was focussed on agri-preneurship, marking the launch of Orange Grove’s Lighthouse Project, in collaboration with Starthub at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). More unconferences are soon to follow!
Connecting startups and corporates is a win-win equation that drives innovation and accelerates growth. Established companies can innovate better and faster through meaningful interactions, and even better collaborations, with startups. So will startups. Thus, creating multiple opportunities to meet through different events is important. From 1-1 speed-dating and startups training trips at corporate headquarters, to networking events, such as Growth Makers Nights by Heineken, and meetups with corporate executives from Greece and abroad, Orange Grove organizes targeted closed and open events to bring corporates and startups closer, for lasting mutual benefits.
Building bridges with international markets is essential for venture growth. Understanding different entrepreneurial cultures is equally important. As an initiative of the Netherlands Embassy in Greece, Orange Grove organizes events in collaboration with local Embassies of other countries to promote international know-how sharing and best-practices exchange. From presentations on developing strong e-governance transcending all sectors to discussions on creating an encouraging environment for startup growth, these collaborative events aim at creating a better understanding of international ecosystems and markets, facilitate new founders in expanding their connections abroad and familiarise them with different dynamics and approaches other countries may express.
Bringing policy-makers and representatives of important institutions closer to the ecosystem is among the priorities of Orange Grove. Though circumstances since the initial years of Orange Grove have vastly changed, bridges have been built and communication channels set, still creating opportunities for policy-makers or high-level representatives and founders to meet need to be created as often as possible. Orange Grove has been honoured to receive numerous high-level visits from Greece and around the world, as well as organize meetings outside our premises. These include members of the Royal House of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, f. President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias, f. President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, f. President of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem, various Ministers and Ambassadors. Similar visits offer the opportunity for founders and visiting guests to engage in an open dialogue, better understand each other and what they represent, and transmit important messages.
