At Orange Grove we have always been a huge advocate and supporter of the further digitalization of not only the services we provide, but also of society in a broader sense. One major advantage of the coronavirus pandemic (we always want and need to see the glass half-full), is that suddenly both processes were accelerated, more than we could ever hope for. The pandemic created a ‘new normal’, to which we all had to adapt rapidly. Plans and strategies that we had for years, suddenly became such a necessity, that everything else that had been distracting us became irrelevant. Digitalization of our way of working and communicating became a prerequisite for the survival of businesses and organizations. 
 
As our team and strategic partners extend to a national and international level, working remotely proved to be, not only a necessity, but also the optimal path. Suddenly we started to spend much less time on travel to and from appointments, remote meetings became more efficient, our whole way of operating and communicating was further streamlined. These positive elements of remote working, have now become our ‘new normal’ at Orange Grove. Of course we still greatly appreciate face-to-face communication and collaboration, but as a complementary option to remote work. For this reason we will also retain our office spaces in Athens and Patras for selected activities (once circumstances allow) but as a whole Orange Grove has turned into a remote-first organization and will continue to further develop in this direction. 
 
That also is the case when it comes to the services we provide to entrepreneurs. We already started to shift toward online services when we switched from a 650 sq.m. workspace to a downsized office and a first successful online pilot programme in 2019. This pilot allowed for a restricted number of startups to participate remotely from different cities around Greece to our 2019AUT Incubation Programme and the Junior Squeezy for the first time. For the first time, entrepreneurs from smaller, rural areas, creating amazing products and services could join us. Now, in the midst of the pandemic, we are reaching our next goal: In November, we are launching our first entirely remote incubation programme using our newly set up online learning platform and digital curriculum, which turns us into a 100% online incubator! 
 
Building on this new online structure, Orange Grove will connect more startups from all over Greece to mentors, trainers, corporates, investors and startup communities on a national and international level, creating even more bridges, networks and ecosystems; keeping the core values of Orange Grove intact; but making its services widely accessible and more structured.