In recent years, the Greek startup ecosystem has shown promising growth, driven by a new generation of entrepreneurs, increased digital transformation, and the support of EU-funded programs. Many Greek startups focus on sectors like tourism tech, fintech, agritech, and shipping, leveraging the country’s unique strengths. Cities like Athens and Thessaloniki are emerging as hubs for innovation, supported by incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces.

Despite the numerous obstacles that start-ups face when seeking financing, investors can allocate resources totheir projects, increasing their chances of survival and positively affecting the economy. However, there is apaucity of information on the types of start-ups that are more likely to secure finance from investors, which complicates investors’ financing decision-making. In this project, a novel and comprehensive database ofGreek start-ups will be built, and quantitative (financial) and qualitative (non-financial) information as well asthe preference information of the decision-maker (i.e., investor) will be used to develop a multi-criteriajudgmental rating model able to handle start-ups’ uncertainty and estimate the probability of obtainingfinance. The multi-criteria model will then provide the basis for the development of an online decision supportsystem (DSS). The research outcomes will help investors bear most of the risks and avail most of theopportunities when investing in a project, as well as entrepreneurs who seek financing to grow theirbusinesses and policymakers who aim to improve the business climate in Greece.

By providing a detailed view of the decision-making process behind investments, DESUS project will contribute to filling the literature gap on start-up financing and will enable researchers to make better comparisons between the kinds of investors as well as identify further impactful variables in future research. Further, this work will contribute to the large body of research that explores how different types of investors support their financing decisions. For praxis, the decision-support model, which will be incorporated into the DSS, will have a strong impact on the investors’ decision-making, as they will base their decisions on their own preferences and, thus, will be capable of evaluating start-ups in a more confident manner.

Furthermore, the construction of the aforementioned database will be useful for future studies that will aim at investigating other intriguing aspects of start-ups’ access to external capital. Additionally, the existence of a website will benefit both researchers and practitioners. Specifically, the comprehensive database will include the largest possible number of Greek start-ups, allowing for greater reliability than prior research. In addition, providing a database that can be easily accessed by everyone will allow Greek start-ups to gain exposure to investors, enterprisers, and advisors, gain visibility, create the momentum needed to achieve funding goals, and develop and support go-to-market strategies.