The DESUS Project will be represented at the International Conference on Business and Economics of the Hellenic Open University (ICBE-HOU 2026), to be held in Athens on 25–26 September 2026.
Our team will present the paper:
“How do VCs select start-ups to finance? A meta-analysis and review”
George Peppas · Chrysavgi Mitsi · Antonios Sarantidis · Augustinos Dimitras · Christina Diakaki
The study synthesises evidence from 75 empirical studies published between 1984 and 2025, consolidating the fragmented literature on venture capital decision-making into a single map of 29 investment criteria. Using meta-analytic techniques, the paper moves beyond descriptive accounts of what investors say matters and statistically measures which criteria actually drive funding outcomes — offering entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers an evidence-based view of how start-ups are selected for financing.
The work forms part of the DESUS Project’s broader research agenda on entrepreneurial finance and start-up sustainability.
📄 Conference programme: https://icbe-hou.eap.gr/2026/program/