Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou: The creator of the most important innovation event, TEDx Athens, talks to protothema.gr

The TEDx Athens is not only the premier innovation event where science meets art, entrepreneurship, and technology, but also the place where the world’s greatest minds have revealed their personal stories and secrets of success.

Top minds are expected to march from the TEDx Athens stage this year including, among others, Hollywood film world creator, production designer, and director Patrick Tatopoulos, Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy at Oxford University John Tasioulas, and former head of the US Secret Service and Air Force One, Evi Boubouras, in a year that is expected to be particularly festive due to the 15th anniversary of the event in Greece.

The founder of TEDxAthens and the main curator is Dmitris Kalavros-Gousiou, who studied law and is particularly active in the fields of entrepreneurship, culture, and new media. Establishing the startup spirit in Greece as one of the pioneers, Kalavros founded the Foundation in 2012 as the first startup hub, and in 2017 he established the investment fund in the technology sector Velocity. Partners. He talks in detail about his exciting journey at TEDx Athens in an interview with “Proto Thema”.

T.M.: This year TEDxAthens celebrates 15 years of inspiration and innovation by constantly coming up with new ideas and parallel projects. What are we going to see as part of the anniversary event?

DK: This year’s event is characterized by a strong festival character and mood! On the one hand, we are celebrating 15 years of presence, on the other hand, we are very inspired by our host venue this year, the Athens Epidaurus Festival, 260 Pireos Street, Athens. This is an event that will present 18 hours of live content, in three different stages.

At the same time, we have prepared a very dynamic experience with the help of TEDxAthens supporters and partners for all that will happen outside our halls. Therefore, the people who will honour us with their presence on 5 October will listen, be inspired, taste, and live a holistic and unique experience – which is, after all, the distinctive difference of TEDxAthens over the years. It’s not just the talks. This year, however – because of our birthday, we have also placed special emphasis on what will take place off-stage. There’s going to be a lot of interaction and a lot of creativity throughout the day.

T.M.: Why “X Machina” and what’s the connection to culture?

Why is it important to do this?
D.C: The central theme this year is X Machina. There is a reference to ancient tragedy and the “God from a machine”, who comes at the right moment to offer a solution to every problem, to provide redemption. With the X Machina theme, we are opening a conversation with the Athens Epidaurus Festival, but at the same time a conversation that is about the relationship between man and technology, man and machine. We have seen, in the last two years very strongly, the role and the contact that artificial intelligence now has daily with so many different aspects of everyday life. So, this year, in a very large part of the program, we will be looking at this human-machine ‘balance’. So “X Machina” relies on these elements and invites attendees to ask themselves about the big picture. The future, the present, issues that concern modern societies and will be at the center of attention in the coming years.

T.M.: TEDxAthens started as a big event that brought new, innovative ideas and a change in thinking by bringing together the fields of technology and culture and became a solid institution. What are the changes it has brought in the way innovation is perceived and the idea of synergy and collaboration?
What are the changes that it has brought in the way innovation is perceived and the idea of synergy and collaboration?
They are the changes in the way innovation is perceived.

D.C.: When TEDxAthens started in 2009, we were talking about a very different Greek society but also a global community. Technology was present, innovation was present, but, still, at a very “infant” level in traditional economies. Therefore, we had initially focused on the inspiration part – if you like. In trying to imagine what the world would be like in the immediate, or not so immediate, future.

I think some of these predictions that we dared to express, some of the conversations we opened up over the past few years, have begun to become part of everyday life. I recall a talk by Dimitri Achliopta, in the now very distant 2010, who had talked about an idea of connecting the human brain to a computer chip. Several years later Elon Musk in America started a company that does just that, Neuralink. So yesterday and the imagination we put into the beginnings of our communication and positioning has given way to the developments we see today.

Things – that once seemed distant and futuristic – are now becoming reality and radically changing the way we live and interact with the world. That’s been the point of TEDxAthens over the years: to open windows of thought and encourage imagination for the future that is shaping up in front of us.

T.M.: By always bringing different people together, TEDxAthens has shaped a creative modus operandi by showing that progress and innovation transcend preconceptions and facts. What, really, is your criterion when you carve out, each time, the new event?

Our main criterion, for each event, is to strive to improve the product provided, the experience we offer to the public, compared to the previous one. This applies to the talks, which have been the “main course” of every successful event over the years. Therefore, the goal each time is to have speakers who create questions with their speeches, inspire and motivate people to walk on new paths, but at the same time they also plant seeds of search and reflection on a variety of topics, some that concern all of us on a daily basis and others that may not have been part of our reality until now.
At the same time, however, a very large part of the evolution of the institution is related to the holistic experience.

As I mentioned, everything that happens outside our tents during discovery breaks – or “discovery breaks” – is equally important. And why do we call them discovery breaks? Because we offer an experience that encompasses art, music, taste and touches all the senses. Through these interactive activations, we give the audience the opportunity to get closer, interact and get to know each other. So, on that day, we create even more
more points of contact and discussion.

T.M.: As the event’s Central Curator and a founding member of the institution, you have seen a dynamic, initially, event transform into something big that seems to meet the demands of the day. How, really, has TEDxAthens managed to grow as an institution and be embraced with such fervor by the community?

D.K.: I think TEDxAthens grew in an extremely organic way, as the first years of its existence, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, coincided with a broader search in Greek society for answers, inspiration and an antidote to the gloom brought on by the economic crisis. The timing of TEDxAthens was ideal, as it acted as a light of hope for a part of society, offering the possibility to take a step beyond decay, as the poet says. Through the stories of people who have faced difficulties and achieved their goals, but also by engaging in a global discussion about the evolution of societies, TEDxAthens became – not only a carrier of inspiration, but also – part of a larger dialogue. Let’s not forget that at the end of the day, TEDxAthens is a proud member of the global TEDx community.

T.M.: Growing up with TEDxAthens, what are the personal changes in your life and career, alongside the changes we’ve seen on and off the TEDxAthens stage?

D.C.: First of all, I will say that TEDxAthens was my starting point in the innovation and entrepreneurship space. Over the last 15 years I have been very lucky, because I have launched, together with good partners and co-entrepreneurs, several initiatives, two investment funds with the last one – Apeiron Ventures – starting just last May, one and the first pillar and platform supporting entrepreneurship in our country, Found.ation, and a few other companies. What is very interesting is that, several of these companies were started by people with whom we got together in the volunteer team of TEDxAthens, got to know each other, and through our friction, through the organization of this event and of course the relationship and friendship that developed after that meeting, we forged relationships that led us to common entrepreneurial paths. On a personal note, I’ve been a new dad since the beginning of September, and I’m enjoying this new role more than anything else.

T.M.: The numbers speak for themselves: from 15 people in a small volunteer group with a vision, TEDxAthens has now managed to rally over 150 volunteers. Did you ever expect something so big?

D.C.: We definitely didn’t expect our volunteer team to grow so much! We’re talking about 150 people in the volunteer team around the event in the last few days. However, we also have another core volunteer team that works for many months, usually 8 or 9 months before the event, starting with planning and then implementing everything we present on the day of the event. Our core team is about 50 people. The size and growth of this team was also the result of an organic process. Over the years, we have been able to build internal expertise in many different areas of the event.

Our volunteer program includes an educational pillar that offers everything from soft skills development to career opportunities for participants, and is currently one of the largest in the country. On the food side, our team is staffed by professional chefs. On the communication side and of course in production, we do not rely on external partners. This knowledge was built internally, year after year, and is passed on to the younger generations who join our team.

T.M.: What are the moments you will never forget from the recent history of the institution and why? Is there anything indelible in your memory?

D.C.: From the recent past, I’ll keep last year’s event, where we faced the first blackout in our history for about an hour. Power was down in a large part of Kallithea, including the venue that was hosting the 2023 event. We had to manage one of the worst situations for live event organisers, but I believe we responded very successfully and managed to create a case study based on this experience.

I also hold the 2019 event, in which we celebrated our first decade. It was a very big and important event, as it encapsulated the whole first decade. Unbeknownst to us at the time, 2019 was also the last big event before the pandemic, which kept us away from our live audience for two years until we returned in May 2022. The 2019 event was the springboard that led us into the second decade of TEDxAthens, which we are now in.

T.M.: What else does Kalavros expect from TEDxAthens as Dimitris and not just as the soul of the institution?

D.K: TEDxAthens is geared to touch on themes and provoke thought on issues that concern contemporary society, see for example last year when we spoke about Freedom of the Press in Greece, or this year about the quality of life in Athens. Apart from great innovations and great ideas, we are also concerned with the problems of our local society and the country. This, is something I want to continue emphatically in the years to come.

TEDxAthens must remain a place where truth, objectivity and honesty prevail, creating a safe space for thought, free of interference from political or economic agendas. I want us to continue to inspire people and give impetus to ideas that make a difference. You know, good stories exist – and they always will! Our purpose? To seek them out and highlight them, with ethics, honesty and sobriety.

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