Be Inspired: Innovative Diaspora Greeks

Innovation is definitely not a foreign term in Greece. Contemporary Greeks have a history of innovation to be proud of in the fields of engineering, mathematics, astronomy and so on. Likewise, the Greek spirit of innovation lives on in today's Greeks, whether they live in their country of origin or have chosen to excel away from it. The following is a small list of innovators of the diaspora:

The Blackberry Creator: Mike Lazaridis - Born in Constantinople in 1961, Lazaridis and his family were immigrants to Canada. Two friends/partners, a 15,000 dollar loan from his parents and the general support of General Motors led to the creation of RIM, the company that created the famous Blackberry phone and many other patented innovations. In 1999 he founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, Canada, which studies black holes, quantum physics, the theory of relativity and similar scientific subjects. Among its esteemed staff is also the famous physicist Stephen Hawking.

One Laptop per Child: Nicholas Negreponte - Born in 1943, Nicholas Negreponte is a Greek-American who was raised in New York. He conceived and is cofounder of the MIT Media Laboratory as well as chairman of the One Laptop per Child non-profit association, which aims to bring 100$ self-powered laptops to children of poor countries. He has also funded many startups for companies such as the magazine "Wired."

BusinessWeek's Best in 2007: Thomas Milonas: Born and raised in Greece, Thomas Milonas studied industrial design in Italy, because he failed to make it into the university of his choice in Greece. Having worked for Fila as a footwear designer, Thomas decided to start his own company in the Netherlands with only 4,000 euros to spare. As a result the company "Dot Kite" was born that led to clients such as Best Western, Velvet Airlines, Puma, Fila. He didn't stop there, however, as he also founded the company "Loggia Import" that imports italian and greek wine and olive oil as well as the "Crux Group," which invests in innovative ideas. He was voted as one of the most successful young businessmen in Europe for 2007 by Business Week magazine.

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Sources:

omogeneia.ana-mpa.gr

media.mit.edu

telegraph.co.uk

umain.edu