TF 2026 | Program
Program at Glance
12th Technology Forum
16th May | Friday
Aristotle University Research Dissemination Center (KEDEA)
09:00 -10:00
REGISTRATIONS
10:00 – 10:30
OPENING
Nikolaos Tzollas
Vice-Governor, Region of Central Macedonia
Kyriakos Yakinthos
Vice-Rector of Research & Innovation, AUTH
Prof. Panagiotis Sarigiannidis
Professor with University of Western Macedonia,
Co-founder of MetaMind Innovations
Thanassis Bouras
Research Strategy Director, UBITECH
Dr. Alexis Papadimitriou
10:30 – 12:15
Keeping pace with the state-of-the-art in companies
10:30 – 11:00
Ippokratis Pandis
VP/Distinguished Engineer,
Amazon web services
Data foundation in the age of generative AI
11:00 – 12:15
Exploring Collaborative Innovation:
Case Studies from Central Macedonia
Moderator: Stavros Mantzanakis, Lead Technical Expert One Stop Liaison Office
Open Innovation | Round Table
Representative of Alumil S.A.
Dr. Dimitris Tsitsamis MSc, PhD
Head of Innovation Department
ThPA S.A. – Port of Thessaloniki
Konstantinos Karystinakis
CDXi Solutions, Business Developer
Nikolaos Tsoniotis
Ideas Forward, Partner
Paschalis Sideridis
ITI, CERTH, Researcher
12:15 – 13:15
LUNCH BREAK
13:15 – 14:45
Building a successful company and funding opportunities
Moderator: Manos Macromallis, Chairman, SEKEE
Round Table
Antonis Ilias
Co-founder & Partner, TECS Capital
Dr. Evangelos Kosmidis
CEO & General Partner, Loggerhead Ventures Fund
Michalis Stangos
Entrepreneur – Investor
Angelos Manglis
Founder of Atlantis Consulting S.A.
15:15 – 17:15
ATTRACTING FUNDING
15:15 – 15:45
Michael Petychakis
Chief Technology Officer, Orfium
The Innovation Odyssey:
My Path from Academia to Leading a Global Tech Team
15:45 – 17:45
SEKEE
Coordinator
PITCHING PART
16:15 – 17:15
Is Data Our Stairway to Heaven or The Gates of Hell?
Moderator: Apostolos “Toli” Lerios
The appeal of AI, despite its shortfalls, is growing our appetite for data collection and digitization. Data is vulnerable: no matter what regulations say, or what cyber security experts try, once a bomb is built, some idiot human (not a fictitious Skynet AI), some day, will explode it intentionally or accidentally; Chekhov’s Gun will always fire by the end of the play. Three notable experts on deriving value from data will share their thoughts on whether (and, if so, how) we can draw enough positive value from data collection to justify not just the risk but the certainty of its inevitable misuse.
Round Table
Ippokratis Pandis
VP/Distinguished Engineer,
Amazon web services
Stathis Vassileiadis
CEO, Envia Group
Michael Petychakis
Chief Technology Officer, Orfium