Entrepreneurs, SMEs and startups flock to new wave of business hubs

The tiger economies of Asia may conjure up striking neon images of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, but there’s a new player on the scene. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, has been earning an enviable reputation in recent years for its vibrant startup ecosystem.

With a population of 7.5 million people, Vietnam’s most populous city has established itself as somewhere entrepreneurs can set up a business on a limited budget, with more and more staff from established companies in the States such as Apple making the trip there to begin their own startup dream.

The Finnish capital of Helsinki, quite simply, has it all. Combining access to a wealth of local talent, business accelerators and the government’s own support for newly formed business known as the Finnish Start-up Permit, there are few better places in Europe to turn dreams into entrepreneurial reality. And while the West Coast of the States has earned plenty of kudos for its tech giants like Google and Facebook, Helsinki has got its fair share of heavy hitters too, with companies such as Nokia and Linux helping establish it as a true technology and innovation powerhouse. 

If warmer climes are what you’re looking for, the subcontinent might have just what you need. Previously known as Bangalore, Bengaluru boasts a wealth of tech talent that has seen the city ranked as the third-largest tech ecosystem in the world. Its fast-growing reputation has led to an influx of both new businesses, and government funding for affordable housing has helped drive continued growth. 

While Berlin may earn all the plaudits when it comes to new business and a vibrant night-time economy, Cologne has the added bonus of being much quieter, less populated and altogether less stressful than the German capital. The presence of companies including Electronic Arts and Deutsche Telekom mean the city is no stranger to corporate giants and has an enviable history of investing heavily in media and tech. 

Over in Iceland, things are certainly warming up in a business sense too. Despite being one of the least populated areas in the developed world, Reykjavik benefits from an open business culture and a true entrepreneurial mindset. With a range of incubators, co-working spaces and a government that has put innovation firmly at the top of its business agenda, Reykjavik really is an exciting place to be. 

From chilly and sparsely populated to sunny and busy, with a gargantuan population of 12.11 million people, there’s certainly no shortage of potential customers in São Paulo. Brazilians may be known for their love of football, but as a business hub this sprawling certainly knows where the back of the net is when it comes to scoring a startup success. And with business accelerator schemes and co-working spaces playing host to some of the most innovative startups in the country, an impressive higher education system also makes it a great place to attract the very best talent.

Taking a step across the Atlantic, there’s another city bathed in warmth that’s also earning an enviable reputation in SME and startup circles. Nestled in the shadow of Table Mountain, Cape Town is a true Africa Business Center and has its sights set firmly on being the continent’s main technology hub. With its thriving incubator scene, diverse population and great universities, the city has also benefited from ‘the Silicon Cape’ initiative, combining a community of venture capitalists, developers and creatives.

With the rise of flexible workspace, all these incredible locations can easily become the new HQ for a startup or SME looking for a Scalable Network. Regus has affordable, serviced offices in each location, each with the same business-grade IT infrastructure and high-speed Wi-Fi access. What are you waiting for?

Find out more about how Regus can help your business!

This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
Originally published at Regus

“Farewell My Concubine” has been one of the most classical plays of Peking Opera, which was written based on real history from 206 BC to 202 BC. It was first performed for the public in 1918 by Yang Xiaolou and Shang Xiaoyun, and then since 1922, it became the most well-known play of Mei Lanfang, who was the most famous artist of Peking Opera. For generations, this tragic story has been staged for countless times in various genres and also been filmed which received many awards and remains the only Chinese language film having won Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. As a world-famous play, The it has not been staged in Greece yet.

This project was initiated by Miao Bin, who is the postgraduate student of the Department of Theatre Studies and the playwright of this play. Stavros Karagiannis and Yiannis Panagopoulos are both in charge of the direction of this performance, and sixteen Greek student actors from Peiraikos Syndesmos Drama School together with the Chinese actor Miao Bin are teamed up to present this story from ancient China.

This performance is the second Greek and Chinese theatre co-production based on a Chinese theatre play, after “Zhao the Orphan” which was co-produced by National Theatre of Greece and National Theatre of China in 2018. While there are more and more theatre collaborations between China and Greece, this project aims to explore the better way for the intercultural theatre co-production and to overcome the difficulties on the culture understanding for the theatre actors when they perform a foreign play, so as to build up a sample for the future productions. This performance is a fusion of the elements of Chinese and Greek theatre and culture.

On the occasion of Chinese New Year, this performance is a celebration for the coming new year, and also an outstanding part of the cultural exchange between the two ancient civilizations. The performance is free but you will have to reserve your tickets, which you will collect at the theatre's cashier desk from 11:00-18:00 on February 7th before the performance.

Reserve Your Free Tickets HERE! 

XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor of the
Greek Chinese Theater Performance - “Farewell My Concubine”

The time has come to raid the shops, find the best bargains, and shop till you drop! The Association of Retail Enterprises of Greece (SELPE) confirmed on Tuesday that the winter sales will begin today, January 13, and will run until Saturday, February 29.

It has also been confirmed that members of the Association of Retail Enterprises of Greece, especially large retailers and supermarkets, will be open for business on Sunday, January 19, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The U.S. Embassy in Athens and Greek nonprofit organization SciCo, are organizing for the first time in Greece, the STEM STARS GREECE competition with the aim of supporting, highlighting, and rewarding 14 to 18-year-old students with a special inclination towards science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The winners of the competition will receive special prizes, including the opportunity to represent Greece at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the largest international science competition, which will be held in Anaheim, California from 10 to 15 May 2020.  The competition is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

Participation in the competition is free. Students who attend public or private schools in Greece and are between 14 and 18 years old (High School 3rd Grade – Lyceum 3rd Grade) on the date of the competition are eligible to participate.

All projects must be submitted online between December 16, 2019 and February 16, 2020.

For more information and detailed participation requirements, please visit: U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Greece

ACS Athens students had to meet strict safety, size, and mass criteria in order for their experimental apparatus, containing ouzo, petimezi, electronics, and their 3D-printed container (designed and prototyped by one of the students) to be approved for a space flight, familiarizing themselves with real-world S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) investigations. Jaeho Nam, ACS Athens student and member of the spACS 2 team said: "I was fortunate to be a part of the spACS 2 team, and I personally think this experience not only provided me the opportunity to attain essential skills for a career in engineering but to learn the true meaning and value of teamwork." 

The international team of ACS Athens, formed in 2018, consists of High School students, their educators - Dr. Antonios Karampelas, Dr. Ioannis Kerkines, Ms. Victoria Poulou, Mr. Spyros Arsenikos, and Dr. Liana Tsigaridi - and external collaborators (Mr. Panos Mazarakis, Mr. Ilias Botsios). As Dr. Karampelas, Principal Investigator, stated: "I am proud of my students who managed to complete such a challenging task and excited to have seen ouzo and petimezi flying into space for the first time in history." 

More information on the conclusions of the experiment will follow, as they become available. 

The video of the launch is available by Blue Origin
The ACS Athens team first presented the spACS experiment during the 2019 Athens Science Festival
To learn more about the experiment click here
To learn more about Blue Origin click here