Unique Interview: Konstantinos Maragkos – Co-Founder & CEO Youthmakers Hub

Though the worldwide social enterprise ecosystem has grown tremendously within the final decade, it nonetheless has to face a problem, which is sustainability, shares with CEOWORLD journal, Konstantinos Maragkos, Co-Founder & CEO of Youthmakers Hub.

The CEO of Youthmakers Hub is engaged on social tasks between Greece and Africa, constructing structured bridges, so each side can profit enormously.

The Youthmakers Hub’s new mission is the upcoming Africa-Greece Entrepreneurship (AGE) Summit. «Its theme, “Future-Proofing Entrepreneurship by Digitalization,” speaks to a actuality we can not ignore: the way forward for enterprise is digital, and entrepreneurs who adapt will thrive», mentioned Konstantinos Maragkos to CEOWORLD journal.

Q: How did you resolve to discovered Youthmakers Hub? 

Konstantinos Maragkos: The story of Youthmakers Hub actually started with WE AfriHug, a mission my sister Marilena and I co-created in 2018. On the time, we had been each very younger and motivated by the concept that schooling and mobility may remodel lives.

By way of WE AfriHug, we traveled to 9 African international locations, from Tanzania and Kenya to Ghana and Nigeria, the place we educated college college students, tutorial employees, and youth staff on Erasmus+ alternatives and capability constructing.

What struck me most was the eagerness for data and the willingness of younger individuals to take possession of their future if solely they’d entry to the precise instruments. We noticed greater than 4,000 direct beneficiaries in simply two years, facilitated greater than 50 mobilities between Africa and Europe by EU programmes, and even perhaps extra importantly, we witnessed how European and African establishments may type sturdy partnerships when youth had been within the lead.

The success and recognition of WE AfriHug—it even gained the Golden Laissez Passer Award from the garagErasmus Basis—made it clear that this might not stay a one-off initiative. We wanted a corporation with a long-term imaginative and prescient to maintain this type of work.

That’s how Youthmakers Hub was born in 2019. From the beginning, our mission was clear: to domesticate empowered youth and to function a bridge between Europe and Africa. What motivated me personally was the idea that youth engagement shouldn’t be a aspect exercise in coverage or growth—it must be on the middle. Founding Youthmakers Hub was our method of creating positive that the seeds we planted by WE AfriHug may develop into an enduring ecosystem that connects, empowers, and conjures up younger changemakers.

Q: What does your information inform us concerning the potential for rising entrepreneurship between Greece and Africa? 

Konstantinos Maragkos: Over the past six years, Youthmakers Hub has carried out greater than 30 tasks in 27 international locations, reaching over 12,000 direct beneficiaries. Once you function at that scale, patterns turn out to be very clear.

In Africa, there’s a large entrepreneurial drive—younger persons are constructing start-ups in agriculture, digital innovation, well being, and artistic industries. But, a lot of them face obstacles in scaling up: restricted entry to finance, weak infrastructure, and inadequate worldwide publicity. On the opposite aspect, in Greece and Southern Europe, younger entrepreneurs typically have sturdy tutorial and technical expertise, however they’re constrained by a comparatively small home market and challenges in getting into international worth chains.

Our information, particularly from tasks like AfriConEU, which related digital innovation hubs throughout Africa with European counterparts, exhibits that when structured bridges are constructed, each side profit enormously. Entrepreneurs in Ghana and Nigeria had been keen to attach with EU companions for mentorship and funding, whereas Greek start-ups had been actively looking for entry to Africa’s fast-growing markets. The complementarities are putting: Africa has the world’s fastest-growing youth inhabitants, whereas Greece is strategically positioned as a gateway to the European Union.

What we noticed in our community is that partnerships emerge naturally when individuals have the chance to fulfill and trade data. This proves the potential isn’t just theoretical—it’s already taking place, and with the precise help, it may possibly develop exponentially.

A tangible instance of this entrepreneurial bridge is the work of John Kourkoutas, Founder & CEO of MrExportToAfrica and Director of Operations at Amplify Gross sales. For greater than 15 years, he has been serving to Greek corporations efficiently enter African markets by offering market entry methods, distributor partnerships, regulatory setup, and commerce help. His work demonstrates how Greece–Africa entrepreneurship isn’t just attainable however thriving—creating pathways for corporations to develop throughout continents.

Q: Can Greece and Africa drive innovation collectively?  

Konstantinos Maragkos: I’ve little question about it. Innovation will not be the monopoly of anyone area—it prospers when various concepts meet. Greece has a protracted custom of schooling, analysis, and a vibrant start-up scene that’s rising with sturdy EU backing. Africa brings creativity, resilience, and a tradition of problem-solving born from necessity. When these come collectively, the outcomes might be outstanding.

A concrete instance is AfriConEU, which we had been proud to guide on communication and dissemination. This mission established the primary Transcontinental Networking Academy for Digital Innovation Hubs. What we noticed was that African hubs weren’t simply adopting European practices but additionally instructing European companions new methods of innovating with restricted sources. It was a two-way trade. The mission’s affect was acknowledged internationally—it gained the 2023 .eu Internet Award, the 2024 SEADE Award for being one of many prime 5 EU–AU analysis and innovation cooperation success tales, and was acknowledged as a case examine on the EU Data Valorisation Platform for its impactful Networking Academy & Toolkit. This recognition confirmed that Greece and Africa can co-create innovation that’s impactful on a worldwide scale.

So sure, Greece and Africa can drive innovation collectively. However I might add: they have to. The challenges we face—local weather change, digital transformation, migration, inequality—don’t respect borders. We’d like collaborative innovation that crosses continents, and Greece and Africa are completely positioned to show how this may be accomplished.

Q: What are Youthmakers Hub’s milestone tasks or achievements?  

Konstantinos Maragkos: Wanting again, there are a number of tasks that stand out as milestones for us. WE AfriHug will all the time maintain a particular place, because it laid the muse for all the pieces that adopted. It educated hundreds of scholars and youth staff, constructed over 100 partnerships between African and European establishments, facilitated greater than 150 mobilities updated, and impressed us to ascertain Youthmakers Hub.

One other milestone was AfriConEU. Past the awards it gained, it confirmed us how a transcontinental mission may really remodel ecosystems, not simply people. Greater than 2,200 entrepreneurs, SMEs, and start-ups had been engaged, and the mission created a self-sustaining networking academy.

On the European degree, our mission nEU Citizenship activated Greek youth to turn out to be civically engaged. It gained the SALTO Award in 2023 for Participation in Democratic Life, proving that native tasks can have continental recognition. Equally, EUth Voices for Social Change empowered marginalized youth by podcasting and digital storytelling and was acknowledged because the nationwide winner for Greece within the 2024 Charlemagne Youth Prize.

Right now, we’re a part of one of many largest Europe–Africa youth initiatives ever launched: the AU–EU Youth Voices Lab – Energy of the Collective. This €7.3M, four-year mission goals to empower youth and decision-makers throughout 14 African international locations and Europe. For us, being answerable for the communication, visibility, and the event of the YVL Cell App is a large duty, but additionally a privilege. We’re already seeing how this mission is opening up new areas for younger individuals to affect insurance policies on the highest ranges.

Q: What’s your opinion concerning the social enterprise ecosystem globally at this level?  

Konstantinos Maragkos: I feel the worldwide social enterprise ecosystem is at a crossroads. On one hand, it has grown tremendously within the final decade. We see extra younger entrepreneurs all over the world beginning ventures that goal not solely to generate revenue but additionally to handle points like local weather change, schooling, or inequality. Buyers, too, are paying extra consideration, with affect funding changing into a extra acknowledged area. Then again, sustainability stays a problem. Too many social enterprises nonetheless rely closely on grants or short-term funding.

What provides me hope is the creativity and resilience of younger social entrepreneurs. From our work in each Europe and Africa, I’ve seen younger individuals create options which are deeply rooted of their communities, whether or not it’s a start-up in Kenya utilizing cellular cash as a every day transaction system, or a Greek social enterprise selling inexperienced digital practices.

The important thing now could be to construct ecosystems that present them not solely with preliminary funding but additionally with mentorship, entry to markets, and long-term progress alternatives. Social enterprise globally isn’t just a distinct segment anymore—it’s changing into an integral a part of how we think about the economic system of the long run. However we have to be certain that this shift is backed by structural help, not simply enthusiasm.

Q: Are you able to inform us concerning the upcoming AGE Summit?   

Konstantinos Maragkos: The Africa–Greece Entrepreneurship (AGE) Summit, which we’re internet hosting on 17–18 October 2025 in Athens, is one thing we’re very enthusiastic about. Its theme, “Future-Proofing Entrepreneurship by Digitalization,” speaks to a actuality we can not ignore: the way forward for enterprise is digital, and entrepreneurs who adapt will thrive.

What makes AGE totally different from different conferences is its design. We don’t desire a typical occasion the place individuals simply sit and hearken to speeches. As an alternative, we’re creating interactive areas: Panel discussions with distinguished friends from Africa and Greece, Energy Talks from Specialists, and hands-on workshops. The Summit will carry collectively entrepreneurs, innovators, policymakers, and ecosystem enablers from each Greece and Africa.

Our purpose is to make AGE a gateway: Greece as an entry level for African entrepreneurs into the EU market, and Africa as a companion for Greek and European entrepreneurs looking for new horizons. We have already got confirmed participation from universities, chambers, and innovation hubs, and we anticipate vibrant exchanges that may proceed lengthy after the Summit ends. Finally, the AGE Summit isn’t just about conversations—it’s about creating alternatives. If even a handful of members go away Athens with new collaborations, investments, or tasks, we’ll think about it successful.