When we think of a vibrant and dynamic startup ecosystem, we often think of one with a large number of startups, sufficient investment opportunities and a constant flow of new companies entering the market with innovative services and products. Of course, such factors are vital for a well-developed ecosystem, but what is equally important is for the startups to be known, for investments and investors to be covered, and innovative ideas and research to be shown to those both outside and inside the ‘startup and innovation bubble’. In the past few years, media activity regarding startups and innovation has grown significantly in various formats. Trepers is one of many attempts being made currently to shine a brighter light on Cyprus’ startups, innovation, research and new economy sectors. Our aim is to act as a knowledge hub of the ecosystem, focusing less on news and more on in-depth analysis and coverage of particular startups and topics, with a foreign audience in mind. Having said that, to cater to the local audience, we have recently partnered with Politis Newspaper, where shorter Greek articles of our startup reports are published in their Sunday edition, authored by Yiannis Seitanides, the Chief Finance Editor of the paper and Trepers’ Chief External Editor.

Greek coverage overall is more prominent, focusing on informing the local audience of the latest developments in the ecosystem. This includes the startup and innovation focused chat show of Digital TV, Future Talks, hosted by Michael Tyrimos, himself an entrepreneur. Future Talks has various guests ranging from startup founders, innovative business owners, relevant government officials, as well as ecosystem stakeholders who discuss their insights of the startup and innovation scenes on the island. Brief is another notable online media outlet, primarily concerned with Cyprus’ economy and business, covering subject such as startups, private and government funding, as well as a weekly articles showcasing upcoming events by local startup journalist, Panis Pieri. Along with his work for Brief, Panis Pieri was the founder of DisruptCyprus, a podcast host, host of EcoX Cyprus, which organises various startup meetups and networking events, as well as Cyprus’ country organiser of European Startup Universe.

English language media also plays a significant role to promote the ecosystem’s activities, including Gold Magazine which includes a monthly startup coverage, sponsored industry reports, latest developments in Cyprus’ business environment and coverage of events. Events themselves are not media outlets, however, they provide forums to discuss the most pressing issues on the island, connect key players of the ecosystem and emphasise emerging industries. The recent Reflect Festival, for example, gave an opportunity for various local stakeholders, as well as visitors, to find out the latest developments in tech, startup and innovation of the island. Overall, the light shined on Cyprus’s emerging industries is becoming brighter than ever. This can only be seen as a positive development for the island and will hopefully lead to greater attention, not just from the local audience, but those yet to explore the potential Cyprus offers.