Navigating through different stages of growth

While other kids dreamt of becoming athletes or astronauts, I dreamt about being a shipowner — or even a pirate.

Shipping is Greece’s most important industry and is an industry worth an estimated US$14 trillion, but my dreams still made me an outcast among my classmates. I believe I had a different upbringing compared to the kids my age because I had two incredibly ambitious parents. My father was a serial entrepreneur. My mother pushed him to start his own companies, she would read me books about the great shipowners during bedtime, instead of the classics, and she encouraged my sisters and me to dream big.

At a time when my father’s outdoor furniture and pergolas business was doing great, I was days away from finishing high school. And then we got the news: my father passed away. Overnight, I had to step up to support my mother and sisters in the family business. The day after I graduated, I joined my dad’s business, becoming CEO at just 18 in 2005.

In 2010, as Greece’s economy was in freefall during the European debt crisis, we faced an 80% drop in revenue. It was a tough period, but we survived by pivoting our business model from B2C to B2B, selling furniture to hotels. This kept our family afloat until Greece’s financial system rebounded. Today, my sisters manage the business and it’s doing very well.

But I always wanted to make a big change. I never forgot that passion I had for shipping.

I sent out more than 300 CVs but I received no responses. It didn’t make sense that a CEO with 10 years of experience was applying for junior positions in shipping companies.

Then, a chance encounter changed everything. While selling furniture, I met a woman from the Martinos family, a prominent name in shipping. I gave her the receipt for the furniture in one hand, and in the other hand, I handed her my CV.

In 2013, after many rounds of interviews, I was hired as an intern at Thenamaris, a global ship management company. And it would not have been possible without my persistence and my wife’s encouragement. She told me to go for my dream and we made it work.

Within a month, I secured a full-time position in the disbursements section, dealing with the very problems my company, Harbor Lab, would later solve. This period taught me invaluable lessons about persistence, humility, and the complexity of the shipping industry.

Taming Shipping Chaos

Imagine driving around a city looking for parking, with prices varying at each lot, each spot, and based on the size and type of your car, with no way to know the price you will be required to pay until you arrive. That’s how it works with ships when they enter a port.

I launched the company on March 10, 2020 — just days before the COVID-19 pandemic began. At that time, the industry was focusing on two things: decarbonization and digitization. Harbor Lab addressed the second need, and because of that, we grew very quickly in the first year.

Shipping companies in 2020, were using Excel sheets to calculate port expenses and were considered innovators. Today, we are at the forefront of digitizing maritime operations using sophisticated algorithms to predict port pricing.

By the end of 2020, we had over 220 vessels using our service. Today, we serve more than 1,500 vessels.

Scaling New Heights

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the industry’s adoption of technology, and we scaled rapidly. However, as the company grew, I faced a new challenge: delegation. All of a sudden I was at a completely different stage of growth with Harbor Lab that I had never experienced before. I struggled to trust others with key tasks.

Just as my parents supported each other and us growing up, I made sure to have great people by my side. I had strong mentors. My previous employers believed in me and became Harbor Lab’s first Angel investors. The VCs in our seed round guided me on what to read, listen to, and how to grow.

In 2022, we scaled our team from eight to 63 people in just a year. Hiring great talent allowed me to delegate more easily. Continued coaching showed me that the business could survive even if I took a whole week off.

Recently, the C-level management began coaching with the Table Group, focusing on “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. They audited and interviewed Harbor Lab, and we became the first company in Greece they decided to work with. Their most impactful lesson was vulnerability-based on trust—understanding why people make decisions, their motivations, and building deeper connections within the team.

Through more coaching, I discovered my strengths. While sales had always been difficult for me as an introvert, I found my strength in connecting with people and building relationships with them. This realization helped me grow both personally and professionally.

Cultivating Innovation

On May 15, 2024, we announced a US$16 million Series A funding round led by Atomico, with participation from Endeavor Catalyst, Notion Capital, VentureFriends, Speedinvest, The Dock, and TMV, putting Harbor Lab’s valuation to €75 million (~US$80M).

While I know I am not yet a role model for the entire Greek Maritime technology ecosystem, I know what I am capable of. I have a lot of ambition and I’m trying to pass that on to my team and other founders too. I’ve started mentoring my employees, and through Endeavor, I mentor early-stage founders, encouraging them to dream big and push boundaries.

One of my dreams is, of course, to achieve an IPO, but success to me isn’t just about that. It’s about nurturing future entrepreneurs who will drive growth in Greece. I hope to create an environment where others can thrive, continuing the cycle of innovation and support that started with my parents.