Konstantinos Kalaitzidis (Computer Science, University of Thessaly, Larissa (UTH)) is involved in various entrepreneurial endeavors including the Google Startup Launchpad in Warsaw (2017), where he led a team to pitch the sports app Groundifly to Google personnel and investors.

He is currently an IT Consultant at MEU Strasbourg (2020), UTH Computer Science Support Center and the Technology and Entrepreneurship Society; he is also Curator for the first ever UTH Larissa TEDx. He has a passion for political science and participated at the Model European Union (MEU) Strasbourg (2018), Brussels (2019) and Athens (2019) as well as the Model UN at the University of Cambridge (2018).

Konstantinos’ collective leadership efforts bridge the gap between university training and the labor market to inspire and support next-generation professionals. His ikigai (motivation) is to promote sustainable solutions through technology and innovation. His favorite expression is "You don't get to new places by following established tracks."

CREDIT & RECOGNITION: Many thanks to Konstantinos Kalaitzidis for sharing this story with us and to all those at TedX UTH Larissa who took the time to prepare the above. In recognition of his outstanding global community outreach, he will be the recipient of a 2020 Certificate of Excellence offered by Philo4Thought in collaboration with the NYS Assembly.