KEA, GREECE - The Next Smart Island

5 MAIN OBSTACLES THE ISLAND OF KEA, GREECE FACES AND WILL OVERCOME FOR LIFT-OFF AND TRANSFORMATION INTO BEING A SMART ISLAND

The coastline of Greece has one of the highest numbers of islands globally. The government and investors have recognised the importance of building out the infrastructure among them. And yet, challenges abound. Due to a lack of planning, the island of Kea is facing 3 main challenges in its transition to being a Smart Island.

There are 2500 year round residents of Kea, and during the summer season, the island swells to 15,000.  There are 6 hotels, 10 restaurants/taverns, 2 cocktail bars, 5 cafes, and 1 wine shop.

VIVA Investment Partners – www.vivapartners.net – issues a Call to Action for innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, high-velocity firms and their management teams to join the Keanaissance Smart Island Challenge by applying and submitting their details on our website. The selected participants for the Smart Island Challenge will enjoy global visibility, access to capital, networking with potential partners, integration into the Smart Island Plan for Kea, Greece and a beautiful time in Kea at Keanaissance Edition 2 -  2nd – 5th of June 2022.

Challenge #1 Water

There is an imbalance in infrastructure for the water supply network on the island of Kea. Limited freshwater is available in the capital, and it comes from three natural fountains of drinking water that the municipality treats and provides to its inhabitants. All other locals, visitors, and businesses like hotels, etc., have to purchase water privately. 

Water can be obtained from the two municipal desalination units; the water is drinkable and can be purchased on-site. Also, private companies that sell purified drinking water from wells bring it to the consumers using water-tender vehicles. A water tender is a type of firefighting apparatus that specialises in the transport of water from a water source to a fire scene. Water tenders are capable of drafting water from a stream, lake or hydrant..

Water has been scarce on many of the Greek islands for thousands of years; it's a challenge to create a system of systematic recycling and roll this out. 

Challenge #2  Energy

The island of Kea connects to electricity from many sources. However, there is only one sizable generator for producing electricity in the case of power failure. This generator uses diesel fuel to generate power.

This is dramatically insufficient during the summer high-season due to the high demand. So, extended power failures have an economic toll and damage the island's profile as a travel destination.

Solar power would be an option, but has yet to be tested in any meaningful way.

Most villas and homes of prestige on the island invest in a back-up generator.  If people are going to live year round in Kea, they will need to rely on resilient power throughout the year.  

Challenge #3:   Waste Management

The Kea municipality has a garbage truck that carries all waste to the island's garbage treatment facility in Vroskopos. On-site, the waste is burned because there are no landfills on the island.

The garbage treatment facility collects recycling material, sorts it, and sends it to mainland plants for recycling. There is no recycling, upcycling, or waste to fuel planning on-site.

Robots could be deployed to pick up waste as well.

Challenge #4:  Road and Route Barriers

Many of the most scenic routes along the coasts do not yet have guard rails. There is an opportunity to transform paths which have not yet been paved into scenic, safe ‘highways’ which fit into the natural look of the island.

Challenge #5 – Connectivity

Cosmote Telecom is the only telecoms provider on Kea, and there are many parts of the island with no telecoms coverage.  Cosmote do not enable Satellite Internet.

Join Keanaissance Smart Island Challenge and have the opportunity to transform Kea into a Smart Island.

We are looking for Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Investors who want to solve these Challenges.

VIVA Investment Partners – founded by leading private equity and technology entrepreneurs, invites all entrepreneurs, investors and companies that may be the solution for Kea's challenges to the KEANAISSANCE SMART ISLAND CHALLENGE launching at KEANAISSANCE Edition 2 – 2nd – 5th of June 2022 in Kea, Greece.