TED Community » Onic Palandjian

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About Me

Onic is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with 19 years of experience in Europe and the USA.

He co-founded Capital Connect Venture fund in 2003 and has been spearheading the fund's clean-tech investments. He’s a founding investor and CEO of Herco SA, the most efficient recycling company of its kind in SE Europe.

Previously, Onic headed the international expansion of Velti, the NASDAQ-listed mobile marketing company. Prior to that, he founded two sister technology companies, ihavemoved Ltd in London and ichziehum GmbH in Hamburg that were acquired by Royal Mail Plc and Deutsche Post AG. In the early 1990s, he financed and operated shipping projects at Dorian/Eagle Financial Partners.

As an advocate for entrepreneurs and socially-responsible growth, Onic is a frequent speaker at conferences and universities. Most recently he shared his counter-intuitive perspective via his “passport to ευδαιμονία” & “small country Big Business” TEDx talks.

He studied in Boston and earned a BSc in Management from Bentley and a CSS in Business Administration from Harvard.

Location:
Greece, Athens
Current organization:
Capital Connect Ventures
Current role:
Director
Gender:
Male
Areas of expertise:
entrepreneurship, Clean Technologies, Venture Capital Funding, Greece
I am:
Business leader, Consultant, Environmentalist, Investor, Social entrepreneur, World traveler
Associations:
Harvard, TEDxThessaloniki, Bentley, TEDxYerevan
Languages:
Armenian, English, French, Greek
My website links:
TEDx talk
Universities:
Bentley University, Harvard - Graduate School of Education

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Greece | happiness | eudaimonia | Entrepreneurship | Venture financing | Start-up management | Clean-tech |

An idea worth spreading

As Greece is in severe crisis, I focus on the things that really count and bring me closer to eudaimonia, the Greek word that means happiness +.

Talk to me about

Greece, eudaimonia, happiness, venture capital, clean tech investments, start-ups

People don't know that I'm good at

Skiing, aerial photography

My TED Story

When I was asked by TEDx Thessaloniki to give a talk I was honored. It was clearly my opportunity to talk about a subject I am super-passionate about; Greece and how it is my passport to eudaimonia (happiness+).
As I stood on the stage a quiet calm came over me and I just delivered the talk I wanted to. It was coming from my heart. My overwhelming sensation afterwards was one of intense bliss. I even spent an extra 10 seconds after my talk on stage just to appreciate the crowd and the moment, taking it all in. I was closer to eudaimonia than ever!

Comments

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  • A comment on Talk: Paul Lewis: Crowdsourcing the news

    Nov 5 2011: Well done to Paul! A very inspiring speech that I had the honor of witnessing in person at Thessaloniki.
    It was a very special day for me as I talked about my passport to ευδαιμονία (happiness+) http://bit.ly/TEDeudaimonia
  • +1

    A comment on Conversation: What's your TED habit?

    Oct 12 2011: I travel a lot. My "vitamins" are TED talks. I download and watch them on my iPad. It's absolutely the ideal way to travel. Never again do I worry about flight delays! I just get inspired.
    As a TEDx speaker myself, I don't just focus on the content, but also on the delivery style and effectiveness to ensure I improve myself. My initial TEDx talk was 17:55'' and the second 9:45''.
    Keep up the good work!

  • A comment on Conversation: What is your definition of personal success?

    Jun 28 2011: Eudaimonia is my personal success! It's about things that make me happy. Even at this time of crisis.
    And it's relevant to anyone in crisis... http://bit.ly/iBaBCa

  • A comment on Conversation: Have you reinvented yourself, or started a movement?

    Jun 3 2011: Yes, an eudaimonia movement aka happiness +

  • A comment on Conversation: What does it mean to be happy?

    Jun 3 2011: Everyone has their own, personal, magic formula for happiness. Mine is summarised in this TEDx talk. my passport to eudaimonia: http://bit.ly/iBaBCa. It’s also my call to Greeks around the world to enlist in the country’s resurrection. 

  • A comment on Conversation: Wealth and power have been our conventional measures of success. What definition will better sustain us now and how can we move into it?

    Jun 3 2011: Greece and its people are at an all-time low. It's labelled as the failed state of Europe. And prospects are discouraging. Young Greeks are emigrating in fear of expected anarchy. Faced with so many negatives, I share my passion for the things that matter most. Things that make me, and many other Greeks, happy in Greece. Even at this time of crisis. 
    Eudaimonia is a uniquely Greek word. 
    I explain what it means to me in my TEDx talk - my passport to eudaimonia (happiness+). --> http://bit.ly/iBaBCa

  • A comment on Conversation: How can we avert / minimize the brain-drain from countries in crisis?

    Apr 13 2011: Thank you all for your feedback!
    Do you think it is therefore fair to admit to 25-35 year olds that their chance of getting a job in these problematic countries is slim and they should find their luck and career elsewhere ? Can this be a sustainable way to rebuilt a country in crisis?
    If not, how can the Diaspora of each country help?

  • A comment on Conversation: Do you agree that happiness is relative?

    Apr 10 2011: I agree with you. I even talked about this exact subject at TEDxThessaloniki a week ago.
    "My passport to eudaimonia (happiness +)" was the title of my talk and it explained how I am super happy in Greece, although the country is in a deep crisis!

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