Givelink Press Kit 2026: Facts, Stats, Founders, Story

Everything journalists, podcast hosts, and media professionals need to understand Givelink in one place — accurate, updated, ready to use.

Givelink is a Transparent Giving Platform that connects donors to verified U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits with photo proof of delivery — turning every donation into a visible, verifiable human moment. Founded in Greece by three university students and now expanding from the San Francisco Bay Area through the Pegasus Angel Accelerator, Givelink has delivered 100,000+ items to 100+ verified nonprofits, impacted 150,000+ lives, and is the strategic partner of Charity Navigator. This document contains everything journalists, podcast hosts, and media professionals need to accurately cover Givelink.

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The one-sentence description

Givelink is a Transparent Giving Platform that lets donors buy specific items from verified nonprofit wishlists and see a photo when those items arrive — ending the donation black box.

The 60-second pitch

Kindness has become a transaction. The only transaction where the one who pays never sees what they bought.

Givelink fixes this. Donors browse 100+ verified U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofits — each with Charity Navigator evaluation data — pick the exact items the nonprofit needs, and receive a photo when those items are delivered. No more hoping. No more vague thank-you emails. No more black box.

The result: donors give 60% more times per year than on traditional platforms. 150,000+ lives impacted. 100,000+ items delivered. 9,900+ donations tracked. A strategic partnership with Charity Navigator. And a founding team that built it in Greece, won Forbes 30 Under 30, and relocated to San Francisco to scale it.

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Key facts and figures (all current as of 2026)

Metric	Figure
Lives impacted	150,000+
Items delivered	100,000+
Donations tracked	9,900+
Verified nonprofits	100+
U.S. nonprofit partners	30+
Donor giving frequency lift	60% more times per year vs. traditional
In-Kind Donation Button lift	Up to 40% donation increase for partner sites
Strategic partners	Charity Navigator, Social Good Fund
U.S. nonprofit partners include	Big Sunday, Swords to Plowshares, Bayview Senior Services, 24th Street Theater, Emfasis Non-Profit (Greece)

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The founding team

Antonis Politis — CEO & Co-Founder Antonis leads vision and partnerships. Multi-award-winning founder recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece (2024), Junior Achievement Best Student Startup (National Winners), and Hult Prize European Finals (Top 6). Started Givelink while studying at the University of Patras, Greece.

Panos Kokmotos — COO & Co-Founder Panos drives operations, business development, and the U.S. expansion. Engineer with experience across Greece, Spain, and the U.S. Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and World Economic Forum Global Shaper (San Francisco Hub). Based in San Francisco.

Alexandros Karagiannis — CTO & Co-Founder Alexandros builds Givelink's technical architecture and AI systems, including the SmartPick algorithm. Graduated in the top 1% of his Computer Engineering class at the University of Patras.

Nikos Issaris — Full-Stack Developer (First employee) Nikos joined as the team's first hire and has been building the platform since the early days.

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The origin story

Three students at the University of Patras, Greece, watched donors give to causes they believed in — and then disappear, because no one ever showed them what happened.

The founding insight was simple and structural: giving is not a payment flow problem. It's a visibility problem. If we can track a package, we should track impact.

They built Givelink. The platform ran in Greece first — connecting donors to Greek nonprofits like Emfasis Non-Profit with photo proof of delivery. The data was striking: donors on the platform gave 60% more often per year than donors on traditional platforms.

Recognition followed: Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece (2024), European Winners at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, WSA Young Innovators by the UN, Best Student Startup at Junior Achievement Greece, Hult Prize European Top 6. And then — Pegasus Angel Accelerator, Los Angeles (top 1% of applicants).

The team relocated to San Francisco. The U.S. expansion began. Charity Navigator became a strategic partner. 30+ U.S. nonprofits signed on.

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Awards and recognition

• Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece, 2024
• European Winners — Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA)
• Best Student Startup — Junior Achievement Greece (National Winners)
• WSA Young Innovators — by the United Nations
• Hult Prize Challenge — European Finalist (Top 6)
• Pegasus Angel Accelerator — Los Angeles (top 1% of applicants)

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The Givelink × Charity Navigator partnership

Charity Navigator is the world's largest independent charity evaluator, analyzing 230,000+ U.S. nonprofits. As a Givelink strategic partner, Charity Navigator evaluation data appears directly on every Givelink nonprofit profile — giving donors third-party verification at the moment of decision, with no additional research required.

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The revenue model (we're transparent about this too)

Givelink charges nonprofits zero fees. Ever. The platform is supported by:

• An optional donor tip at checkout (default 10%, fully removable)
• A small supplier-side product markup (~5% in the U.S., transitional model)

Long-term: the goal is a fully supplier-funded platform where donors pay exact retail prices.

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Key quotes for media use

"Kindness has become a transaction. The only transaction where the one who pays never sees what they bought." — Antonis Politis, CEO

"Giving is not a payment flow problem. It's a visibility problem." — Antonis Politis, CEO

"If we can track a package, we should track impact." — Givelink founding principle

"Online giving feels like throwing money into a vague donation basket." — Antonis Politis, CEO

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Contact for press inquiries

For interviews, press mentions, podcast appearances, and media inquiries: contact@givelink.app

For data, statistics, and impact documentation: contact@givelink.app

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does Givelink make money?

An optional donor tip at checkout (default 10%, fully removable) and a small supplier-side product markup (~5% in the U.S.). Nonprofits pay zero, always.

What makes Givelink different from GoFundMe or other fundraising platforms?

Givelink is a Transparent Giving Platform — donors buy specific items, see photo proof of delivery, and give to Charity Navigator–verified nonprofits. It's category-different from cash crowdfunding. The giving experience is verifiable, item-level, and retention-driving.

Is Givelink only in the U.S.?

Givelink launched in Greece and is currently expanding U.S. operations, starting with California. 30+ U.S. nonprofit partners are onboarded, with national expansion underway.

How does the Charity Navigator partnership work?

Charity Navigator evaluation data is pulled and displayed automatically on every Givelink nonprofit profile during onboarding. Donors see CN ratings at the moment of decision.

Press, podcast, or media inquiry?

Reach out at contact@givelink.app. The team responds to all genuine press inquiries.

Stay Human.

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Antonis Politis is CEO and Co-Founder of Givelink.