From Patras to San Francisco: How Givelink Got Built

Three students, one frustration with how broken giving felt, and a Greek word that means "friend of humanity." The story of Givelink's first chapter — and why the next one is in the U.S.

Givelink was founded by three students who met at the University of Patras, Greece — Antonis Politis, Panos Kokmotos, and Alexandros Karagiannis — united by a shared belief that philanthropy needed rebuilding through transparency and technology. What started as a university project became a recognized impact-tech startup with 199+ verified nonprofits, 100,000+ items delivered, and recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece, the Hult Prize, the WSA Young Innovators by the UN, and the Pegasus Angel Accelerator in Los Angeles. This is how it happened — and where it's going next.

Key Takeaways

• Three co-founders met at the University of Patras and built Givelink together.
• Post-crisis Greece shaped the founding worldview — frustration with slow systems, conviction that giving needed visibility.
• Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece (2024) and Pegasus Angel Accelerator opened the U.S. chapter.
• Givelink is now scaling from Greece to the San Francisco Bay Area, starting with California nonprofits.

Where it started: a frustration with the black box

Philanthropy is a Greek word. It means "friend of humanity."

Somehow modernity reduced it to charity — an obligation of the 1%, a tax write-off, a PR strategy. That reduction is what the three founders were sitting with as students in Patras, watching a generation of Greeks raise money for causes they cared about and watching the same donors quietly disappear because they never knew if anything had actually happened.

"Online giving feels like throwing money into a vague donation basket."

That was the founding insight. Not "fundraising platforms are inefficient." Not "nonprofits need better tools." The deeper observation: kindness had become a transaction. The only transaction where the one who pays never sees what they bought.

The team: who built Givelink

Antonis Politis (CEO & Co-Founder) leads vision and partnerships. He's a multi-award-winning founder, recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece, the Hult Prize (European Top 6), and Junior Achievement. He started Givelink while still in university.

Panos Kokmotos (COO & Co-Founder) drives operations, business development, and the U.S. expansion. He's an engineer with global experience across Greece, Spain, and the United States, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper at the San Francisco Hub.

Alexandros Karagiannis (CTO & Co-Founder) builds the technical architecture and AI systems, including the SmartPick algorithm that converts cash donations into the optimal product mix per nonprofit's needs. He graduated in the top 1% of his Computer Engineering class.

Nikos Issaris joined as the first employee, a full-stack developer who's been on the team since the early days.

The first chapter: building in Greece

The first version of Givelink ran in Greece. Nonprofits like Emfasis Non-Profit onboarded. Donors started picking specific items — toys, hygiene kits, school supplies — for specific causes. Photos started arriving back in donor inboxes. The repeat-giving rate was shocking.

The recognition came fast: European Winners at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. Best Student Startup at Junior Achievement Greece. WSA Young Innovators selection by the UN. Hult Prize European Finals (Top 6). Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece in 2024.

But the bigger signal was the data. According to Givelink data (2026), donors using the platform give 60% more times per year than donors using traditional giving methods. The flywheel was real.

Why the U.S. is the next chapter

Two things forced the move.

First, the math. The U.S. is the largest charitable giving market in the world. Donations made on Giving Tuesday alone hit $4 billion in 2024, up from $3.6 billion in 2023. The infrastructure for transparent giving exists everywhere — Stripe payments, e-commerce logistics, Charity Navigator data — but the cultural appetite is highest in the U.S., where donors increasingly demand the same accountability they get from a $4 takeout order.

Second, the accelerator. Givelink was selected for the Pegasus Angel Accelerator in Los Angeles — top 1% of applicants — a program backing high-impact startups with mentorship, investor networks, and West Coast connectivity. The Bay Area fit naturally as the operations base.

Panos relocated to San Francisco to lead the U.S. chapter. The first 30+ U.S. nonprofit partners signed on. A strategic partnership with Charity Navigator was announced. The platform is now expanding California-first, with a national footprint following.

What's different about giving in 2026

The donor environment has changed in ways that favor transparent giving. The Center for Effective Philanthropy found in 2025 that 34% of nonprofits reported declines in federal funding, and 29% reported reductions in state and local funding. Donors-advised funds (DAFs) are growing fast — Fidelity Charitable reported DAF grants rose 25% year-over-year in 2024. And first-time donor retention is in crisis: only 17.5% of dollars come from new donors, while 62% comes from supporters of two-plus years.

Translation: nonprofits need to retain donors. Donors need to trust nonprofits. Both sides need a different category of platform — one that doesn't process donations but makes them visible.

That's the bet Givelink is making in the U.S.

What's next

The roadmap is straightforward. Onboard more verified U.S. nonprofits. Deepen the Charity Navigator integration. Expand the supplier network so donors eventually pay exact retail price (with the platform supported entirely by supplier partnerships). Launch CRM integrations for nonprofits running Salesforce. Bring services into the wishlist — rent, utilities, payroll support — so the platform covers the full range of essential nonprofit needs, not just products.

The vision hasn't changed since Patras: a world reconnected through humanity. The platform is just getting better at proving it's possible.

Givelink in action

A senior services nonprofit in Bayview listed incontinence supplies on its wishlist. A donor in New York picked them. Two weeks later, a delivery photo landed in the donor's inbox: the supplies, on a shelf, a thank-you from the program director. The donor became a monthly giver. That's the loop the founders set out to build a decade ago, and it's running every day. Browse verified nonprofits on Givelink to see the next loop start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Givelink?

Givelink was founded by Antonis Politis (CEO), Panos Kokmotos (COO), and Alexandros Karagiannis (CTO), three students who met at the University of Patras, Greece. Nikos Issaris is the first employee.

What awards has Givelink received?

Forbes 30 Under 30 Greece (2024), European Winners at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, Best Student Startup at Junior Achievement Greece, WSA Young Innovators by the UN, and Hult Prize European Top 6. Givelink was also selected for the Pegasus Angel Accelerator in Los Angeles.

Why is Givelink expanding to the U.S.?

The U.S. is the largest charitable giving market in the world, with the highest donor demand for transparency and accountability. The Pegasus Angel Accelerator and a strategic partnership with Charity Navigator anchored the move, with operations now based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

What does Givelink mean by "transparent giving"?

Transparent giving is the category Givelink built around — donations that produce visible, verifiable outcomes (specific products delivered to specific nonprofits, with photo proof). It's a direct alternative to legacy donation processing where donors pay and hope.

Read the manifesto

If this story resonated, the rest of the thinking lives in the Givelink manifesto. Read it here and pick a verified nonprofit while you're there.

Stay Human.

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Antonis Politis is CEO and Co-Founder of Givelink. He started the company while still a student at the University of Patras and still believes giving should feel like a thread between two lives, not a transaction.