Anastasios Papadopoulos, the founder behind Hong Kong’s most successful venture builder, has teamed up with Angus Walker and Ed Myer, from the Australian Myer Family, to launch MWP Real Estate, with the aim of investing in strategic opportunities in the Greek market
Athens is a megalopolis that’s retained its slow-paced magic, but you’d be forgiven if the closest you’ve got to the Greek capital is your hotel view of the Acropolis on a layover on the way to one of the country’s islands. Those in the know will tell you that the Athens Riviera glistens with glamour and is deserving of a less hasty visit.
On the shores that kiss the city’s southern coastline, Europe’s greatest urban regeneration project is transforming Athens’ old airport into a year-round destination with an emphasis on sustainable luxury living. The US$13 billion project might come as a surprise to a generation of investors who associate Greece with economic struggle, but the country’s economy is staging a comeback. Demand for luxury riviera living, driven mainly by international wallets keen to secure golden visas, has been met with a rise of five-star hotel properties, including the Four Seasons Astir and, opening in 2027, the Mandarin Oriental.
It’s an opportunity that has caught the eye of venture capitalist Anastasios Papadopoulos, founder and CEO of IMS Digital Ventures, alongside partners Edward Myer, formerly responsible for investments at his family’s group of companies, and Angus Walker, who previously worked in hedge funds and venture capital.
We speak to Papadopoulos about his vision for MWP Real Estate.
You’ve invested in tech projects across diverse industries. Does this project feel more personal?
I grew up with my grandparents in a humble Athens neighbourhood. It was simple, and magic. Athens and Hong Kong both represent home to me in their own way. This project feels like a way to connect the two.
How do you simplify investing in Greek real estate?
Traditionally, it’s been hard for real estate private equity firms to operate in Greece because the market is fragmented, with small developers and medium-sized assets. Data isn’t easily available, while there’s fierce competition for flagship investments. A lot of business is done through personal connections and boots on the ground. Unlike others, we have access to both.
We are building a proprietary platform that uses technology to centralise data, uncover further opportunities that others might miss, and generate significant operational savings. It’s designed to support better purchasing decisions by predicting high-yield properties using the data we’ll collect during each sales cycle.
We will further leverage Property Raptor, one of our portfolio companies, to market and sell our assets in both Asia and the Middle East through our network of global agencies.