The Greek diaspora
Very powerful yet highly under-appreciated
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🌎 The Greek diaspora
From the vibey shores of Melbourne (Australia) to the spirited neighborhood of Astoria NYC (USA), and from the busy city of London (UK) to the funky streets of Toronto (Canada), Greece’s spirit flows far beyond the borders of the mainland and its many islands.
The large Greek diaspora plays a very powerful yet highly under-appreciated role in shaping culture, economics and politics on a global level.
When people think about the Greek diaspora, they often associate it with the past.
We all have a story of a relative or friend that left Greece years or even decades ago in search of a better life elsewhere.
But the Greek diaspora is not a relic. And while it has made history, it certainly is not history itself; rather, it is a dynamic life force actively shaping the present (and future) of global Hellenism.
It’s not the “where”, it’s the “who”
Hellenism survives not because of where it is, but because of who keeps it alive.
Whether you are a third-generation Greek-Canadian still using your yiayia’s dolmadakia recipe, a second-gen diaspora Greek who participates in your local church gatherings in Chicago, or even a recent expat working in the buzzing Berlin tech scene, your connection to Greece matters.
This is not just nostalgia. Today, a large cross-section of the diaspora (led by the youth) is looking to Greece with renewed purpose. And, increasingly, it is asking bigger and more important questions:
What does it mean to be Greek today?
How can we help Greece’s evolution, and not just its preservation?
How do we build stronger bridges between homeland Greece and the diaspora that go beyond summer holidays and family visits?
There has never been a better time for Greeks all over the world to come together and try finding good answers to some of these questions.
Greek diaspora stories
The future of Greece is not just found in Athens, Thessaloniki or Crete. It’s also found in Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, London, Glasgow, Toronto, Montreal, Johannesburg, Tokyo, and every other city with few or many Greeks around the world.
These pockets of Hellenism, no matter if small or large, are important. And so are the stories of the people who keep them alive.
We should hear, cherish and celebrate these stories more often.
Today’s newsletter is a small ode to all unsung heroes who are keeping the Greek fire alive today all across the world, and to all those who came before them.
Here’s to the stories of the Greek diaspora!
A small selection follows below.
Greek diaspora stories (by heykatzam)
TikTok is buzzing with the Greek diaspora stories project by @heykatzam.
Emigrating to America (by ERT)
ERT has created many excellent programs about the Greek diaspora in the U.S.
An oral history of Greek immigrants around the world (by istorima)
The stories of diaspora Greeks collected by istorima are some of my favorite.
Real stories of Greeks that moved to London (by LiFO)
Recent expats to London share their experience of moving to the city.
Reels of Greek-Australian life (by SBS Greek)
These snippets give great insights into the daily life of Greek-Australians.
The Greeks of Toronto (by GreekReporter)
Toronto is home to hundreds of thousands of Greek Canadians and Greek expats.
The Greek community in Ghana (by Jama)
Not many people know it, but Accra (capital of Ghana) has many Greeks.
Conclusion
The Greek diaspora is not an entity that occurred separately to Greece. It is a living part of Greece, one that exists on a global scale. We should be much more aware and appreciative of it, especially back in the homeland.
Much more can be said about it, but this piece would probably never end.
So… no matter where you are in the world, never forget this simple truth:
I’m joking! Or am I!? Let’s just agree this is a banger of a meme to end this newsletter and leave it at that.
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🤖 Tech & Startups
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Thessaloniki moved up 31 ranks in Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025
bio3 forum (Greece’s top biotech conference) is back in September
🚀 Fundraising news
Actithera (biotech) raised a whopping $75M Series A round
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Gradient Labs (agentic AI) raised a $13M Series A round
RTDT (wind energy) raised $4M in Pre-Seed funding
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🙌 Celebrating Greek wins
Elisa Konofagou and Stergios Zacharoulis are transforming pediatric brain cancer treatment new with a new ultrasound-based approach
Artemis Vasilaki won Gold at 1,500m freestyle in the European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championship
Hellenic Naval Academy has been producing stellar Navy officers for 180 years
Antonios Anastasopoulos wins NSF CAREER award for his work on NLP
Nikos Gkalis joins the Antetokounmpo brothers and shares life lessons
Elena Lazarou appointed new Director General of ELIAMEP
🔦 Spotlight: Greek summer wedding season
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So true.. there is also a new wave of diaspora, 30-20 - 10 years since they left.. we don’t yet feel as diaspora but we are..
Hi there I wondered if you might be interested in more details of a reading about the population exchange at a live substack event next weekend ? Do you have an email I can send you details to ?