TechIsland

TechIsland was proud to lead a delegation of member companies to support the Government’s Minds in Cyprus initiative in the UK on the 23rd of June.

The initiative speaks to something very relevant for Cyprus today: how we reconnect with talented Cypriots abroad and show them that there are real, meaningful career opportunities back home. For the tech sector in particular, this is an important conversation, as the industry continues to grow and create new pathways for professionals who want to be part of Cyprus’ next chapter.

Technology is now one of the strongest pillars of the Cypriot economy, contributing 16.2% of GDP, employing more than 48,000 people directly, and supporting close to 80,000 jobs when wider spillover effects are included. It is also the fastest-growing sector of the economy, creating high-value opportunities for professionals who want to build their future in Cyprus.

A warm thank you to the Deputy Minister by the President Irene Piki, Invest Cyprus and all partners involved for the invitation and for driving this important national effort.

Thank you also to the TechIsland member companies that joined the delegation and represented the strength, diversity and ambition of Cyprus’ tech and business ecosystem:
payabl.
DataArt
inDrive
Nexxie Group
CL8
Leptos Group
Hyperion Group

This was a valuable opportunity to come together around a shared goal: strengthening Cyprus as a tech island and as a place where people can work, live and innovate

As AI, technology, and digital tools become part of every sector, technical understanding is no longer just a specialised skill. It is becoming a form of literacy. This is why accessible opportunities matter.

TechIsland® and Women in Tech®Cyprus, in collaboration with ISACA Europe, is proud to announce the five selected participants of the Cybersecurity Certification Support Programme:
Alena Ivanova
Sofia Michaelidou
Polina Georgakopoulou
Anna Nikolova
Georgia Stavrou

Through this initiative, the selected participants will receive free access to the ISACA Europe Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate, designed to help beginners, students, career changers, and professionals build foundational cybersecurity knowledge. The programme is facilitated under the SHE@CYBER project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, where ISACA was one of the consortium partners.

For us, this initiative is about creating practical and accessible entry points into cybersecurity. You do not need to already be a cybersecurity expert to begin. What matters is motivation, curiosity, and the willingness to learn and expand your skills. By removing the cost barrier, this scholarship opportunity gives more women in Cyprus the chance to explore one of the most important and fast-growing areas of the digital economy.

Congratulations to the selected participants. We are proud to support their learning journey and to contribute to a more diverse, inclusive, and future-ready tech ecosystem in Cyprus.

Yesterday, TechIsland's Chairman, Valentinos Polykarpou, had the honor of moderating a panel discussion at the Digital Conference “Shaping the Next Digital Frontier” in Nicosia, organized in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The panel brought together leading voices from policy, technology, and industry: Kyriacos Kokkinos, Board Member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology; Alexandre Roure, Head of Policy and Deputy Head of Office at CCIA Europe; Flavio Arzarello, Public Policy Senior Manager at Meta; and Simone Wießmeyer, Vice-President for Government Affairs & Policy at Mastercard.

The discussion focused on how Europe can move closer to a truly competitive Digital Single Market, one that supports innovation, strengthens resilience, and enables businesses to scale across borders. Panelists touched on some of the key issues shaping Europe’s digital future, from regulatory coherence and digital sovereignty to cybersecurity, infrastructure, and access to cutting-edge technologies.

A warm thank you to the DepMinistry of Research, Innovation & Digital Policy for the invitation, and congratulations to the organizers for such an insightful conference.

At TechIsland, we value the opportunity to take part in discussions that connect Cyprus with Europe’s broader digital agenda and bring the perspective of the tech business community into the conversation.

Are we over-engineering DevOps?

That was the question at the heart of the 2nd TechIsland TechPro Community Meetup, powered by The Vault. And judging by the discussion, there isn't a simple yes-or-no answer.

Over the years, DevOps has evolved from a cultural movement focused on collaboration and speed into an ecosystem of increasingly sophisticated tools, platforms, and processes. The conversation explored an important tension facing engineering teams today: when does complexity enable better outcomes, and when does it become a burden in itself?

A huge thank you to our speakers for bringing their expertise and honest experiences to the discussion:
🎤 Nikita Nadezhin, DevOps Platform Lead, The Vault
🎤 Alex Toumazis, Staff Software Engineer, Yelp
🎤 Dmitry Kuryanovich, Head of Maintenance, Wargaming
🎤 Ruslan Lazukov, SCJP, PMP, CFA, Delivery Manager & Co-head of Internal Development, DataArt

And special thanks to our moderator, Liza Charalambous, Co-founder and CTO of Malloc, for leading such an engaging conversation.

Thank you to The Vault for powering the TechPro Community and supporting meaningful discussions within Cyprus' tech ecosystem.

And finally, thank you to everyone who joined us at Warehouse by IT Quarter, contributed questions, shared perspectives, and stayed for networking afterwards. The quality of these conversations comes from the community itself.

Looking forward to seeing you at the next TechPro Community Meetup.

We were delighted to participate in today’s government event, “Artificial Intelligence: New National Infrastructures and Opportunities for Research & Innovation,” organised by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy at the Presidential Palace.

The event brought together leaders from government, academia and industry, including John Josephakis, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for HPC/Supercomputing at NVIDIA, who shared insights on Cyprus’ collaboration with NVIDIA and the role of advanced computing in accelerating AI adoption and innovation. Through the presentation of Pharos-CY, the Cyprus AI Factory Antenna, and the National High-Performance Computing infrastructure, the event highlighted on how these new capabilities can strengthen Cyprus’ technological sovereignty and ensure that the country is not only a user of emerging technologies, but an active participant in shaping and applying them.

TechIsland’s Chairman, Valentinos Polykarpou, joined the panel discussion on how Cyprus can strategically leverage AI and HPC, alongside representatives from the public sector, academia and industry.

During the discussion, Valentinos underlined that Cyprus has already built strong momentum as a growing technology and innovation hub. According to KPMG Cyprus, the technology sector now contributes directly 16.2% to Cyprus’ GDP, has a total economic impact of approximately €11.9 billion, and supports around 79,000 jobs across the economy. Building on this foundation, he stressed that the next step is to keep investing in the pillars that will allow this momentum to grow: infrastructure, local talent, upskilling and reskilling, and, most importantly, the next generation.

As he noted:
“STEM today is not just a career path. It is literacy. It is a basic way of understanding the world around us. STEM must be for everyone — not because everyone needs to learn how to code, but because everyone should have the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand and use the technology that is already shaping their lives and work.”

At TechIsland, we believe that technology can and should become a core pillar of the Cypriot economy — not as something distant or future-facing, but as something already happening, with the potential to define the country’s next chapter.
Thank you to the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy for the invitation and for driving forward initiatives that strengthen Cyprus’ innovation ecosystem.

Not long ago, the idea of Cyprus as a global technology hub was a vision shared by a few determined people.

Today, it's a fact.

A week ago, TechIsland® and Women in Tech Cyprus hosted STEM for All — a curated stage at the Doers Summit Limassol — bringing together one of the most important conversations of our time. Not just for engineers or coders. For educators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, parents, and the next generation.

Because AI has already crossed every boundary. Every profession. Every age group. Every country. The question is no longer whether technology will change our lives — it already has. The question is whether every person will have the confidence to shape that change, rather than simply receive it.

STEM is not a career path. It is literacy. And like every literacy before it — it must be accessible to all.

The future isn't something that happens to us. It's something we build.

And the most important thing is bringing together the right people who believe in the same vision. We're grateful to our Bronze Partner, Lanitis Group for being one of them.

As Antonis Papas, Marketing & Communications Manager, Lanitis Group mentioned: “Lanitis Group was proud to support STEM for ALL by Techisland, an event fostering innovation, empowering talent, and shaping a smarter future and a sustainable business environment."

Thank you, Lanitis Group — and to everyone who showed up and helped build something worth building. 🙏