Foundation of the Hellenic World

What Foundation of the Hellenic World does

The Foundation of the Hellenic World is a Greek non-profit cultural foundation established in 1993 that operates the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre on Pireos Street in Athens. It serves families, school groups, cultural tourists, theatre audiences, and corporate event clients through a vertically integrated mix of museum exhibitions, educational programs, immersive experiences, and theatrical productions. Its core products are immersive VR/XR shows staged inside the custom-built Tholos dome theater (132 seats), including titles such as Athens 432 BC, Ancient Olympia Common Home, Meteora, Knockturnal, and Mystery of the Seahorse, which combine 3D reconstruction, spatial audio, motion, and scent effects. The foundation also runs theatrical seasons at the Lycabettus Theatre and Dora Stratou Theatre, a 3D-printing / object fabrication service launched in 2024, and a museum shop.

Underlying technology is centered on 3D scanning and digital reconstruction of archaeological and architectural heritage, fed into a proprietary VR/XR production pipeline that outputs both in-venue dome experiences and licensable content. The Tholos dome itself is a purpose-built immersive venue opened in 2006, and the Hellenic Cosmos site includes more than 225 parking spaces, supporting family and school-group access. The organization is family-led by Managing Director Dimitris Efraimoglou and Executive VP Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou, with approximately 48 employees.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream, predominantly B2C model: ticket sales for immersive shows, educational programs, and theatre productions; memberships; museum-shop retail; corporate venue rental for events; donations; and corporate sponsorship. Pricing is low-ticket, with examples such as a €25 family ticket, around €10 per child for educational visits, and €5 reduced adult admission. Strategic positioning is increasingly institutional: 2025 partnerships with the General Secretariat for Diaspora Greeks, ICA Egypt, EKOME (Creative Greece), and the Holy Metropolis of Fthiotida point to an expanding role as a state-aligned producer of cultural and creative-technology exports, with religious heritage digitization and a new commercial 3D-printing line broadening the addressable market.

Name

Foundation of the Hellenic World

Legal name

Foundation of the Hellenic World (Ίδρυμα Μείζονος Ελληνισμού)

Website

https://fhw.gr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Foundation of the Hellenic World is a Greek non-profit that operates the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre in Athens, producing immersive VR/XR shows in the Tholos dome, theatrical seasons, educational programs, and a 3D-printing service for schools, families, tourists, and cultural institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage & Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHAAAG

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage services
• Museum exhibitions
• Virtual reality experiences
• Immersive theater productions
• Educational programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from museum admissions, VR shows at Tholos, theatrical performances, and educational program fees.
2. Museum Shop Sales: Sale of handmade jewelry, commemorative items, music albums, books, and 3D printed replicas.
3. Donations: Direct contributions from individuals via bank deposit to support the Foundation's operations and Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from individuals, private companies, and institutions supporting specific projects and programs.
5. Friends Association Membership: Annual membership providing privileges including event invitations, shop discounts, program discounts, and trips.
6. Venue Rental: Rental of spaces including Theatron for performances, conferences, and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Foundation of the Hellenic World operates the Hellenic Cosmos cultural center in Athens, Greece, hosting the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, the Tholos immersive VR dome theater, and rotating exhibitions. It sells tickets to museum and VR experiences, runs school educational programs, workshops, summer camps, guided tours, and corporate/private venue rentals, supported by a museum shop, Friends Association membership, donations, and sponsorships.

Product overview

The Foundation of the Hellenic World (IME) operates the Cultural Center 'Hellenic Cosmos' as a comprehensive cultural and museum complex. The product portfolio centers on immersive VR experiences through the Tholos dome theater (a hemispherical 360° projection system) and VR headsets, complemented by theatrical productions at Theatron, and extended reality (XR) multisensory experiences. Supporting digital platforms include the Encyclopedia of Hellenism, Hellenic History on the Internet portal, IME Web TV/flix streaming service, and an Educational Portal. The Foundation offers educational programs for children (weekend, school, summer camp), exhibitions (current and archived), conference facilities, a museum shop (including 3D printed items), and virtual reality tours of archaeological sites. The organization integrates modern technologies including VR, AR, 3D reconstruction, and immersive theater to present Greek history and culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tholos (Θόλος): Hemispheric virtual reality theater with 132-seat capacity featuring 360-degree digital presentations of ancient Greek sites and historical reconstructions.
• Theatron (Θέατρον)
• IME WebTV / IME-flix
• Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού (Encyclopedia of the Greater Hellenism)

Products and services

• Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Center Physical cultural center in Athens, Greece, operated by the Foundation of the Hellenic World; hosts the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, the Tholos VR dome, exhibitions, workshops, and events for the general public, schools, and corporate clients.
• Museum of Ancient Greek Technology Permanent museum exhibit displaying replicas of ancient Greek technological inventions, aimed at general public visitors, families, and school groups interested in Greek scientific and engineering heritage.
• Tholos Immersive VR Dome Theater Custom-built hemispherical VR dome that delivers immersive theatrical and cultural experiences using VR/XR technology, targeting general public visitors and school groups.
• Educational Programs for Schools Curriculum-linked school programs, guided tours, and workshops delivered at the Hellenic Cosmos for visiting school classes from across Greece.
• 3D-Printed Artifact Replicas Replicas of ancient Greek technologies and artifacts produced via in-house 3D printing, displayed in the museum and sold through the Museum shop.
• Virtual Exhibitions Online virtual exhibitions that complement the on-site Hellenic Cosmos experience, allowing remote visitors to engage with Greek heritage content.
• Summer Camp Programs Seasonal summer camp programs held at the cultural center, aimed at children and combining cultural heritage content with educational activities.
• Guided Tours Docent-led tours of the museum and cultural center for individual visitors, families, and school groups.
• Workshops Hands-on cultural and educational workshops at the Hellenic Cosmos, targeted at children, families, and adults interested in ancient Greek technology and culture.
• Venue Rental for Events Rental of the Hellenic Cosmos spaces for corporate events, conferences, and private functions; sold to event planners and corporate clients.
• Friends Association Membership Paid annual membership in the Friends Association of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, providing a recurring revenue stream and donor engagement mechanism.
• Museum Shop On-site retail shop at the Hellenic Cosmos selling branded merchandise, books, and 3D-printed replica artifacts to visitors.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• General Secretariat for Diaspora Greeks and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greece)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2025Memorandum of Cooperation signed for promoting Greek tradition, culture, history, Greek language education, and the Greek creative sector, signed by Secretary General Maeira Myroyianni and Executive Vice President Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou.
• International Creative Academy (ICA) of EgyptcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Cooperation signed between the Foundation and ICA aimed at collaboration in creative industries, cultural innovation, and education.
• EKOMED - Creative Greece (Hellenic Center for Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Cooperation defining joint actions in digital games, creative technology, and immersive emerging technologies, signed by Sofia Kounenaki Efraimoglou and Leonidas Christopoulos.
• Holy Metropolis of FthiotidaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew collaboration for digitizing and highlighting 15 churches-monuments and 60 movable relics, creating 11 religious routes-destinations, using advanced ICT technologies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand): New Zealand's national museum integrating immersive technology, Māori cultural heritage, and digital storytelling. Comparable for blending indigenous heritage preservation with cutting-edge immersive exhibit design.
• British Museum: Global flagship museum offering permanent and traveling exhibitions on world cultures. Comparable for operating a major cultural venue with substantial digital content, educational programming, and international tourism audience.
• Smithsonian Institution: U.S. national museum complex operating multiple museums, research centers, and digital content platforms. Comparable as a large non-profit museum operator running educational programming, exhibitions, and digital heritage content at scale.

Others

• Ancient Olympia Archaeological Site / Archeological Receipts Fund (Greece): Greek government entity managing the country's archaeological heritage sites including Ancient Olympia. Comparable as a heritage content source and potential institutional partner for VR/digital content on Greek archaeological sites.

Regional players

• Onassis Foundation (Cultural Programs): Greek cultural foundation operating cultural venues, performing arts programs, and educational initiatives. Comparable as a Greek non-profit cultural institution producing theatrical productions, exhibitions, and educational content.

Direct peers

• National Archaeological Museum of Athens: Largest archaeological museum in Greece, housing prehistoric, Egyptian, and classical antiquities. Direct peer as a flagship Athens heritage museum serving similar school groups, tourists, and cultural programming audiences.
• Acropolis Museum: Athens-based museum dedicated to archaeological findings from the Acropolis of Athens. Direct peer because it operates a single cultural venue in the same city, serves overlapping tourist and educational audiences, and presents Greek heritage using modern museum technology.
• Benaki Museum: Athens-based museum complex covering Greek culture from prehistory to modern times. Direct peer due to shared Athens location, comparable educational and exhibition programming, and overlapping Greek heritage focus.

Emerging players

• Louvre Abu Dhabi: Universal museum in the UAE presenting cross-cultural heritage with innovative architectural design (Jean Nouvel dome). Comparable for using distinctive architectural spaces and cultural diplomacy to attract international visitor flows.
• Museum of the Future (Dubai): Dubai immersive experience venue that integrates VR, AR, and immersive projection storytelling around future-oriented themes. Comparable for pioneering immersive-venue architecture and proprietary immersive content formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fhw_gr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/helleniccosmos
• Instagraminstagram.com/ime_hellenic_cosmos
• Facebookfacebook.com/facebook.hellenic-cosmos.gr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-of-the-hellenic-world

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foundation of the Hellenic World