Anastasis Stamatis | Co-Founder & CEO
Interview given to Ms Maria Louisa Vafiadaki
-Please briefly introduce yourself and talk to us about the idea behind Dataphoria and its main activity.
I am Anastasis Stamatis, Green Tech entrepreneur and CEO at Dataphoria where we deploy sustainability and ESG analytics. In essence, Dataphoria bridges the gap between data and aephoria (another word for “sustainability”of Greek origin).
At Dataphoria, we have developed an ESG Analytics Platform that focuses on the right ESG and impact metrics tailored specifically for each company. Our platform provides data-driven insights that simplify the sustainability transition roadmap for businesses and effectively communicate their performance. By leveraging this technology, we help companies automate their ESG data collection, tracking, performance improvement, and reporting.
We are the first to apply this Analytics-as-a-Service framework for sustainability, enabling us to connect to any business data system, extract ESG-specific information, and present it through intuitive dashboards. This empowers companies and cities to monitor, improve, and showcase their ESG performance, accelerating their journey towards sustainability.
-What type of data do you typically deal with in ESG reports and what insights do you provide ?
It depends on the goals and the company profile. Sustainability is not the same for every organization. The first step is outlining an ESG strategy, with the goal to help a company understand how the environmental and social governance influences the company’s financial wellbeing and at the same time, what elements the company can influence for the planet and society. This is based on the double materiality framework that has now been introduced through European-wide ESG standards.
Through this process, we outline the topics we need to focus on for each company; it can be climate change, suppliers, internal workforce, the principles around transparent governance and others... These elements can then be prioritized within each company and we generate different data sets to help companies monitor that performance.
-In what ways would you say that you help businesses transform so as to reduce their environmental footprint ?
Dataphoria helps businesses embed sustainability into their core operations. Today, companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint typically conduct a carbon footprint assessment, gather information on carbon emissions, implement reduction actions over the years, and report annually. This traditional approach is mostly backward-looking, focusing on past performance.
We transform this process into a forward-looking approach by automating data collection for sustainability. Our platform adapts to each company's data governance, connecting to various databases and spreadsheets to provide real-time updates on carbon emissions performance. By integrating with these systems, we enable organizations to see the immediate results of their sustainability actions and continuously improve their performance. This proactive approach allows businesses to reduce their environmental footprint more effectively and dynamically.
-Is there a way for organisations to predict environmental hazards or prevent natural disasters from taking place through Dataphoria’s reporting ?
Absolutely. This is what we refer to as "adaptation to climate change." In recent years, we've faced increasing hazards such as the floods in Thessaly, Greece, and wildfires during dry periods with high temperatures. Companies need to identify and mitigate these risks, either through prevention measures or by advocating for local government intervention to understand and address regional climate risks at a central level.
This is where risk assessment becomes crucial. By identifying potential risks, organizations can develop strategies to mitigate them effectively. More and more organizations are incorporating these factors into their ESG strategies, ensuring they fulfill ESG criteria while proactively addressing climate-related risks. Dataphoria's platform provides the necessary data-driven insights to support this risk assessment and strategic planning, helping companies adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
-How crucial do you consider ESG in businesses today ? Have you observed a shift in investor interest towards sustainable businesses fulfilling the ESG criteria ?
ESG is increasingly crucial in today's business landscape, especially for medium to long-term investments. It's commonly accepted that investments aimed at returns 20-30 years into the future should focus on businesses with strong ESG performance and ratings. ESG is becoming a strategic priority with immense benefits, particularly as regulatory compliance grows in Europe. The number of companies legally required to produce sustainability reports will increase from 10,000 to 50,000.
However, there's a risk that ESG could become just a reporting exercise. The real challenge is to turn this reporting into substantial impact. An IBM study found that companies spend 40% more on ESG reporting than on sustainability innovation. This indicates a need to shift focus from merely creating reports to implementing real sustainability changes. Only companies that truly integrate sustainability and ESG criteria into their operations can maximize returns and create lasting impact.
-Where would you place Greece in the global map of sustainability ?
While Greece may not yet be a leader in sustainability, we are certainly gaining momentum because we must. We've already seen the adverse effects of climate change and the associated societal risks. Ignoring these issues would lead to devalued businesses and increased risks. Therefore, it's crucial for us to take action and address these challenges head-on.
-Kindly present one of your collaborations and how you helped them out in practice ?
We collaborated with Joolify, a jewelry tech startup, to develop a tailored ESG strategy. By aligning their sustainability goals with European frameworks and conducting a Materiality Assessment, we provided a detailed action plan combining ESG and impact. This helped Joolify reduce material waste, meet compliance requirements, and enhance their sustainability profile. Joolify is now positioned as a forward-thinking leader in the jewelry tech space, with a strong foundation for growth and a commitment to responsible business practices.
-Finally, could you mention one of your biggest achievements up to date and how does Dataphoria serve a more sustainable society and economy ?
One of our biggest achievements is creating our own impact model, which acts as a catalyst for sustainability. By helping purpose-driven companies use data to access and monitor their impact and sustainability performance more easily, we relieve them of this burden. This allows them to focus on what truly matters—making the world a better place. Through our platform, we empower these companies to drive meaningful change and contribute to a more sustainable society and economy.
Thank you.