Greek tech fund PJ Catalyst sells Pollfish unit to US-based Prodege

Greek technology fund PJ Tech Catalyst, backed by Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT) and the European Investment Fund, has agreed to sell its market research unit Pollfish to U.S.-based marketing and consumer insights company Prodege, Piraeus Bank said on Tuesday.

PJ Tech Catalyst founded Pollfish in 2013. No financial details of the deal were disclosed.

Greece has developed a flourishing startup sector since its debt crisis, which forced tens of thousands of well-qualified young people to emigrate to seek work.

Many have since returned home with experience that has made them potentially valuable recruits for multinational employers.

The deal follows JPMorgan’s (JPM.N) acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in Athens-based payments fintech Viva Wallet last month, which valued the entire company at over $2.0 billion.

Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O), the owner of Facebook, is also close to acquiring Greek audio software startup Accusonus, a person with knowledge of the deal said on Tuesday.

“Together, we will join forces to change the way researchers unearth actionable consumer insights, making decisions quickly at scale,” Cypriot Pollfish COO and founder Andreas Vourkos said.

“Fortune 500 companies use Pollfish today, to gather consumer insights from all over the world, while big mobile app and game studios monetise their audience with Rewarded Surveys from Pollfish,” he added.