A health-focused startup founded in northern Greece is using artificial intelligence to support people with Down syndrome and older adults, with plans to expand into other sectors, including agriculture and smart cities.
AI4 was launched in 2025 in the small village of Xylagani in the Rhodope regional unit. The three founders, Serafeim Moustakidis, Nikos Angelousis and Christos Kokkotis, share backgrounds in health sciences, biomechanics and machine learning. Their startup aims to combine AI with personalised education tools for groups with specific needs.
The company has developed a platform that currently hosts two AI-powered applications. One is designed for people with Down syndrome and focuses on helping users build or improve employability skills. According to the founders, the platform is also expected to connect users with the labour market in the future.
The second application targets older adults and focuses on fall prevention, a major health risk among ageing populations. Through interactive educational content, the platform aims to help elderly users stay healthier and maintain independence.
In both cases, the platform adapts its educational material through user interaction. It identifies areas where users struggle, continuously evaluates progress and recommends more targeted exercises and content intended to improve quality of life.
AI4 has already completed its MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and is preparing to begin pilot use of the platform in collaboration with an organisation supporting people with Down syndrome in Rhodope, as well as elderly care structures in the region. Trials are also expected to take place in Malta and Romania through European programmes.
The startup plans to seek funding to scale up and enter the market within the next one to two years. In the coming days, the team will also present the project at the Panathēnea innovation event before a group of potential investors.
The company’s name, AI4 – short for “Artificial Intelligence for…” – reflects broader ambitions beyond healthcare. The founders said discussions are already underway with local stakeholders about possible applications in areas such as agriculture and smart cities.
“The basic common expertise we share is Health, but the AI4 platform can find applications in many more fields and for many more groups with common characteristics,” co-founder Serafeim Moustakidis told Voria.gr.
The three founders have previously collaborated in academia and research. Moustakidis studied electrical engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and completed a PhD focused on AI applications in osteoarthritis and remote sensing.
Kokkotis, now an assistant professor in occupational therapy at the Democritus University of Thrace, studied physics and completed a doctorate in machine learning. Both also worked as researchers at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas.
Angelousis, a biomechanics professor at the Democritus University of Thrace, previously led a major rehabilitation project on stroke recovery that brought the three researchers together and eventually led to the creation of the startup.
by Maria Mathiopoulou – adapted from Greek by Vassia Barba
