“My dream is not to make money for myself. My dream is to get rich to help those in need,” said John Papaion, one of the most important figures in Greece. homogeneity USA, who recently “passed away” at the age of 94.

The truth is that he fulfilled his vision. He started his career in insurance, but quickly got bored and switched to venture capital in 1969, when this financial instrument was in its infancy and no one knew what potential it offered to investors. He really excelled in this area.

He became a tycoon and started a titanic charity project with over $100 million in donations in his hometown of Iowa, USA and Greece.

For Papakhon, who found he had immigrated to America at just 9 months old with his parents who were from Evia, education was the “key”. for personal development. He himself struggled to graduate from university, as his father died and he himself started working early. He started his own business early and after he was successful, he wanted to help other young people start their own business. Here is how he directed his philanthropic work in this area: In Iowa, he invited several university institutions to join forces so they could in turn build “incubators” to give their students the resources to enter the business.

The result was amazing. To date, 4,000 graduates have opened about 8,000 businesses. In Greece, through The Hellenic Initiative, a hugely successful diaspora organization that he has supported since its inception, he has donated half a million dollars to young entrepreneurs to start over 50 companies in our homeland. “If I can do it, then you can too,” he always said and believed in it.

He was an art collector and had a daughter together with his wife Maria. They have been recognized in the US for their support of art, museums, and their collections. They also gave their name to an outdoor sculpture park in Iowa.

Mary died exactly one year ago. Papaion loved Greece and never cut the cord with his birthplace, even during the most difficult times when many Greek Americans were frustrated by the crisis. The Hellenic Initiative issued a statement regarding its loss. One of his last gestures was to distribute money through this agency to Ukrainians who came to Greece because of the war.