Posts about the Stone Soup studios/studio residents

Startups in Athens: Innovation made with ROKOKO

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Rokoko start up working from stone soup coworking

Have you ever wondered how your favorite video game or animated film feels so life-like and fluid? It’s probably thanks to motion capture technology — and Rokoko who are leading the charge.

We’re thrilled to have had Rokoko’s as part of Stone Soup Coworking for the past five years. A while back, we sat down with Petros, Administrative Director of Rokoko’s Greek branch, to learn more about their cutting-edge work, what it’s like to be part of a growing tech startup, and how they’re building a creative community from right here in the heart of Athens.

motion capture equipment, Rokoko start up.

Making Motion Digital: Rokoko’s Mocap Technology

Motion capture (or mocap) is the art of translating human movement into digital data used in game development, film, animation, and more. Rokoko has made this high-end tech accessible with products like the Smartsuit Pro and Smartgloves, paired with their intuitive Studio software.

Unlike traditional motion capture systems that require optical cameras and special point markers, Rokoko’s gear uses small embedded sensors. This means creators can work anywhere, without expensive equipment or studio setups. The result? Hyperreal, dynamic animations, all captured with ease.

A Danish Startup Grows Roots in Athens

Rokoko may be headquartered in Copenhagen, but its tech support and development hub is thriving right here in Athens. What started in 2015 as a casual freelance collaboration with a Greek developer soon grew into something much bigger.

“The team went from five people to a village,” Petros laughs. By 2020, Rokoko officially launched its Greek branch, and the team has been growing since.

For young professionals, working in a tech startup in Athens like Rokoko offers a unique blend of challenge and creativity. “It’s fast-paced but relaxed,” says Petros. “There’s freedom, ownership, and a strong sense of collaboration — even across cultures.” Danish flat hierarchies meet Greek spontaneity in the Rokoko workplace!

Empowering Independent Creators

One of Rokoko’s biggest missions is to democratize access to powerful animation tools. By removing the need for camera setups and reducing costs, they’ve opened the door for independent creators, who make up over 80% of their customer base.

The Smartsuit Pro II, launched in 2022, took this even further, offering full-body, hand, and facial capture in one portable setup. Rokoko’s tools have been used by artists like Shutter Authority and even feature in music videos by Lil Nas X — all part of the ever-growing #madewithrokoko movement.

Want to see it in action? Check out this incredible VFX clip created using Rokoko gear.

Community-Driven Innovation

From game devs to animators and digital artists, Rokoko is fostering a powerful community. Through platforms like Discord and social media, creators connect, share tips, and even compete in online contests. Using just the hashtag #madewithrokoko, artists can showcase their work and even win gear bundles in Rokoko’s annual giveaways.

“Community is everything,” says Petros. “It’s where we see innovation take shape — when creators inspire each other.”

What’s Next for Rokoko in Athens?

Their Athens tech hub, based at Stone Soup Coworking has been a bridge between startups, universities, and creators.

They’ve been partnering with educational institutions over the years, offering students real-world experience through research projects — with some work even making its way into commercial products. With more public demos, workshops, and product launches on the horizon, we’re glad to have seen Rokoko continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in digital creation.

One of their latest products – the Coil Pro is also on the market! The Coil Pro uses EMF and IMU sensor data to deliver optical-grade 360° positioning. It ensures seamless synchronisation between your physical movements and virtual actions. Pretty cool hey?

Want to Join a Coworking Space Like Rokoko?

If you’re a freelancer, remote worker, or entrepreneur looking to grow your own vision alongside inspiring teams like Rokoko, Stone Soup might be your next stop. Our coworking space in Athens is home to a growing number of local and international startups !

Looking for a private office in Athens? Come meet your future neighbors.

Introducing Odd Bleat

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We would like to give a warm welcome to our new neighbors Odd Bleat.

Odd Bleat is a versatile director duo between Yannis Zoumakis and Manos Gerogiannis, who  write, design, direct and animate for TV and web.

Collaborating since 2009, in 2015 they founded Odd Bleat, creating commercials which have already brought them numerous awards and recognition. Their work is characterized by subversive humor and attention to detail, while also retaining a soothing simplicity which has become their trademark. They have created short films that opened festivals around the world.

An example of their work is their first experimental documentary, or as they call it mockumentary, about the wise giants that live amongst us. It is called Jachalay and has been screened in numerous festivals around the globe and has also won the Best Documentary Award in TOP Shorts.

A more representative commercial project of their work though, would be the TV commercial they created for the European Reliance, which is written, directed, designed and animated by them.

In order to increase awareness and civic engagement, Odd Bleat have created a short animation film for Odyssea, a social enterprise designing resilient solutions for environmental and humanitarian challenges in Greece.

A short bio:

Yannis and Manos are both from Heraklion, Crete and have known each other for many years. They have studied together graphic arts and design in the Technological Educational Institution of Athens and did their internship at NOMINT, a multi-awarded animation production company. When Manos moved to London to do his masters in filmmaking-directing he continued working with Yannis through Skype and in 2015 they founded Odd Bleat. After Manos returned, they found their new home under the Stone Soup roof and have been housing their offices here ever since.

Odd Bleat have worked for many clients abroad, in Canada, Lebanus, London, New Zealand and USA but also with organizations here in Greece like the Piraeus Bank, the Coca Cola foundation, European Reliance and more. Apart from these projects, they have also worked with non-profit organizations like the UN, TedX and Odyssea.

You can see more of their work on their website or their Facebook page!

Stay tuned for more!

Welcoming SELIA, a French company producing infographic documentaries.

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We would like to warmly welcome Ludovic! A creative media artist from France currently based here at Stone Soup.

Ludovic is working on a project producing 10 to 15 min documentaries about fine arts using infographics. The subject of every documentary is about one painting of modern art chosen by the customer. The idea is very interesting and the results are amazing but there is a whole process that needs to be followed in order to complete a documentary. Ludovic works from the original texts to scripts, starting with a search for the appropriate pictures and editing, then he has to record the voice text, clear the sound, put together the pictures with the sound and add music and video effects. “The idea behind using infographics is that we’re not using live video footage to make the documentaries but animation of still images. An example of what I’m talking about is the Ken Burns effect, a type of panning and zooming effect used in video production from still imagery”. The technologies and tools he uses vary, so there is still some self-learning process while making each actual video documentary.

The overall idea of producing a set of documentaries was in the mind of the customer for at least 3 years but the project seemed too expensive to be budgeted. Ludovic started working on the project on his free time to help with discussions with possible contractors, but after a while it became clear that he was the right man for the job. So in the end of June 2016 he founded his own company, called “SELIA”, an online content provider company and he’s been working on the project ever since.

We hope to see more of Ludovic’s work in about 6 months!

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Entering Iasonas Kampanis art studio

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Iasonas Kampanis is a painter based in Athens and in London, currently housed under the Stone Soup roof. We visited him in his studio to learn more about his work and future steps.

Iasonas started his career back in 2003 working on jewelry design and even though jewelry making was something that interested him and earned him a living, he discovered that visual arts was much more the thing he wanted to be involved in. “I found more freedom in painting, as it is a form of art where you can express your ideas without any restrictions, as the results of your work have no primarily practical function. I like to paint anything that I see and inspires me and I need it to be more than an ornament, mean more”. He started experimenting with painting and other visual art forms in 2007 and he has also worked as a graphic designer, illustrator and assistant engraver.

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Right now he is working on different projects and one of them is a collection of 53 artworks (it stands for the 52 weeks of the year and one extra ), which is inspired by all sorts of artistic affairs that have happened throughout the years, mainly since the beginning of modernism. “I think that nowadays, artists have a much bigger source of inspiration because of the Internet. Currently my research is based on this, surfing in the web thinking oh, this might be an interesting thing to put on a canvas and that’s how this project started as well”.

You can find out more about Iasonas’ work on his website.

A small bio:

Iasonas was born in 1985 in Athens, Greece. In 2003 he moved to Thessaloniki to study jewelry design and lived there until 2010. In 2012 he moved to London and started experimenting with the digital processing of images. He participated in various exhibitions both in London and in Greece. Most of London projects were about photography and this resulted to his ongoing collaboration with the ART:I:CURATE platform. He has also participated in exhibitions such as in the TINAG Festival in  Bishopsgate Institute, in London Print Studio and in the Nonsense Exhibition in O3 Gallery. His first solo exhibition was in Athens in 2011 in Parapera Cultural Multispace,  followed by another one in Bord de l’eau design factory in Thessaloniki in 2012. Group exhibitions include IANOS Art Space in Thessaloniki, Chryssothemis Gallery in Athens and the Art-Athina Platforms Project in collaboration with London-based Lubomirov/Angus-Hughes Gallery.