Greek Co-Founders Launch Origins, a Worldwide App to Help People Find Community and Connection Wherever They Live
- GetGreece
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
George Malevitsis and Lambros Politis have launched Origins, a free app built around a specific problem: people who move away from where they grew up often lose access to the community, food, and cultural touchpoints that shaped their identity. Origins connects users with neighbors, local cultural events, and the traditions tied to their background, regardless of where they currently live.
Malevitsis, the child of Greek immigrants raised in the United States, said the idea grew out of his own experience navigating two cultures. "I created Origins because I know how meaningful it is to meet someone who instantly understands a part of your story," he said.
"As the child of Greek immigrants growing up in the United States, I often felt caught between cultures and wondered where I truly fit in. Origins is about helping people find that connection, to their heritage, to their identity, and to others who share a similar journey."
The founders' family roots trace back to Lamia, Greece, a connection that shaped their understanding of how much a shared hometown or background can mean to someone living far from it.
That experience, common among children of immigrants and people who relocate for work, school, or family, is the foundation of the app. Moving to a new city often means starting over socially: finding people to talk to, figuring out where to get food that feels familiar, and learning which local events and traditions matter to the community already living there. Origins is built to shortcut that process by connecting users directly with people and resources tied to their specific cultural background, whether that's a small town like Lamia or a country with millions of expatriates.
Origins offers four core functions:
Settle in faster. New users can find and connect with people nearby who share their cultural background, making it easier to build a social circle in an unfamiliar place.
Stay connected to heritage. The app helps users locate authentic foods, products, and services tied to their culture, no matter where they've relocated.
Discover local culture. Origins surfaces nearby cultural events, celebrations, and gatherings, so users can stay engaged with traditions even far from where those traditions originated.
Connect globally. Users can reach others who share their cultural background anywhere in the world, with no membership fees or paywalls limiting who they can talk to.
Origins is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. More information is available at www.origins-app.com.
During the development of Origins, Malevitsis and Politis appeared on the Greece Chats Podcast with Tony Kariotis to talk about the app, the problem they set out to solve, and what shaped their vision for connecting people with their heritage. Check out the episode here:
