The Journey
To My Success

Marios Pafitis:
"Success is seeing that your actions have made other people’s lives easier"

“How did the solar system form?”, “How does the digestive system work?”, “How do plants grow?”

Growing up, I had a curiosity for learning new things and wanted to discover the world on my own. I was also inclined to computers from a very young age.

The fact that I was never afraid to learn something new and the curiosity I had for life, led me to think out of the box

My father owned an old computer and I used to observe it to figure out how it works. I remember putting in long hours on that computer and playing games or even creating them myself.



The fact that I was never afraid to learn something new, in combination with the curiosity I had for life, led me to think out of the box so as to be able to apply Computer Science and offer solutions rather than just use it as a tool. In this way, I focused to actions that could help people.

When I finished school, I applied for the Computer Science program of the University of Cyprus, where I managed to get accepted and do my specialization in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

To make changes in the society, you need to stop waiting for others to act and just do it yourself

Just before the beginning of the first year, a friend of mine encouraged me to participate in an Erasmus program in Portugal. I was 19 years old and had never travelled by plane before due to my aerophobia. When I eventually decided to do it, I realized how much I loved travelling. So, in a year’s time, I participated in four programs: two in Portugal, one in Poland and one in Wales -two weeks each- while I was still studying at the University.



To make changes in the society, you need to stop waiting for others to act and do it yourself. You need to start thinking that nothing is taken for granted. Let your imagination run free and start thinking of solutions in order to help those who cannot help themselves. I learned that well during my stay in Portugal, where the program I followed helped me “unlock” my way of thinking. However, the program that defined me was the one in Wales, which aimed to use Computer Science in Medicine for the benefit of people with health issues.

Ι can confidently say that this postgraduate program helped me a lot because I took classes in subjects I love and was taught by academics who inspire me

All those programs in combination with a course in entrepreneurship made me realize that I could set up a company and use my knowledge in Computer Science to help people in need. And just like that, our first startup, Fooderloo LTD, was born. Fooderloo is co-founded by myself and two partners with the aim to reduce food waste, allowing suppliers -e.g. supermarkets and restaurants- to sell their products close to their expiry date in lower prices. Moreover, it allows for donations between the users, so people in poverty can have access to food.

After getting my first degree, Frederick University’s Web and Smart Systems postgraduate program of study came into my life. The program provides in-depth knowledge of the field and it really helped me develop my start-up. Having people capable to guide you is crucial because through their knowledge you clear things out in your head. Therefore, I can confidently say that this postgraduate program helped me a lot because I took classes in subjects I love and was taught by academics who inspire me.



Education consists of the teachers who evaluate their students’ potential and talent and guide them accordingly. Just like Dr Andreas Constantinides did. Dr Constantinides, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics and the Director of the University's Mobile Devices Laboratory was my academic advisor during my postgraduate studies.

With MammoCheck, women can conduct preventive checks of breast cancer at home

By seeing how much I love learning and getting involved in different projects, he suggested I should participate in the Junior Achievement’s “Beyond Pre-Acceleration”, a competition that aims to bring people from the fields of medicine and computer science closer in order to create different start-up companies targeted to combating cancer. Because of that competition, we teamed up with Business Developer Alexandra Demetriadou and Medical Researcher Athina Grigoriou. Alexandra suggested focusing on breast cancer. We ended up creating a new start-up, named MammoCheck. With MammoCheck, women can conduct preventive checks of breast cancer at home through an application, a device and an algorithm. This method is completely safe and economic, so women can get checked on a regular basis in three minutes’ time.

A field of study should enable us to open our horizons and move forward, not keep us bounded to a certain subject.

Many people ask me why I’m getting involved in other people’s business, meaning the field of medicine or the food industry. What many people don’t understand is that a field of study should enable us to open our horizons and move forward, not keep us bounded to a certain subject. If everyone stuck on their subjects, it would be impossible to find useful and creative solutions. We need to cooperate and be open minded if we want to move on and evolve.

My vision is that one day I will own many companies that will help the society. I have many ideas but I do not have the time to implement them all, so that is why I am trying to create teams. I believe teamwork is very important because it motivates you but also inspires you to keep going.

Success is seeing your actions helping and making other people’s lives easier. If I can achieve that, I will continue with actions that help even more people for as long as I can. That’s my goal.