Celebrating risk taking: the contribution of business angels and early stage investors
The annual gathering of the European association for business angels and early stage investors - EBAN - took place this year in the beautiful and dynamic city of Madrid, Spain on the 27th and 28th of April 2009. The EBAN Congress is Europe’s leading awareness raising and networking event for business angel group leaders since 1999.
PPTs presentations from speakers are available for participants to this event under the section "Event follow-up"!
Profiles of this year's EBAN Awards Ceremony winners are now available under the section "Award Ceremony".
The 10th EBAN Congress and 5th Award Ceremony will take place on April 15-16th 2010 in Istanbul!
- Start-ups and SMEs experience business slow down resulting in a higher than expected need for finanicng
- A number of sources of financing like banks and VCs are slowing down
- In addition to financing, these companies are in even greater need of support which is best provided by business angels (management and entrepreneurial experience).
However, business angels and other early stage investors are deeply impacted by the crisis. What should be done now to support and encourage their involvement in financing innovation? Which recommendations should be put forward to policy makers across Europe? How can business angels and early stage funds work together to bridge the ever-expanding equity gap?
Quotes from participants at last year's Congress in Arnhem:
"The EBAN Congress is even more important and relevant than ever before for early-stage investors across Europe as we all need to learn from each other how to adapt to both the challenges and the opportunities presented by the present exceptional economic conditions. No one person or group has all the answers, but by sharing with each other we will all be more effective in our investing."
"Congratulations on a most successful event! I don’t know how my first EBAN Congress could have been any more beneficial to me and I especially appreciate how efficiently you managed the event and my participation. I am already looking forward to Madrid!".
"It was astonishing to see how many organizations do exist and try to encourage and overcome the equity gap".
EBAN - is the European trade association for business angels and early stage investors, an independent and non-profit association representing the interests of business angels networks (BANs), early stage venture capital funds and other entities involved in bridging the equity gap in Europe. It currently federates 90 organisations in 25 countries. To know more about EBAN, visit: www.eban.org
ESBAN - coordinates and promotes the different Business Angels networks in Spain. For these networks ESBAN has a number of roles ranging from highlighting the contribution that business angels make to the entrepreneurial culture, supporting its members and lobbying government to encourage the exchange of best practice, experiences and ideas among members. ESBAN counts with the support of Spanish Government through the DGPYME (General Secretariat of SMEs) which is member of ESBAN foundation Board. To know more about ESBAN, please visit: www.esban.com
