European Business Angels Investment Forum to be held in Turkey this Year

The European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players (EBAN) is preparing to hold the first European Business Angels Investment Forum in Europe, in İstanbul on December 15-16, 2014.

The Forum will bring together the best Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) of Europe, public authorities, angel investors, venture capital funds, executives of Exchanges, and all institutions that work to facilitate entrepreneurs' access to finance, and table the measures to be taken to allow entrepreneurs to have access to finance from start-up to early exit phase, and also the actions that especially Exchanges may take to play a more active role in raising finance for entrepreneurs. On the second day of the Forum, SEEC – South East Europe Super Founders Entrepreneurship Demo Day will be held.

Borsa Istanbul Chairman & CEO Dr. İbrahim M. Turhan said that Borsa İstanbul supports the efforts aimed at improving the entrepreneurship ecosystem and thereby increasing the number of entrepreneurs and angel investors investing in them, enlarging the ecosystem, and providing employment and innovation, and added that Borsa İstanbul established a platform called "Private Market" towards this end. Turhan also expressed his belief that the Private Market, aimed at bringing together entrepreneurs and investors in long term partnerships to provide the finance and liquidity they need, will open up new horizons to shape the future of both sides.

EBAN President Candace Johnson said that EBAN is most pleased to be co-organizing this first-ever event between Business Angels and Stock Exchanges with the Borsa Istanbul, TBAA – Business Angels Association, and Forbes I Para Confrences.The participation of stock exchanges and the public trading of shares in start-ups is crucial to the development of the innovation and entrepreneurial eco-system the world over. The strategic geographic placement of Istanbul between Europe, Middle East North Africa and Asia reflects EBAN's growth, documented by our recent incubation of MBAN and ABAN in the MENA Region and Africa. Our EBAN, MBAN and ABAN members will all be coming to participate and attend this ground-breaking conference which we hope will result in clear sign-posting and new initiatives for the Venture Finance eco-system at large.

Baybars Altuntas, President of TBAA – Business Angels Association in Turkey stated that European Business Angels Investment Forum delegates want to get to know the Turkish ecosystem, which issued the Angel Investment Law in only one year, enacted the world's highest tax incentive in a matter of nine months, and has been able to involve its Exchange in early stage investments as an exit strategy.

Altuntas also stated that on the other hand, European Business Angels Investment Forum is also bringing key parts of the equity market together to debate the benefits and challenges for the angel investment community in achieving successful growth for their businesses and to discuss what more can be done to connect the early stage market ecosystem. Notably we will also be discussing whether there is a need for further regulatory and fiscal changes, as well as how to create better understanding and confidence for angel investors in approaching the public markets.

Tuncel Sunar, Chair of the Forbes I Para Conferences said that Forbes l Para Confrences aims to keep the momentum going in the early stage investment market of Europe & Turkey and is very pleased to contribute to the development of new financial instruments to bring more access to finance for innovators, entrepreneurs, start-ups and SME's across Europe. Forbes I Para Conferences is a joint initiative of the Forbes, one of the World's leading monthly business magazine and the Para, Turkey's leading weekly economy magazine.

The Forum Findings will be reported to the European Commission by EBAN

Through the agreement signed by Borsa İstanbul, EBAN and TBAA, an Exchange opens its doors to entrepreneurs and angel investors for the first time in the world. This step has played a significant role in EBAN's decision to hold the European Business Angels Investment Forum in Turkey.

The leading angel investors of Europe, Exchange officials, public authorities, academicians, angel investor networks, venture capital trusts and funds, public investment funds, banks, crowdfunding technology platforms, and the group that prepared the EU Startup Investment Manifest will participate in the Forum.

The Forum aims to discuss how SMEs and entrepreneurs can access finances more easily. EBAN, TBAA and Borsa İstanbul came together to host this important Forum in order to develop brand new financial instruments that will create finance and liquidity for entrepreneurs, SMEs, innovators and startups.

EBAN, TBAA and Borsa İstanbul will emphasize the importance of education for higher quality and easier financing, and within this framework, will organize Europe's most comprehensive Angel Investor Certificate program at İstanbul Technical University Technopark on the second day of the Forum.

European Business Angels Investment Forum delegates want to get to know the Turkish ecosystem, which issued the Angel Investment Law in only one year, enacted the world's highest tax incentive in a matter of nine months, and has been able to involve its Exchange in early stage investments as an exit strategy.

At the European Business Angels Investment Forum, Europe's leading authorities and experienced angel investors as well as the chairmen of international angel investors associations will discuss a brand new approach to the accreditation problem of European crowdfunding technology platforms through Exchanges; how Exchanges help to fill the equity gaps; how business angels can benefit from a win-win relationship with governments / European Institutions; the role of public entities in converting public money into smart money; how to create successful public – private early stage co-investment funds for early stage investments; the ideal structure for the investment funds to be established by Exchanges, angel investment networks and banks; non-financial support mechanisms for startups, and the way to convert Exchanges to non-financial support platforms for entrepreneurs. The main findings of the Forum will be reported to the European Commission as proposals.