World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
Global Startups Summit, 18 February 2020, Tuesday, Zurich Hall, 09.45 – 10.30

Panel 1
What is the best finance for startups and scaleups?
The demand for capital to fund the growth of their business is an essential consideration for all entrepreneurs who want to avoid ending up as ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’. There are numerous funding options for ambitious entrepreneurs, ranging from debt to equity and new funding types such as Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Many entrepreneurs struggle to fully understand their funding options and the ramifications of taking on external finance; most will fail to raise external capital even if they are deserving of it, owing to factors both beyond and within their control.

The role of angel investors in entrepreneurial venture financing is increasing every day. Angel investors provide new ventures with much more than financial resources. By assuming different value-added roles, they also contribute considerable non-financial value to their investee companies during the post-investment phase. They act entrepreneurially through their hands-on involvement, but they often have their own distinct entrepreneurial experience.

This panel aims to answer the questions entrepreneurs ask about funding, including about the fundraising lifecycle from startup to scaleup to exit. The discussants will highlight the pros and cons of different types of venture funding so as to help entrepreneurs understand how to win at fundraising and to help investors understand the entrepreneurial mindset so that they can engage successfully with each other.

Moderator
Ana Barjasic, Founder & CEO, Connectology, Croatia

Ismail  Haznedar, Former Global President JCI, Turkey
Nambula  Kachumi, Executive Director, WECREATE , Zambia
Stevica Kuharski, Head of Scouting, Fil Rouge Capital, Croatia

World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
Global Startups Summit, 18 February 2020, Tuesday, Zurich Hall, 10.30 – 11.00
 

Panel 2

Preparing an equity story for your startup venture: How to convert your jury member into an investor

The equity story is really the foundation of any successful fundraising. The equity story creates a vision of the organization that also serves as a compelling rationale for investors to be interested in putting money into the startup venture. Angel investors will rely on the story to determine the marketability of the company and, most importantly, the company valuation. Angel investors will want to make sure that the business model and its future prospects ‘hang together’ with market growth and the company’s ability to monetize its customer base.

It turns out that the fundamentals of the equity story play a primary role in whether an investor decides to invest.

This panel will spotlight the effects of the equity story on the decision-making of angel investors, with a particular focus on the early post-investment phase.
 

Moderator
Tahir Mahmood, Head of the Business Development Department of Nasdaq Dubai, UAE

Jean-Christophe Barth-Coullaré, Member of the Supervisory Board of the European Champions Alliance, Switzerland
Jo Robrechts, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Triamant, Belgium
Dr. Gerhard Hrebicek , President, European Brand Institute, Austria

World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
Global Startups Summit, 18 February 2020, Tuesday, Zurich Hall, 11.00 – 11.30

Panel 3
Attitudes to entrepreneurial investment: Finding an investment that works for both investor and entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs may want funding, but do they deserve it? At the end of the day, that will be up to the investors who back them—or not. This panel will help angel investors understand what it takes to make a successful investment in a deserving entrepreneurial business. And by deserving, we mean one that has the potential to deliver an exceptional return to the investor that is commensurate with the risk they are taking with their capital.

From identifying an investable opportunity (that is, what to look for in the team, the business and the financials) to the finer details of what sources of information an angel investor can expect, the discussion will be useful for both entrepreneurs and investors in understanding what it takes to set up a successful deal.

Moderator
Charles S. Sidman, Managing Partner of ECS Capital Partners, USA

Kevin Hin, Secretary General, JCI, Monaco
Michael Gold, Architect and Co-implementer, Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund (KCGF), USA
Rina Neoh, Co-founder of the Ficus Venture Capital, Malaysia

World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
Global Startups Summit, 18 February 2020, Tuesday, Zurich Hall, 11.30 – 12.00

Panel 4
Increasing the role of qualified mentors to boost the startup culture and early-stage equity markets

Common wisdom has it that behind every great leader is a suite of great mentors and advisors. Steve Jobs had Ed Woolard and John Sculley, Bill Gates considers Warren Buffet a mentor, and Bob Iger credits his former boss Tom Murphy not only with his success at Walt Disney, but also for having inspired the mentorship program Iger introduced that pairs top Disney executives with leading tech start-up CEOs.

While most entrepreneurs don’t have world-famous executives mentoring them, the importance of such interactions is obvious. According to an analysis conducted by Endeavor, companies whose founders have been mentored by a top-performing entrepreneur are three times more likely to go on to become top performers themselves.

However, connecting with mentors is important for everyday entrepreneurs as well. Research tells us that

• only 22% of small businesses have mentors when they start their business.
• 92% of small-business owners agree that mentors have a direct impact on the growth and survival of their business.
• 89% of small-business owners wish they had a mentor.

These statistics highlight a need in the entrepreneurial community to find and connect with qualified mentors who can deliver solid advice to help a business over those shaky first years.

This panel aims to clarify the increasing role of qualified mentors to boost the startup culture and early-stage equity markets in local economies.

Moderator
Maryam Najafi, Department Head - Global Mentorship Department, WBAF Business School

Prof Enriko  Ceko, Dean of Economic & Social Sciences Faculty at University College Wisdom, Albania
Francisco  Malesela Kgoboko, Founder & Chairman, FMK Trust, Botswana
Israel Pons, Honorary President, Latin America and the Caribbean Angel Investors Federation (XCALA), Mexico