WBAF ANNUAL CONGRESS 2018
Unlocking the Potential for Innovation: Angel Investors Partnering with Family Offices and Wealth Management Institutions
18 –19 – 20 February 2018, Istanbul
Building on the success of the 2017 World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), this year’s forum will focus on the theme ‘Unlocking the Potential for Innovation:Angel Investors Partnering with Family Offices and Wealth Management Institutions’.The discussions will explore howfamily offices and wealth management institutions can foster open innovation and deliver more business value through partnerships with angel investors, start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses and SMEs.
Family offices and wealth management institutions are booming globally.
Internationally recognised reports indicate that there are more than 10,000 single-family offices in operation throughout the world, at least half of which have been established in the past 15 years. A family should normally be worth between $100 million and $500 million for a single-family office to be financially viable. Multi-familyoffices, by contrast,offer affordable services for ultra-high net worth families with assets of approximately $50 million. In North America alone, the next three decades will see nearly $30 trillion in assets transferred from baby boomers to their heirs.
Angel investment too is booming worldwide.
More than 90% of the early-stage investments in Europe come from angel investor capital. The angel investment market size is more than €9.8 billion in Europe and more than US$26 billion in the US and Canada. The total size of the world’s early-stage investment market is expected to exceed $50 billion by 2020.The $50 billion market for angel investment promises a $150 billion exit in the next 5 to 7 years.
SMEs, entrepreneurs and start-ups: OECD reports show that more than 96% of the world’s economy is driven by SMEs, entrepreneurs and start-ups. Many governments have understood the importance of the early-stage investment market in the creation of new jobs and social justice in their countries and have therefore implemented new regulations that provide tax incentives for angel investors, corporate ventures and start-ups.
Baybars Altuntas
Chairman, World Business Angels Investment Forum
‘’Building on the success of the 2017 World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), this year’s forum will focus on the theme ‘Unlocking the Potential for Innovation: Angel Investors Partnering with Family Offices and Wealth Management Institutions’. The discussions will explore how family offices and wealth management institutions can foster open innovation and deliver more business value through partnerships with angel investors, start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses and SMEs.’’
On 18- 19–20 February 2018, WBAF will meet in Istanbul to shape the global agenda of the early-stage equity markets of the world.
As a global organisation, the World Business Angels Investment Forum is bringing together key players of the equity market to discuss the benefits of and the challenges to the angel investment community’s achieving successful growth for their businesses and to discuss what more can be done to connect the early-stage market ecosystem.
The global leaders in early-stage investment markets — family office managers, wealth management executives,stock exchange executives, financial experts, policymakers, academics, active members of early-stage investment markets, bank executives and WBAF delegates — will come together to create new ways for start-ups, high-growth businesses, scale-ups, SMEs and angel investors to access finance.
Why is that so important?
The reason is simple: only angel investors have the know-how and the networks to put start-ups and scale-ups into the capital markets. If we can create an innovative financial plan for early exits, this will mean more jobs and social justice in a shorter period of time. At WBAF 2018, therefore, we will focus on how family offices and wealth management institutions can foster open innovation and deliver more business value by forming partnerships — partnerships with angel investors, start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses and SMEs.
WBAF invites you to join our global effort to ease access to smart finance.
As a global organisation, the World Business Angels Investment Forum brings together key players of the equity market to discuss the benefits of and the challenges to the investment community’s achieving successful growth for their businesses and to discuss what more can be done to facilitate the democratization of finance by expanding access to and participation in every level of society.
We invite you to join us in our global effort to ease access to smart finance, which will help create more jobs and more social justice worldwide. Your efforts to convert the world economy into a smart economy in cooperation with the World Business Angels Investment Forum are very important.
By working together across borders, with a common vision, and with these smart dynamics in mind, we are well placed to create positive change in the global economy.
We are sure you will find WBAF Annual Conference 2018 a rewarding experience!
Cross-border collaboration and syndication among angels and angel federations has come a long way since the initiation of the European Business Angel Network in 1999. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation launched the Angel Capital Association in 2005 and the Portuguese Federation of Angels initiated the World Business Angel Association in 2009. We thank those leaders and all those associated with these efforts for their pioneering work. They have laid the groundwork for the launch of the next generation global network, open to all serious non-institutional funders of entrepreneurial ventures: the Global Business Angels Network (GBAN). GBAN is an initiative of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), the community of programs and policy initiatives now in 150 countries born out of Global Entrepreneurship Week initiated and funded by the Kauffman Foundation.
The Global Business Angels Network (GBAN) is a global community of business angel networks and organizations coordinated by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Inc. (GEN). GBAN brings greater public awareness and engagement to the role that business angels play in helping new firms start and scale.
GBAN interfaces with entrepreneurs, policymakers, other early-stage finance actors and leading entrepreneurial support programs to strengthen the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. Whether helping local entrepreneurial ecosystems recruit more investors, expanding geographic investment arenas beyond local markets or amplifying the angel “voice” to regulatory issue discussions, GBAN seeks to provide an inclusive, supportive community of early-stage investors around the world.
Global Entrepreneurship Network is a year-round platform of programs and initiatives created by the communities that celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) each November. Aimed at creating one global entrepreneurial ecosystem, GEN helps people in 150 countries unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures—creating jobs, unearthing innovations for society and strengthening economic stability around the world.
EBAN is an international, not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to represent the pan-European early stage investor community, gathering member organisations and individuals from Europe and beyond. Originally targeted only to business angels, today EBAN is a cross sector representative of equity early stage investors.
EBAN represents a sector estimated to invest 5.1billion Euros a year and comprising 260.000 angel investors. According to its annual collection of data (2012) and exclusively though business angel networks, 2900 company were funded and 17800 jobs were created.
EBAN was established in 1999 by a group of pioneer angel networks in Europe with the collaboration of the European Commission and EURADA (the European Association of Development Agencies).In 1999, only 50 business angel networks were identified across Europe to support high growth start-ups, with more than half operating in the UK. Today, the number of business angel networks has risen to 460.
Activities:
Setting professional standards, training, and certification for the early stage investment asset class; building the capacity of early stage investment actors to facilitate co-investment as well as increasing transparency in the market by changing the culture on reporting standards.
Benchmarking, research and networking with peers .
Lobbying , trusted and continued dialogue with European policy makers to improve the working environment of early stage investors.
Raising awareness, advocacy and capacity building.
Cross-border syndication and co-investment support.
Structure:
Types of members accepted by EBAN (31/12/2013)
Business Angels
Business angels networks
Federations of business angels networks
Early stage venture capital funds
Business accelerators
Electronic funding platforms
Associate/ other early stage market players
Governance:
EBAN is led by a Board of Directors elected for 2-year mandates. The Board selects a President and an Executive Committee which becomes involved in the day-to-day operations with the Secretariat.
EBAN Presidents:
2014-2016 Candace Johnson, Sophia Business Angels, France
2012-2014 Paulo Andrez, FNABA, Portugal
2010-2012 Brigitte Baumann, Go Beyond, Switzerland
2006-2010 Anthony Clarke, London Business Angels, United Kingdom
2003-2006: Peter Jungen, BAND, Germany
Before 2003: co-presidency system
The African Trade Association for Early Stage Investment Market Players and Business Angels (ABAN) was founded to facilitate the economic growth of African countries with the involvement of investor networks for early stage entrepreneurship on the continent, some of the existing networks including the Lagos Angels Network (LAN), Cameroon Angel Network; (CAN), Cairo Angels, Ghana Angel Network (GAIN), Venture Capital for Africa (VC4Africa) Silicon Cape, and with support from the European Business Angels Network (EBAN).
MENA Business Angel Network (MBAN) initiative started in UAE in June 2014. This initiative is responding to the growing interest in start-ups by Business Angels and early stage investors in the MENA region and their desire to find the best modality to manage their investments and guarantee the best return. Angel and early-stage Investors are well established in Europe and globally, with billions of Euros invested annually through the various Angel Network Groups. The MENA region needs to pay attention to setting up the right structure and rules for Angel and early-stage Investing, in order to have a vibrant, healthy and promising entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Turkey, ranked 16th in a rapidly changing world economy is one of the few countries with the entrepreneurial base to increase its standing in the 21st century. Turkey which has been one of the least affected economies in the global economic crisis is in the fortunate position of being able to use the power of its entrepreneurs to increase its competitive advantage as the crises gives way to regional and worldwide economic growth. The most important event for entrepreneurship in the 21st century was the hosting of the entrepreneurship summit by US President Barack Obama in Washington DC. The next summit will be hosted in Turkey at Prime Ministerial level confirming the dynamism of entrepreneurship in the Turkish economy.
Turkish entrepreneurs met with a new model of entrepreneurship called ‘The Franchising System’ in 1991.We moved from a mindset of ‘we don’t have any branches’ to the mindset of ‘we have branches all over the world’. This transition was built on franchising contracts and agreements between independent entrepreneurs.
The Business Angels Association – Turkey (TBAA) is an not-for-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate the exchange of knowledge and best practices in the field of global angel capital financing for high growth and innovative startups.
Based in Istanbul, the TBAA was formed by business angels to create an international community of business angel networks and leaders for the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship through the financing of high growth start-up companies with the support of business angels worldwide.
Membership:
TBAA is an NGO whose direct members are business angels, which in turn represent business angel groups and networks in their respective angel groups.
Mission:
The primary mission of the TBAA is to raise awareness of the importance and practice of business angel investment, stimulate the exchange of best practices in angel investing, and enhance the development of cross-border angel investing. It does this by promoting the professionalization of the angel market through the fostering of angel groups and associations; coordinating research produced on the angel market worldwide organizing in-person meetings and conferences for international angel investors; and developing online resources for information about, and access to, local, regional and cross-border angel investing resources.
Activities:
Setting professional standards, training, and certification for the early stage investment asset class; building the capacity of early stage investment actors to facilitate co-investment as well as increasing transparency in the market by changing the culture on reporting standards.
Benchmarking, research and networking with peers .
Lobbying , trusted and continued dialogue with European policy makers to improve the working environment of early stage investors.
Raising awareness, advocacy and capacity building.
Cross-border syndication and co-investment support.
Structure:
Types of members accepted by TBAA (31/12/2013)
Business Angels
Business angels networks
Federations of business angels networks
Early stage venture capital funds
Business accelerators
Electronic funding platforms
Associate/ other early stage market players
Governance:
TBAA is led by a Board of Directors elected for 3-year mandates. The Board selects a President and an Executive Committee which becomes involved in the day-to-day operations with the Secretariat.
Mission:
To enable Turkish entrepreneurs to become familiar with a culture of partnerhip Now it is time for Turkish entrepreneurs to embrace a completely new model of entrepreneurship introduced by the TBAA –Business Angels Association of Turkey. A ‘partnership culture’ whereby businessmen of acumen are invited to form partnerships with rising entrepreneurs.
TBAA is easing the way for entrepreneurs planning start-ups to access both domestic and international financial sources.As entrepreneurial businessmen of experience and acumen we have come together under the umbrella of TBAA to contribute to Turkey’s economic ecosystem by facilitating start-up business’ access to national and international capital.
Goals:
The values we mentioned are listed below. The public and entrepreneurs will be informed in the future about the output of the program.
1. To provide development in the culture of partnership in the business world in Turkey
2. To support entrepreneurs who want to establish their own businesses and help them easily reach essential financial sources
3. To create an eco system which supports entrepreneurs enabling them to set up their own businesses, providing all necessary financial support for institutions and companies
4. To provide all means of education related to entrepreneurship and support any kind of educational programs for entrepreneurship
5. To make the business angel investment system renowned in Turkey, and to provide essential legal infrastructure
6. To make business angel investment recognized as a professional career option
7. To develop an entrepreneurship ability test competing with universities and private school or colleges
8. To research Turkey’s entrepreneurship profile and find out yearly trends and prepare reports
9. To organize essential public studies on the legal infrastructure needed by the business angels
10. To cooperate with and inform various associations such as The Union of Turkish Chambers Of Commerce, Higher Education Council , Department of Employment, Small Business Development Agency(SMBs), Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, Capital Markets Board, The Union of Banks, Technoparks, Association of Turkish Accession Ministry of Industry and Trade Competition Board, Universities’ Entrepreneurship Clubs, Incubators, Charities Chamber of Commerce and Industry
11. To be a bridge for Entrepreneurs – Angel Investors- Angel Investment Groups- venture Capitalists – match makers
12. To prepare an environment which brings together entrepreneurs and business angels
13. To train instructors who will educate entrepreneurs and angel investors.
14. To set up a platform on which experienced angel investors can transfer know-how
15. To follow international developments and to perform international membership procedures
16. To provide an increase in the number of inventions in Turkey in cooperation with scientists
17. To promote the concepts of ‘business angel’ and ‘venture capitalist’ and evolve a new common language in cooperation with the Turkish Language Institution
18. To supply the transfer of know-how from abroad by inviting successful angel investors
19. To continue studying intellectual and industrial patent right
20. To evolve a code of ethics
21. To establish financial markets at both national and regional levels for business angels thereby creating a positive environment in which entrepreneurs will have easy access to capital
22. To organize a platform on which angel business angels can share their experiences among themselves
23. To enable – by means of training, seminars, workshops, mentoring and coaching -entrepreneurs to achieve a level of proficiency which will allow them to reach capital sources easily
Strategy Team:
This is made up of associate members who provide strategic support for investors and entrepreneurs and associate members. Strategy Team Members have no rights to vote in the association but are able to take part in all activities as full members do.
The general profile of strategic members is as follows :
Academics
Business Law Consultants
Bankers and Representatives of Financial Institutions
Management Consultants
Matchmakers
Committed to collaborating globally to empower the economic development of the world by fostering innovative financial instruments for SMEs, innovators and start-ups.
