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High expectations for European angel investment in 2014
The year that has just finished revealed a record-breaking achievement for angel investment in Europe: 5.1b Euros were invested in 2012. While it is still too early to say how much was invested in 2013, we are confident to have witnessed a consolidating and positive year for early stage investors and for business angels in particular. Here's a short sample of astonishing facts from 2013:
- New and emerging business angel networks especially in Eastern Europe (Estonia, Austria, Macedonia, Ukraine...)
- Improved tax breaks targeted to business angels (eg. UK, Turkey, Finland...).
- The European Commission President addressed the angel community.
- First European Business Angels Week with 141 events in 34 countries.
- EBAN reaches 111 members in 37 countries!
At EBAN, we believe 2014 will be even better. We will continue supporting early stage investment communities across Europe and contribute to bringing European angel investors to a new proficiency level. Check below some of our planned activities:
- Annual Congress & Awards (19-20 May; Dublin, Ireland). Co-investment with other market players and increasing exit opportunities will be our core focus alongside a well diversified congress plenty of leading speakers.
- Winter University by the Fall in Helsinki, Finland, to learn from the Nordics how they brought their investment scene into the spotlight with successful start-ups and dauntless investors.
- EBAN webinars, starting on January 28th with a 7-steps framework to start investments with an impact beyond your pockets.
- New publications, reports and template files will be released along the year for your convenience.
Webinar: The 7-step framework to start impacting the world with your investments
 27.01.2014 | 12:00 CET
90 minutes
Register now!
EBAN and Toniic invite you to join a webinar targeted to all early stage investors willing to explore how to make their first steps into impact investment. The webinar is based on the 7 steps framework published last November by Toniic as the "e-guide to early stage global impact investing".
A brief overview of the EU funding frameworks for Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCSs) from 2014-2020
«In the field of Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCSs), for the period 2014 - 2020, the European Commission has proposed the framework programme “Creative Europe” [...] The framework program’s goal is to provide EU support to the CCSs with the two-fold objective of promoting cultural diversity across member states, and, of enhancing the competitiveness of these sectors.»
[ full article]
Horizon 2020 Launched With €15 Billion Over First Two Years
On December 11th the European Commission presented the first calls for projects under Horizon 2020 - the European Union's EUR 80 billion research and innovation funding instrument. Horizon 2020 will be 'challenge driven,' steering away from the previously thematic-led approach towards increased multidisciplinary cooperation. For the first time, the Commission has indicated funding priorities over two years, providing researchers and businesses with more certainty than ever before on the direction of EU research policy. Most calls from the 2014 budget are already open for submissions, with more to follow over the course of the year. Calls in the 2014 budget alone are worth around €7.8 billion, with funding focused on the three key pillars of Horizon 2020:
Excellent Science: Around €3 billion, including €1.7 billion for grants from the European Research Council for top scientists and €800 million for Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships for younger researchers.
Industrial Leadership: €1.8 billion to support Europe's industrial leadership in areas like ICT, nanotechnologies, advanced manufacturing, robotics, biotechnologies and space.
Societal challenges: €2.8 billion for innovative projects addressing Horizon 2020's seven societal challenges, broadly: health; agriculture, maritime and bioeconomy; energy; transport; climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials; reflective societies; and security.
EBAN finishes 2013 with a record of 111 members in 37 countries
EBAN reached the year-end with a record number of members and serving and representing new categories of members. EBAN now represents: Business Angel Networks, Business Angel Federations, Angel Syndicates, Early Stage Venture Capital and Seed Funds, Co-Investment Funds, Business Accelerators, Electronic Funding Platform, Associate Members and Affiliate Members.
This past month we welcomed:
 German Startups, Germany
(Early Stage Fund)
German Startups Group is a venture capital provider for young and innovative companies. They focus on the German startup scene and are looking for partners who want access to capital in addition to high degrees of freedom, know-how and network. They invest in promising startups following their motto: smart, fast and friendly money. This firm is itself a startup platform that gives young entrepreneurs the chance to start or grow their business by offering fast, straightforward decision-making and that offers investors an alternative investment focus.
SYMBID, The Netherlands
(Electronic Funding Platform)
SYMBID is an online investment platform for growth funding for SME’s, being is a frontrunner in the field of equity based crowdfunding. Next to these funding related activities Symbid is the co-founder of Equidam Holding BV, an online valuation tool for SME’s and Gambitious, crowdfunding platform for video games.
In the past 2 years their investor network has risen to over 14.000 private investors. Transgressive syndication of deals over the internet will be the future of private company investing and Symbid is willing to contribute to this new way of thinking which will also be adopted by EBAN.
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EBAN Members & Partners'
News & Updates
 FiBAN-Finnvera Pitch - January 28th
FiBAN-Finnvera pitch event is one of the largest regularly arranged events in Europe. The event is meant for FiBAN's investor members making early-stage high-growth investments.
Gesventure Becomes Listing Sponsor in Alternext
Gesventure has been accepted as Listing Sponsor by the group NYSE Alternext, a market suited to small and medium sized enterprises.
 Top 7 Eastern-European Startups That Rocked Kickstarter Last Year
Bringing together awesome ideas, motivated teams, and millions of generous strangers willing to back up projects, crowdfunding platform Kickstarter is one of those online gems that can restore your faith in starting a business - and in humanity.
AmberBAN Makes 3 New Investments at the End of 2013
AmberBAN is pleased to announce that in November and December 2013 the companies Solpeo Global Sp. z oo, Evitron Sp. z oo and Sidus Novum Sp. Ltd. were acquired. The funding volume involved in the Network AMBER already reaches 5 million zł.
December has been a quiet month for angel investment in Western Europe, according to data from Zephyr, the M&A database published by Bureau van Dijk. After an impressive showing in November, when EUR 67 million was invested across 29 deals, both volume and value have plummeted to their lowest levels for some time this month.
RESOURCES
There is a strong fit between the crowdfunding and impact investing –and there is an undeniable need and significant opportunity for social entrepreneurs to leverage online platforms to access investors, and for investors to access greater dealflow.
 The Rise of Future Finance: The UK Alternative Finance Benchmarking Report by Nesta
Alternative finance intermediaries have been growing in size and impact in recent years in the UK as they attempt to provide much needed capital to individuals and businesses. The research presents the size and growth of alternative finance activities such as crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending in terms of amounts raised, ventures funded and individuals contributing funds.
Regions & Innovation: Collaborating Across Borders by OECD
This report examines cross-border collaboration on innovation, building on case studies of cross-border areas that include the following countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Importance of Leasing for SME Financing by EIF
The article analyses and stresses the importance of leasing as financing technique for SMEs that expands the access to short- and medium-term financing for capital equipment.
This article - writen by Rui Ma, 500 Startups' venture partner -, resumes the key learnings from his firsts steps by joining the hybrid startup accelerator and seed stage fund.
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