.:: Easy ::. Early Stage Investors

Project

The Origin of Easy

When here at META Group we first thought about EASY as an operational platform for all European Early Stage Investors and asked Anthony Clarke, President of EBAN and Director of GLE Growth, whether he felt it could be done and if he would take the lead on this, we could certainly not imagine we could go that far.

Having European fast growing start-ups knowing that there was a truly European platform able to invest in their ideas and provide them with expertise, experience and market access thanks to internationally minded Angels Investors and Seed Funds seemed very ambitious, others had tried and failed.

After almost 2 and a half year from the initial hard work done with Jenny Tooth from GLE Growth and Maria Laura Fornaci from META Group, all the others that contributed in between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I believe we can be proud of what we have achieved thanks to all the partners and especially to the GLE management team and even more hopeful of what lies ahead.

Early stage investors action for growth of innovating business

The potential of the European equity investment market is still under developed. Successful investments in Knowledge Based Businesses (KBBs) will be among the key factors of economic growth development.

A well established early-stage market needs a better connection between the different financing stages/players (seed, angel and VC funds) as well as between the demand and supply side. Many early stage innovating businesses failing to be investment ready and not understanding the requirements of the investment process. At the same time there is a shortage of investors willing to invest in innovating knowledge based businesses and investor networks lack strategies to build the capacity of the investment community

EASY key activities:

Facilitate access to risk capital by improving the interaction between early stage investors and knowledge Based Businesses through the organisation of a programme of six cross-border investment events across Europe.
Develop tools and common procedures to support international deal- structuring and new quality standards for BANs and Seed Funds
Raise awareness among stakeholders and policy makers on the importance of the role of BAs and Seed Funds
Promote policies and tools to stimulate the early stage investment market across Europe

The EU Pro INNO initiative focuses on strategic areas of policy development and aims at putting in place new transnational support schemes for innovation.

EASY, as a Pro-INNO action will foster a closer co-operation among European countries for improving the policy and operational framework for Early Stage financing.

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