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What we have learnt about angel investment opportunities from the last four EASY investment events

The EASY Project was established to bring together the different financing stages and players in venture capital and angel investing in the EU with early stage innovating businesses requiring funding. In particular, has a target to address issues such as the lack of investment readiness amongst entrepreneurial high growth potential companies, the shortage of investors willing to invest in such companies and the need for investors to build networking strategies that will build the capacity of the investment market.

It seems a good moment, two thirds of the way through the EASY Project, to review what has been learnt so far, by the Project’s 17 Partners, the entrepreneurs who have presented at the events and the investors who have come to consider the investment opportunities.

What has clearly been proved is that there is significant demand for funding from entrepreneurial companies across the EU. Over [ 141 ] companies have applied to present at the various investment meetings of which around 70 have already presented and a further 40 odd will present before the summer holidays. Over [600] business angels and venture capitalists have come to one or more of the Investment Events to see if they can find investments where they can add value with either finance and/or business support.

Of the 66 companies that have presented, each one has received investment readiness and presentation training which has resulted in an extremely high quality series of events. As a result hundreds of investors have started negotiations which are beginning to lead to deals being struck.

The key points that the EASY Project has proved are as follows:

The quality of investment opportunities throughout the EU is of a similar, high standard;
There is healthy and serious interest from investors in these entrepreneurial companies and investors are willing to consider opportunities based outside their home jurisdiction;
On multiple occasions this interest has come from investors based in a different country to that of the entrepreneurial company;
The value of informal networking at the events is enormous – if the investors can get to know each other and build trust outside a syndication meeting, it is invaluable during the due diligence process after the presentation;
The role of network managers is invaluable in finding quality investment opportunities, preparing the companies for investment and supporting the post presentation investment process;
One of the keys to successfully concluding an investment round is that the due diligence process does not reveal serious problems with the ability of the business to commercialise its opportunity both at home and internationally; and
The other key is that the investors rapidly build trust and rapport with the entrepreneur and their fellow investors.

Based on this knowledge, the EASY Project will be able to consider further ways to add value in forthcoming months, so that by the end of the year, it will hopefully have created a precedent for pan-European early stage investment, which can be built upon for the future.

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