Bucharest, 9 December 2010 – The second edition of Venture Connect held on 8 December 2010, organized by the Biris Goran law firm in collaboration with Evensys and under the umbrella of NetCamp 2010, generated a substantially greater amount of interest due to the recently announced investment from the first edition held in June 2010.

TJobs.ro, the recruitment platform for jobs outside of Romania, is currently in the closing phase of a partnership with a group of foreign and local investors, for an overall investment of approximately Euro 500,000, with the deal originating from a pitch at Venture Connect’s June 2010 edition.

Calin Stefanescu, CEO TJobs, advises Romanian entrepreneurs: “First, they should know their business, the market and their competitors very, very well. Second, they should take advantage of feedback to the fullest extent possible – wherever this might come from, and last but not least, they should show courage, perseverance and responsibility in order to carry out their projects.”

At the first edition of Venture Connect, nine pre-selected entrepreneurs pitched their projects to over twenty Romanian and foreign investors interested in the IT/Internet/technology sectors. The second edition featured eleven entrepreneurs who pitched to over thirty Romanian and foreign potential investors.

The following edition of Venture Connect will take place in May or June 2011.

“Venture Connect, launched in June 2010, is a unique project for the Romanian investment environment. What makes it unique? The fact that it facilitates direct contact between Romanian entrepreneurs and investors interested in the dynamic IT, online and technology sectors. Also, it is contributing tremendously to the growth and opening of the respective Romanian markets ,as well as providing the means by which Romania’s best and brightest entrepreneurs may become known at the international level,” says Daniel Visoiu, Partner with Biris Goran and co-founder of Venture Connect.

“Because we, Biris Goran, believe in the potential of the Romanian market, in the quality and the creativity of Romanian entrepreneurs, the next reasonable step was to use the extended network that the law firm has in the international investment environment and to bring to Romania those investors which are directly interested in the IT, online and technology markets. If I were to briefly describe Venture Connect’s main objectives, I would say that it is to open up these markets internationally and raise the level of investment to the next level,” explains Ana Maria Andronic, Senior Associate with Biris Goran and co-founder of Venture Connect.

In addition to the founding members, Venture Connect’s Board comprises well-known names in the Romanian business environment: Marius Ghenea, entrepreneur and investor, with an important contribution to the promotion of local entrepreneurs’ quality: Radu Georgescu, a well-known entrepreneur and President of Gecad, Marius Ghenea, a renowned entrepreneur and President of Fit Distribution, Orlando Nicoara, General Manager of Apropo Media, and Dragos Roua, an online entrepreneur.

Bucharest, 2 December 2010 – In the final days before its 2nd edition, Venture Connect, the first initiative in Romania aiming at bringing together entrepreneurs and potential  investors in the IT/Internet/Technology areas, is already reporting outstanding results.

The 2nd edition of Venture Connect, organized by the Biriş Goran law firm in collaboration with Evensys and under the umbrella of NetCamp 2010, is expecting a larger number of potential investors especially due to the positive results from its first event.

TJobs.ro, the recruitment platform for jobs abroad, is currently in the closing phase of an investment of approximately Euro 500,000, the deal being initiated by Venture Connect.

“Venture Connect, launched in June 2010, is a unique project for the Romanian business
environment. What makes it unique? The fact that it facilitates direct contact between Romanian entrepreneurs and investors interested in the dynamic IT, Internet and Technology sectors, resulting in an increased opening of these sectors and greater international recognition of Romanian entrepreneurs” says Daniel Vişoiu, Partner with Biriş Goran and co-founder of Venture Connect.

The 1st edition of Venture Connect ensured the opportunity for 9 pre-selected Romanian
entrepreneurs to pitch to a over twenty Romanian and foreign potential investors  interested in the IT/Internet/technology markets.

“The proven success of Venture Connect makes us trust our initial idea, namely the fact that a lot of Romanian IT entrepreneurs lack the communication platform with their potential investors. As we, at Biriş Goran, believe in the potential of the Romanian market and in the quality and creativity of entrepreneurs here, the logical next step was to use our law firm’s extensive international network to bring to Romania those investors interested in the IT, Internet and Technology sectors. If I would briefly describe Venture Connect, it is positive step in opening up the Romanian market and taking it to the next level”, explains Ana Maria Andronic, Senior Associate with Biriş Goran and co-founder of
Venture Connect.

In addition to the founding members from Biriş Goran, Venture Connect’s advisory board benefits from the exceptional contribution of well-known names in the Romanian business environment: Marius Ghenea, entrepreneur and investor, Radu Georgescu, President of Gecad, Orlando Nicoară, Managing Director of Apropo Media, and Dragos Rouă, serial online entrepreneur.

“Bucharest, 27 October 2010 – Venture Connect is a unique initiative on the Romanian market, launched by the law firm Biriş Goran, aimed at facilitating direct contact between investors and entrepreneurs developing growing IT and Internet-based projects. The second edition of the event, organized by Biriş Goran together with Evensys, shall be held on 8 December 2010 at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, along with NetCamp 2010 with the support of Nokia, Microsoft, Kaspersky Lab and Seed Money.

Venture Connect intends to be a platform which allows entrepreneurs to interact directly with well-known international as well as local investors in order to obtain know-how and expansion capital for their growing businesses.

The project was launched this year and during the first edition on 10 June 2010, 9 pre-selected local entrepreneurs pitched their businesses and projects to over 25 attending investors.

“Romania remains “uncharted territory” for most foreign investors in the IT/online sectors, and consequently they have been rather slow to invest. However, Venture Connect has begun to bridge the gap between such investors and Romanian entrepreneurs, and as such interest in the upcoming event by both investors and entrepreneurs has already exceeded our expectations”, stated Daniel Vişoiu, Partner of Biriş Goran.

VentureConnect has an advisory board comprising well-known entrepreneurs and experienced attorneys who are also licensed to practice in the US, with their primary roles being to select projects and to mentor the chosen participants with respect to their pitches to be made to potential investors.

In addition to its founding members, Ana Maria Andronic (Senior Associate with Biriş Goran) and Daniel F. Vişoiu (Partner of Biriş Goran), the board also includes Marius Ghenea (a renowned entrepreneur and business-angel), Radu Georgescu (a well-known entrepreneur and President of Gecad), Orlando Nicoară (general manager of Apropo Media and a well-respected online entrepreneur) and Dragoş Rouă (an experienced online entrepreneur).

The VentureConnect event will include two sessions. During the first session the selected entrepreneurs will pitch their projects, with the second session involving face-to-face discussions with the participating investors.