Early Stage Investing Launchpad pilot has the overall objective of developing and boosting the activities for Business Angels through an international capacity building program. ESIL pilot focuses on 3 EU Member States where the number of BAs and BA related activities and investments are still under developed or just emerging. Particular attention is devoted to the seed and early stage investment in ICT highly innovative start-ups and SMEs. 

 “After a careful analysis of the candidates, ESIL Pilot partnership was glad to select VentureConnect and Business Angels Romania as local leaders for the development of the ESIL Pilot project in Romania. We are positive that both local partners have a great mix of drive and skills which makes them the best choice for a successful participation and development of the BA capacity building program in the region.” Umberto de Feo, ESIL Pilot Project Manager. 

“Business Angels Romania is proud to be part of the ESIL Pilot Project We believethat the education of investors is a very strong first step in building astrong ecosystem.” Andrei Tabarcea, Managing Partner at Business Angels Romania. 

 “The main reason for launching VentureConnect was to begin offering the means through which the local entrepreneurial ecosystem could begin to develop in Romania. After a number of investments and success stories in the IT/online sector, we believe it is time to also focus on potential Romanian business angels. Thus, the partnership with local and established international business angels networks will allow potential Romanian business angels to obtain substantial investment know-how” Daniel Visoiu, Partner BAC Investments and President of the VentureConnect Foundation.

Apply to VentureConnect by June 3rd here. 

Early Stage Investing Launchpad pilot has the overall objective of developing and boosting the activities for Business Angels through an international capacity building program. ESIL pilot focuses on 3 EU Member States where the number of BAs and BA related activities and investments are still under developed or just emerging. Particular attention is devoted to the seed and early stage investment in ICT highly innovative start-ups and SMEs.

“After a careful analysis of the candidates, ESIL Pilot partnership was glad to select Venture Connect and Business Angels Romania as local leaders for the development of the ESIL Pilot project in Romania. We are positive that both local partners have a great mix of drive and skills which makes them the best choice for a successful participation and development of the BA capacity building program in the region” Umberto de Feo, ESIL Pilot Project Manager. 

“Business Angels Romania is proud to be part of the ESIL Pilot Project. We believe that the education of investors is a very strong first step in building a strong ecosystem” Andrei Tabarcea, Managing Partner at Business Angels Romania.

“The purpose of starting VentureConnect was to offer the means through which the local entrepreneurial ecosystem could develop. After a number of investments and success stories for the IT industry here in Romania, we believe it is time to also focus on potential Romanian business angels. The partnership with local and established international business angels networks will create the means through which potential Romanian business angels will be able to obtain substantial investment know-how”, mentioned Daniel Visoiu, Partner BAC Investments and President of the VentureConnectFoundation.

VentureConnect, the first pitching event for technology and IT entrepreneurial projects organized in Romania, announces today a new strategic partnership with ESIL, grouping together EBAN, Business Angels Europe, Business Angels Romania, Go Beyond Early Stage Investing and META Group (www.meta-group.com).

Therefore, for the upcoming VentureConnect edition on 9^th June in Bucharest, VentureConnect will invite business angels in Romania and the region to attend a series of dedicated meetings and practice orientated workshops with the objective of building capacity for seed and early stage investments. The first session will be run by Brigitte Baumann (Go Beyond Early Stage Investing) and Marius Ghenea (VentureConnect board member and Investment Director at 3TS) who will focus on an overview of early-stage start-ups and key insights from business-angels’ own experiences and their investment know-how. Attendance will be free of charge and by invitation only.

“The purpose of starting VentureConnect was to offer the means through which the local entrepreneurial ecosystem could develop. After a number of investments and success stories for the IT industry here in Romania, we believe it is time to also focus on potential Romanian business angels. The partnership with local and established international business angels networks will create the means through which potential Romanian business angels will be able to obtain substantial investment know-how”, mentioned Daniel Visoiu, Partner BAC Investments and President of the VentureConnect Foundation.

In the past six years, VentureConnect has been recognized for its continuous efforts to bring together early-stage start-ups as well as more mature companies with potential investors such as VC funds and business angels.

Entrepreneurs wishing to pitch their businesses on 9^th June 2016 to international and Romania-based investors can submit their projects until 3^rd June, by submitting the information indicated on www.ventureconnect.ro. A selection of up to ten companies will be announced prior to the event.

On Thursday, 12 March, between 3.00 and 6.00 PM, at ASE StartUp headquartes (31 Frumoasa Street), IT entrepreneurs interested in learning how to expand their business internationally have the opportunity to meet with Radu Georgescu, Founding Partner GECAD Group, as part of the first 2015 session of the mentoring program conducted by the Venture Connect Foundation – VentureMentoring.

The mentoring session led by Radu Georgescu will deal with high-interest topics for local entrepreneurs, such as: the expansion of a business in international markets and defining of a unitary business strategy, the identification of strategic partnerships in key markets, surpassing of cultural barriers, business structuring, as well as the steps to follow within a financing process. The event format is interactive and free discussions are encouraged between participants and mentor. For efficiency purposes, the number of participants is limited to 20.

“I have always enjoyed sharing my experience and thinking practical solutions alongside Romanian entrepreneurs. Venture Mentoring is precisely about that: free and inhibited discussions about the business issues encountered by the attendees and finding practical and applicable solutions to their questions together”, says Radu Georgescu, Founding Partner GECAD Group.

The Venture Mentoring sessions is a project developed by the Venture Connect Foundation, which has supported over 170 business projects from Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova through its mentorship programs on various topics relating to business and technology in the past two years. Mentors that have taken part in the Venture Mentoring program include Daniel Nicolescu (Country Manager PayU Romania), Daniela Crețu (coach, entrepreneur and Managing Partner Opteam Associates), Ana Maria Andronic (Partner Biris Goran and co-founder of Venture Connect), Marius Ghenea (Business Angel) or Dan Vișoiu (Partner BAC Investment).

Registration for this session is opened at: http://www.ventureconnect.ro/events/venture-mentoring/. The participation fee is RON 300.

For further details, please contact Alexandra Pahomi at [email protected] or Mihaela Perciun at [email protected]

The Venture Connect Foundation announces that the 11th edition of Venture Connect will take place on 3rd June 2015, in partnership with the Business Incubator of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (ASE) and with the support of Biris Goran law firm.

The Business Incubator is an ASE project to be launched at the end of February that was created with the purpose of fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of students, master students and PhD students of the academy and to provide them with support in their entrepreneurial activity.

The 11th edition of Venture Connect will be hosted in ASE’s Aula Magna and will stand out by a new approach, but also with the support of some notable guests, business angels and investment funds from the American Continent. Moreover, the Venture Connect Foundation opens the session for this event’s pitches submissions.

The entrepreneurs willing to present their business in front of some of the most important investment funds, accelerators, incubators in Romania and Europe can submit the projects until 13th May 2015 on the event’s website: www.ventureconnect.ro. Before the event, Venture Connect Foundation shall organize two mentoring sessions to support the finalist entrepreneurs with respect to efficiency and structure of the pitch, public speaking skills and discourse elaboration.

The Venture Connect event shall include two pitching sessions: the first part shall be dedicated to students and early-stage companies in search for seed investment, and the second part shall be dedicated to more mature companies in search for a more substantial capital input.

“After more than four years since we launched the project, we take pride in a community of over 400 companies which visited Venture Connect and came in touch with investors. We are glad to be able to offer the Romanian entrepreneurs access to an important network of contacts in Romania, Europe and the American continent, and that Venture Connect is the place where investments happen”, states Ana Maria Andronic, co-founder of Venture Connect.

For more details on how to participate to Venture Connect, please visit our Admission Page or contact at us [email protected].

On 12th December, Bucharest Stock Exchange is organising a must see event –> A capital conversation – Wall Street and BVB. The keynote speaker will be Dan Lufkin, Wall Street legend and co-founder of DLJ investment bank.

Participation is free of charge. The event can also be found on Facebook as well.

The number of seats is limited, so please confirm your participation as soon as possible at [email protected]. Deadline for registration is December 5, 2014.

Ready for a capital conversation? Then join us on 12th December

Companies, even in an early stage of development, can access the required money. In Romania, areas as IT, technology, agriculture and services have potential for accelerated growth. Also, investors are always in search of new opportunities for investments with higher degree of risk, and high yields” stated Bogdan Mugescu, Business Development Specialist at Bucharest Stock Exchange.

Venture Connect is the most important regional meeting dedicated to entrepreneurs from technology area searching for early-stage financing and venture capital. At the anniversary edition, six Romanian and Bulgarian companies had the opportunity to present their business plan to more than 100 potential investors and business partners.

“Four years after we launched the Venture Connect project, we are proud with a community of over 400 companies who stepped in and had direct contact with investors, with 230 companies that joined our mentoring program, as with important investments as TJobs, Bittnet Systems, Flori de Lux and Green Horse Games. We are glad to offer to Romanian entrepreneurs’ access to an important network of Romanian and regional contacts and that Venture Connect became the place where investments happen. For the next period, we explore new opportunities, with a strong objective: bold financing of sustainable IT and software projects” mentioned Ana Maria Andronic, Partner at the law firm Biris Goran and Co-Founder of Venture Connect.