EBAN 10th Annual Congress (European Business Angels Network) starting after the opening speech of Minister of Industry and Trade; Nihat Ergün, EBAN President; Brigitte Baumann, METU Rector; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar was held in WOW Hotel, Istanbul on April 15^th – 16^th .

The 5^th EBAN Awards found their owners under the sponsorship of Çözüm Bilgisayar in Gala Dinner held in The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion on April 15^th. Çözüm Haber Dergisi (News Magazine) was the Media Sponsor of the Congress as well.

Istanbul hosted one of the most privileged congresses in the world on April 15^th – 16^th. EBAN 2010 Annual Congress gathered the greatest investment institutions and financial providers in Europe and provided a brainstorming.

EBAN’s President; Brigitte Baumann, EBAN’s General Director; Claire Munck, Minister of Industry and Trade; Nihat Ergün, Defense Industry Undersecretary; Murad Bayar, METU Rector and Chairman of the Board of Technopolis Technology Investor’s Association; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar, Tehnopark General Director and Member of the Board of Technopolis Technology Investor’s Association; Mustafa Kızıltaş, President of Chamber of Industry of Istanbul; Tanıl Küçük, Garage Technology Ventures (USA); Bill Reichert, Endeavour Vision, USA; Sven Lingaerde, Ministry of Economy and Technology of Germany - Pre-financing Director; Dr. Velling, Vice Chairman of the Board of Teknoloji Holding; Alphan Manas, General Director and Member of the Board of Teknoloji Yatırım A.Ş. ; Haluk Zontul, Co-president of World Business Angels Association (WBAA); John May, Earlybird Venture Capital Association; Hendrik Brandis, Canadian Angel Capital Association; Bryan Watson, Emerging Business Team, Microsoft, USA; Cliff Reeves participated to congress.

In the congress; domestic and international successful samples of business angels were shared with participants and auditors. The event aims to share best practices, raise awareness and build relations among thousands of investors and other financial actors involved in closing the equity gap and interested in collaborating and investing together. Through the years, the event has provided a key contribution to the growth and consolidation of the angel market in Europe, leading the creation of an increasing number of business angel networks and other related partnerships and collaborations across Europe.

The guests were pleased of tasting Turkish Meals under the sponsorship Türk Telekom in Florya Beyti Restaurant in Istanbul after Madrid on April 14^th.

After the end of the 1^st day, with the rented Semiramis Boat in Ataköy Marina, they had a Bosporus Tour with cocktail. And then the guests participated to Gala Dinner in The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion under the sponsorship of Çözüm Bilgisayar. EBAN Award Ceremony was held accompanied with the great view of Bosporus . Representatives of the early stage investor community met in Istanbul on the occasion of EBAN's 5th Award Ceremony. This event is the leading awareness raising gathering of early stage investors in Europe and will be organised by EBAN.

EBAN Annual Congress has been arranged in Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and Netherlands since 2000. So all the member investors had an information interchange. After the organization offers were presented to EBAN in order to host EBAN 2010 Annual Congress, The Congress was held in WOW Hotel, Istanbul on April, 15^th – 16^th. 

EBAN Annual Congress bring together all investment foundations and financers of Europe and also entrepreneurs and new Business Angels of Turkey.

METU President; Ahmet ACAR said that EBAN Congress that was held in Madrid, Spain last year and it is held in Istanbul with the help and support of METUTECH-BAN (Technopolis Technology Investors’ Association). It is developed by METU and METU Technopolis, with this purpose; METUTECH-BAN (Technopolis Technology Investors’ Association) is founded and it brings together all the investors in the field of technology. We are very proud of hosting the greatest investment foundations and financers in Istanbul, he also added.

Tehnopark General Director and Member of the Board of Technopolis Technology Investor’s Association; Mustafa Kızıltaş said that the congress aims to contribute to the meaning of Business Angel and Business Angel Network in Turkey. He also said that it is essential that the investors that want to be a part of this network should be supported and EBAN 2010 Annual Congress is very important in order to improve the awareness about that subject in Turkey.

After the closing speeches, the training part which is organized for Angel Investors and Entrepreneurs ended.

            Some of Angel Investors;

Here are privileged investors from different fields of Technopolis Technology Investors Association:

Murad Bayar – Defense Industry Undersecretary

Lütfi Varoğlu – Head of Department of SSM Uluslararası İşbirliği

Prof.Dr. Ahmet Acar (Metu President -Rector-)

Josef Kubin (Chairman of the Board of Prota Yazılım)

Cihan Candemir (Member of the Board of Yüksel İnşaat)

İsmail Başyiğit (Member of the Board of Milsoft)

Ömer Siso (Chairman of the Board of Çözüm Bilgisayar)

Ümit Atalay (Member of the Board of İnnova)

Celal Sever (Chairman of the Board of Cesaş)

Erol Üçer (Chairman of the Board of Gama)

Prof.Dr. Ural Akbulut (Academic Member of METU – Department of Chemistry)

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Türk Telekom

WHAT IS EBAN?

EBAN (European Business Network) EBAN is a non-profit association representing the interests of business angels, business angels networks (BANs), seed funds and other entities involved in bridging the equity gap in Europe. EBAN was established with the collaboration of the European Commission in 1999 by a group of pioneer BANs in Europe and EURADA (European Association of Development Agencies).

Business Angel: Business angels are private individuals who invest their own money in high potential start-ups in exchange for a share in the company, and also contribute their expertise in business management and their personal network of contacts…

Business Angel Network: Associations and Foundations that plan how to invest and contribute each other financially with and informative support…

Some of EBAN Parameters

 EBAN that presents early period investment market in Europe includes over 250 international, domestic and regional Business Angels Network Memberships. According to 2008 parameters; there are 75.000 Business Angels and 334 Business Angels Network in Europe. Total investment is over 220.000 Euro after 1063 investment agreement in 2008. Here are some of investment fields; Informatics and Telecommunication, Software and Multimedia, Energy and Environment, Health and Retail. 

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