Drawing together hundreds of the world’s top business leaders on a virtual platform, the 2021 World Congress of Angel Investors WBAF started shaping the global agenda of the world’s early- and post-early stage equity markets for the year ahead. For the first time ever, the Forum’s annual congress, the world’s biggest annual gathering of early-stage equity and investment markets, hosted 6 continental summits with the participation of more than 700 delegates from around the world — all online.
An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, the World Business Angels Investment Forum interacts with leaders in all areas of society, first and foremost in business and political spheres, to help assess needs and establish goals, bearing in mind that the public interest is of paramount importance. WBAF engages a wide range of institutions, both public and private, local and international, commercial and academic to help shape the global agenda of early-stage equity and capital markets.
The World Congress of Angel Investors WBAF 2021 hosted the Global Fundraising Stage GFRS with the participation of 752 congress delegates and 137 private investors from 127 countries. A total of 59 startups selected from approximately 4,500 applications from around the world pitched their business offers.
Global Fundraising Stage
The Global Fundraising Stage (GFRS) is an international co-investment platform for investors, startups, scaleups and high-growth businesses who are aiming to globalise by raising funds from qualified investors, aiming to create a high-quality portfolio with some of the world’s most promising startups, scaleups and, at the same time, create co-investment opportunities and follow-on investments. The GFRS also connects top startups with the best angel investors, making it possible for the startups to benefit not only from the investment but also from the know-how, mentorship and networks of qualified investors. The mission is to showcase the world’s top startups and scaleups, which, typically, are funded companies in the process of raising €50K – €3M, with the aim of globalizing.
WBAF Angel Investment Fund
The Global Fundraising Stage is supported by the WBAF Angel Investment Fund, which aims to invest in startups of the GFRS. The WBAF Angel Investment Fund is only one of many investors that were present at the GFRS 2021. At the closing ceremony of the Congress, the WBAF Angel Investment Fund announced 8 startups for the due diligence stage of the investment process. The booths of these startups (see the list below) will be open to the public until 31 March 2021 at www.wbs.wbaforum.org
- Atlas Office, Booth A1, Canada
- Deri Dari, Booth A5, USA
- Gool, Booth 7, Albania
- Trident Peak, Booth A25, North Macedonia
- Awamupay Africa, Booth A39, Tanzania
- NeuXP, Booth A40, Malaysia
- TribeShares, Booth A41, Norway
- Gubler, Booth A54, Mexico
Baybars Altuntas, Executive Chairman – World Business Angels Investment Forum, says, ‘The GFRS is designed to capitalise on the worldwide growth in entrepreneurial activity and in venture financing for startups and scaleups. It capitalises on WBAF’s extensive network of global investors, which includes angel investors, private equity funds, co-investment platforms, wealth management institutions, family offices, VCs and acceleration centres. Fostering entrepreneurship whose effects can be felt in both economic and social arenas is a hallmark of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. I am sure that early- and post-early stage equity and capital markets around the world will find a rewarding experience by joining the global efforts of the World Business Angels Investment Forum WBAF to ease access to finance for entrepreneurs, startups, scaleups, high-growth businesses and SMEs’.
Israel Pons, President – WBAF Angel Investment Fund , says, ‘I am very pleased to announce 8 startups of the Global Fundraising Stage for the due diligence stage of our investment process. The WBAF Angel Investment Fund is a cross-border investment fund which has two due diligences. The first is due diligence on the startup venture selected by the Executive Investment Committee of the Fund, and the other is on the co-investor proposed by the startups. After completing the due diligence on startups and co-investors, we proceed with a memorandum of understanding with the co-investor and the startup which outlines the agreed steps of the investment process, up to and including closing the deal. I wish great success to the 8 startups who have been selected to participate in this process. I hope we can announce each of them as WBAF Invested Startups in the near future’.
About the World Business Angels Investment Forum
As an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is committed to collaborating globally to empower the economic development of the world by fostering innovative financial instruments for startups, scaleups, innovators, entrepreneurs and SMEs and to promoting gender equality and women’s participation in all sectors of the world economy. WBAF invites you to join our global efforts to ease access to finance, promote financial inclusion, and create more jobs and social justice.
About the Global Fundraising Stage
The Global Fundraising Stage (GFRS) is an international co-investment platform for investors, startups, scaleups and high-growth businesses which are aiming to globalise by raising funds from qualified investors, aiming to create a high-quality portfolio with some of the world’s most promising startups, scaleups and, at the same time, create co-investment opportunities and follow-on investments. The GFRS also connects top startups with the best angel investors, making it possible for the startups to benefit not only from the investment but also the know- how, mentorship and networking of qualified investors. The mission is to showcase the world’s top startups and scaleups, which, typically, are funded companies in the process of raising €50K – €3M, with the aim of globalizing.
About the WBAF Angel Investment Fund
An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) aims to ease access to finance for businesses from startup to scaleup to exit, with the ultimate goal of generating economic development, jobs and more social justice worldwide.
To achieve this goal, in addition to encouraging business angels and private equity funds to invest in the startups of the GFRS, WBAF launched an angel investment fund (the WBAF Angel Investment Fund), which is an international co-investment platform to invest in the startups and scaleups of the Global Fundraising Stage (GFRS). The WBAF Angel Investment Fund’s deal flow is generated from the Global Fundraising Stage.
