Michael Culligan, national director of HBAN (left), and Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
The European Business Angel Network (EBAN) Congress will be coming to Dublin for 19-20 May and will be bringing 350 angel investors with it to fund some of Ireland’s most innovative start-ups.
Organised by the all-island Halo Angel Business Network (HBAN), the EBAN Congress is forecast to bring in a minimum of half a million euros in revenue to Dublin, over the course of the two-day event.
As part of the proceedings, international investors and business angels, including some of the world’s leading ‘super angels’, along with venture-capital firms and early stage fund managers, will come together to discuss the European business angel landscape, how to support and grow this landscape, and most significantly, to share their knowledge and experience of investing.
Last year was a particularly successful one for 50 Irish start-ups in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Angel investors invested €8m directly towards Irish start-ups with an additional €18m raised from other sources, such as seed venture-capital funds, Enterprise Ireland and other private investors.
Across the wider European picture, the business angel market is continuing to grow. Business angels in Europe invested €5.1bn in 2012, which marks a 19pc growth in comparison to 2011.
Michael Culligan, national director of HBAN, has welcomed the decision by EBAN to come to Dublin this May.
“Being awarded the hosting of the 2014 European congress provides us with an excellent opportunity to further raise awareness of the importance of business angel investing to the start-up landscape on the island.
“Our aim is to use the congress to grow the business-angel community and enable further investment, which will support jobs growth in internationally traded start-up and growth businesses.”
