Agenda 2019

By invitation only

Only Board of Directors

By invitation only

By invitation only

By invitation only

By invitation only

19:30 - 20:30

WBAF WORLD LEADERS - Round Tables

By invitation only

09:00 - 12:00

Welcome Speeches – Key Note Speeches – Video Messages – MOUs – Fire Side Chat

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

18 February 2019, Monday
11.00 – Fuji Hall 

WBAF Ministerial Roundtable:
Developing an International Dialogue Between Global Leaders of Public and Private Stakeholders to Play a Role in the G20 Agenda for the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion

Investing globally provides huge opportunities, but before investing, one needs extensive knowledge about the ecosystem. The post-digital revolution world will be informed by decisions made today, and the leaders of global ecosystems are authorized to drive this revolution on behalf of their community.

With this in mind, as an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum is hosting this roundtable as a global convergence of global leaders of early and post-early stage equity and capital markets to discuss in detail the G20’s agenda to increase financial inclusion in the world.

This WBAF Ministerial Roundtable is bringing together government ministers from various countries, angel investors, policymakers, and representatives of innovation and science parks, chambers of commerce and industry, and government investment promotion agencies. The discussants, prominent global leaders of the world’s investment value chain, will explain how they plan to encourage collaboration between the ecosystems they lead. They will also explore ways to develop an international dialogue between public and private institutes that will empower early and post-early stage equity markets in response to the worldwide digital transformation.

12:30 - 14:00

Key Note Speaker: Mehmet Simsek, Deputy Prime Minister, Turkey

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Where

Istanbul

Panel 1: 
18 February 2019, Monday
14.30 – Fuji Hall 

Knowledge Digitization as the Future Norm in Investment Management: Optimizing the Decision-Making of Angel Investors, Crowdfunders, Private Equity Funds and VCs 

Financial markets have undergone significant structural changes since the 1950s, when the Modern Portfolio Theory was formulated. Markets and financial products were fairly simple—until the financial deregulation of the early 1980s, which changed all that. In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, regulations were introduced throughout the world to impose higher transparency in investment decision-making and reduce the information asymmetry of financial markets. Although markets are still complex, financial products are getting progressively simpler and transparency is the new mantra. It is thus increasingly important to help investors optimize their decision-making by providing intuitive insights into the risks and uncertainties of early and post-early stage equity markets. This panel will focus on how scenario-based contextualization can facilitate engagement that is based on a solid understanding of financial risks and for making better decisions about investing in start-ups, scale-ups and high-growth businesses.

Moderator
Ghada Teima, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank Group, USA

Brad Bulent Yasar, Co-Founder, Blockchain Investors Consortium (BIC), USA
Israel Pons, CEO and Co-Founding Partner of Angels Net LATAM, Mexico
Nikhil Agarwal, Senior Advisor, Federation for Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI),  India

Panel 2: 
18 February 2019, Monday
15.30 – Fuji Hall 

Empowering the Early and Post-Early Stage Investment and Equity Markets: Providing a Better Environment and Better Tools for Angel Investors – Private Equity Funds Co-Investments in Start-Ups, Scale-Ups and High-Growth Businesses 

An investment is syndicated when a group of investors or funds cooperate in providing funds for a portfolio company. It is a reciprocal, ongoing, informal relationship where investors collaborate by taking turns as lead investor or co-investor. Syndication enables angel investors to remain in control and to mitigate risk. It can also strengthen the selection process through improved screening, due diligence and decision-making. Private equity funds and venture capitalists use syndication to enhance the performance of individual investments by pooling the resources of the syndicate partners. Syndication provides portfolio companies with enhanced support for their development and is therefore expected to have a positive effect on investment performance. This panel will focus on how we can empower the early and post-early stage investment and equity markets by providing a better environment and more powerful tools that will encourage angel investors and private equity funds to co-invest in start-ups, scale-ups and high-growth businesses.

Moderator
Marcel Dridje, President, Sophia Business Angels, France

Abdul Malek Al Jabaar, President, The Middle East Trade Association for Business Angels (MBAN), UAE
Candace Johnson, Emeritus President, The European Trade Association of Business Angels (EBAN), Belgium
Mohammed Sh. Al-Rashidi, Founder One Global Group, Kuwait

Panel 3: 
18 February 2019, Monday
16.30 – Fuji Hall 

Startup Stock Exchanges or Startup Private Markets?

Providing  a regulated marketplace where investors of any level buy public shares of vetted startup companies, while startups raise the capital they need from these global investors, providing access to a regulated and transparent marketplace for all participants,  and creating a trading platform for investors to buy and sell equity stakes in private companies are in the agenda of many stock exchanges today. Up to now, back door listings or reverse listings have been the only ways startups have been able to list on stock exchanges. But today some stock exchanges like Stock Exchange of Thailand hopes to have a role in pushing startups as a base for developing the country in the new digital era by helping to develop the startup ecosystem believing that Stock Exchanges itself had the duty to help develop financial technology, or fintech and create platforms enabling startups to raise capital to develop their products and services and make a real profit. On the other hand, it is a challenging issue to navigate for SECs and financial regulators of many countries. As this new exchange model, stock exchanges needs to strike a balance between the new bourse’s popularity, that is, the number of startups listed and the quality of startups in it. The general lack of financial stability and relative low liquidity of startups when compared to blue-chip stocks is risk, but It is not difficult to imagine that startups would be required to disclose more information if they want to get listed. The more they disclose, the better the investor protection is. Some stock exchanges launched their alternative programs as Startup Private Markets – with no need to get another authorisation from regulators because they basically act as the owner of a secure environment for investors and startups -  to adress the needs of startup ecosysyem, like the Elite Program of the London Stock Exchange or Private Market of Istanbul Stock Exchange or Funderbeam where growth companies are funded and traded across borders. and a startup marketplace powered by blockchain This panel will focus on the future trends of startup markets for the stock exchanges in the world, pros and cons of startup markets for world economies and stock exchanges and provide a better understanding for the audience if the trend is on its way to see more startup stock exchanges or startup private markets in the world.

17:30 - 18:30

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Where

Istanbul

14:30 - 15:00

The biggest expectation of start-ups from their angel investors is to accelerate the exit process. But exits are the least understood aspect of investing and entrepreneurship. Very little has been written about exits; the emphasis is usually on starting, financing and growing technology companies. Most of the debates on exit strategies are directed towards business owners who want to retire. More recently, there have been a number of discussions and training sessions on exit transactions for venture capitalists. This is not surprising, considering that most venture capital (VC) agreements give the VCs full control to decide when and how all shareholders will benefit from an exit transaction. Exit opportunities have changed dramatically in the past few years, however. Today, it's more likely that a company will be sold without ever having an investment from a venture capitalist. Exits are also happening much earlier than before. Most exit transactions today are in the under $30-million valuation range. These exits are often completed only two or three years after start-up. The goal of this session is to discuss the importance of global networking for achieving more successful, more frequent and more profitable exits. How can CEOs develop a global network that will accelerate the exits of the businesses they invest in? If a CEO has no global network, is it a better strategy to invest as an angel group member, instead of investing individually?

CEO-PRENEURSHIP SUMMIT

Where

Istanbul

Panel 1:
18 February 2019, Monday
15.00 – Fuji Hall 2

Today’s CEOs as Tomorrow’s Qualified Angel Investors: Fostering Economic Development by Involving CEOs in Early-Stage and Post-Early Stage Equity Markets 

On their retirement, corporate CEOs will have more time to mentor start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses, and SMEs. They come with a good financial package and a vast network that they have built over the years. The only thing they may lack is know-how: they need to learn about the principles of investing in start-ups and about founding a company from scratch. Now is the time for the CEOs to take a smart step — to contemplate their potential as future angel investors. This panel will focus on ways to support the transitioning of today’s CEOs to qualified angel investors.

Moderator
Asma Bashir, Chairwoman, Centuro Global, UK

Paul Doany, Chief Executive Officer, Turk Telekom, Turkey
Peter Cowley, President, The European Trade Association of Business Angels (EBAN), Belgium
Ugur Talayhan, Chief Executive Officer, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, Turkey

Panel 2: 
18 February 2019, Monday
15.30 – Fuji Hall 2

Leveraging Corporate Innovation by Engaging with External Ecosystems: Entrepreneurs, Start-Ups, Scale-Ups, High-Growth Businesses, Crowdfunders and Angel Investors 

As the market environment changes, corporates have to adapt to new market dynamics to stay ahead of shifts in the market. Opening themselves to external ecosystems can add value to corporate innovation activities. This panel will focus on the question of how corporates can connect with external ecosystems to collaborate with early-stage and post-early stage entrepreneurship markets and to accelerate the innovation process within the corporate.

Moderator
Fadi Saab, Chairman, Trans Capital Finance, Lebanon

Arton Celina, Chief Executive Officer, BPB Bank, Kosovo
Patrick Kedziora , Founder & CEO, KedzohDental, USA
Rui Falcao, Co-founder and Angel Investor at REDAngels, Portugal

Panel 3: 
18 February 2019, Monday
16.00 – Fuji Hall 2

Entrepreneur-In-Residence Programmes to Cultivate Intrapreneurship: An Option for Accelerating Corporate Innovation from Within 

While corporate cooperation with innovative start-ups focuses on making use of the external entrepreneurial potential of new market players, the introduction of an ‘intrapreneurship’ initiative can also foster innovation potential. Some corporates have developed a different kind of intrapreneurship program known as ‘entrepreneurs-in-residence’ (EIR). Based on the concept of venture capital (VC) companies, EIRs develop their own business models – financially backed by a VC or with the support of companies within the VC portfolio. Corporates enable EIRs to develop and/or launch business models within the corporate venture portfolio. This panel will focus on ways to manage both initiatives efficiently and to cooperate with external start-ups for their mutual benefit. 

Moderator
Nikhil Agarwal, Senior Advisor, Federation for Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI),  India

Julius Akinyemi, Resident Entrepreneur at MIT Media Lab, USA
Robert Lugowski, Managing Partner at CobinAngels, Poland
Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh

Panel 4: 
18 February 2019, Monday
16.30 – Fuji Hall 2

Corporate Innovation Accelerators: A Win-Win Opportunity for Start-Ups and Corporate Ventures 

Corporates establish corporate innovation accelerators to support various internal innovation management activities, to implement new business models, and make good use of the entrepreneurial potential of start-ups. The fundamental aim of such an initiative is to provide an interface with the external ecosystem and to cooperate with new market players. In this model, start-ups have access to established corporate infrastructure and are able to have their solutions challenge by experts in the corporate. In this panel, the discussants will share their experiences with their own corporate innovation centres and offer tips on best practices.

Moderator
Faruk Inaltekin, Chief Executive Officer, Bilkent Cyberpark, Turkey

Etienne Kouadio Doh, General Manager, Francophone West Africa, MainOne, Cote d'Ivoire
Hasan Khakbaz, Vice-President of Isfahan Science and Technology Town (ISTT), Iran
Mohamed Fetah Krichene, General Manager, Sfax Technopark, Tunisia

17:30 - 18:30

OECD statistics reveal that only 1.2% of start-ups are able to reach angel finance, and one in every ten scale-ups who has reached angel finance is able to create a success story. So, what could be take-home message from CEOs who are planning to make angel investment? Is it a better idea to focus only on start-ups with an opportunity of putting in less money with a lower success rate or is it a better idea to focus on scale-ups by putting a little bit more money with a higher potential success rate? Putting less with more risk or putting more with less risk? This session will also discuss how CEOs can mitigate risk in their first angel investments.

CEO-PRENEURSHIP SUMMIT

Where

Istanbul

Panel 1:
19 February 2019, Tuesday
09:30 – Fuji Hall 2

Key Concepts for Start-ups: Understanding the Investment Strategies of Angel Investors, Angel Investor Groups, VCs, Private Equity Funds and Co-Investment Funds  

This panel will focus on how we can increase open learning space opportunities for entrepreneurs to expand their understanding of the investment strategies of angel investors, the fund-raising strategies of successful entrepreneurs, term-sheet negotiation techniques, company valuations, due diligence checklists used by global investors, and ways to access co-investment funds.

Moderator
Eythor Ivar Jonsson, Managing Director, Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Iceland

Charles Sidman, Founding Member, American Angel Capital Association (ACA), USA
Marek Rusiecki, President of the Management Board of Xevin Investments, Poland
Ramin Komeilian, Founder of Ava Angel Investors Network, Iran

Panel Discussion 2: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
10.30 – Fuji Hall 2

Panel Discussion
The importance of a well-functioning early-stage ecosystem for creating more liquidity for entrepreneurs — from seed funding to IPO

With new trends in global capital markets such as corporate venturing, angel investment, crowdfunding, private equity, and sovereign wealth to empower economies, some countries are struggling to take on of some of these investment methods – crowdfunding, for example – despite proven positive economic impact and the need for such financial instruments. This panel will discuss how innovative policies can be developed and what the role of public–private partnerships might be in this process. The panel will attempt to put forth a concrete approach to changing the mindset of individuals who are in decision-making positions, both in public and private institutions. Any policy that supports entrepreneurs and SMEs directly, or that supports the supporters of entrepreneurs and SMEs, is useful, including converting public money to smart money by involving more angel investors and corporate ventures. A critical game-changer question will be addressed: How can we create an entrepreneurial ecosystem by bringing all stakeholders around the same table to create more liquidity, ease access to finance and accelerate early exits?

Moderator
Michael Gold, Chief Executive Officer, Crimson Capital, USA

Emre Yilmaz, CTO Techdesign, Turkey
Ian Sosso, Founder & Managing Partner, Monte Carlo Capital, Monte Carlo
Yousef M. Hamidaddin, Innovation & Change Advocate - Early Stage Fund Management, Jordan

Nasdaq Talk: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
11.30 – Fuji Hall 2

ANATOMY OF AN SME IPO – Nasdaq talk 

Traditionally, an IPO has not been top of mind when young companies were looking to raise capital, expand and grow. This has changed. Today, most exchanges offer a junior market option where simpler rules and regulation make it possible for SMEs and startups to begin life as listed companies. In Europe, Nasdaq operates its Nasdaq First North market where more than 500 young companies have started their journey, raised capital and grown since First North launched in 2005.

 Our 15 minutes session will show you what to look for and how to execute, and will address some of the following topics:

• How to successfully plan and structure a public offering?
• When is the right time to list? 
• What are the key considerations companies should take before listing?
  
  Carsten Borring, Associate Vice President Listings EMEA

Panel 4: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
14.30 – Fuji Hall 2

Enhancing Innovative Cultures Through Entrepreneurship: Innovation Education for Non-Business Students and Founders of Start-Ups, Scale-Ups and High-Growth Businesses 

The past decades have seen a rapid increase in the offerings of entrepreneurship education worldwide. There is an explicit political agenda—both nationally and internationally— to promote entrepreneurship education at all levels of school systems. Policymakers expect entrepreneurial skills to be the key to developing an innovative culture, which in turn will result in higher competitiveness and economic growth. Educational systems and teaching methods must therefore move from traditional educational models to creative, interactive and student-centred ones that will prepare students to meet the challenges of the future. This panel will offer a unique opportunity for researchers, educators and politicians to share their experiences with the major challenges and advances in enterprise education, with a special focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Moderator
Adnan Akdemir, President, WBAF Academy

Prof. Leonid Nakov, PhD, Director, Center for Economic Researches, Faculty of Economics - Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia 

Prof Panayiotis H. Ketikidis, The University of Sheffield International Faculty CITY College and Chairperson of SEERC, Greece

Sabur Khan, Chairman, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh

Panel Discussion 4
Unicorn or mini-corn? Overcoming the challenges of creating a unicorn business by focusing on creating a mini-corn

Twenty-five members of the 2016 FORBES Billionaires List made their fortunes via unicorns – start-up companies valued at $1 billion dollars or more. Eighteen of these billionaires are under age 40, and the average age of the group is just 36 years old. That is about half the average age of all of the world’s 1,810 billionaires. This small group of billionaires is one measure of just how successful tech start-ups have been at raising funding from venture capitalists over the past few years. Nearly half of these 25 billionaires are newcomers to the list this year, and 40% saw their fortunes increase in 2015 because of new funding rounds. More than half of the returning billionaires were newcomers on the 2015 Billionaires List.

But the number of unicorns in the world is not more than 200, so is it a good idea to put ‘creating a unicorn’ as an indicator of the success of a country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem? Or is it a better idea to focus on mini-corns? This session will discuss the challenges to and opportunities for building a billion-dollar tech business from start-up to scale-up to unicorn and how to compensate for challenges by introducing a different criterion for success.

Moderator
Peter E. Braun ,EBAN Board Member, Switzerland

Julius Akinyemi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UWINCorp, USA
Miguel Martin, Founder and Co-investor at Immerxing Hub, Spain
Sergio Vela, Director of Financing and Investor Relations, ICEX-Invest in Spain

Panel 5: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
16.30 – Fuji Hall 2

Increasing the Financial Inclusion of Migrants Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

Migrants and hosting countries alike will benefit from increased financial inclusion of migrants. Migrants are keen risk-takers with a unique mindset who are able to empower economies in the pursuit of their dreams. As a natural outcome of increasing their financial inclusion, they will be more engaged with local economies, which in turn will mean more jobs, more social justice and increased revenue for governments. Migrants from Turkey in Germany are a good example. Migration to Germany started in the 1970s, and in the late 1990s, 50,000 Turkish migrant entrepreneurs had created 185,000 new jobs in Germany. The total amount of revenue generated by Turkish entrepreneurs in Germany is around 10 billion EUR. This panel discussion will focus on the question of how world economies can turn the ambitions of entrepreneurial migrants into a win-win scenario.

Moderator
Prof Enriko Ceko, Dean of Economic & Social Sciences Faculty at University College Wisdom, Albania

Dr Hashim S. Hussein, Head, The United Nations Industrial Development Organization - ITPO, UNIDO
Ismail Haznedar, Founder & Chairman, AIN Angel Investing Network (JAIN Global)
Vitaly Polekhin, President, Russian Business Angels Association, Russia

EIF Masterclass:
How to structure a co-investment fund to attract finance from the EIF European Investment Fund

empowered by case study

by Cyril Gouiffès, Impact Investment Manager @ European Investment Fund, Luxembourg

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) estimates a market of US$114 billion in impact investing assets, US$22.1 billion of which was committed in 2016. The expected growth in commitment in 2017 is 25.9%. The supply of impact capital is expected to rise, but so far, impact investment’s share in global financial markets is estimated to be only around 0.2% of global wealth. If this share rises to 2%, it could mean over US$2 trillion invested in impact-driven assets. Some 1,500 asset managers, with combined assets of over US$62 trillion, have signed on for the six United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, while the larger definition of sustainable investment encompasses an estimated total of US$21.4 trillion.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is going to deliver a special masterclass on how investors can develop co-investment funds to attract European Investment Fund (EIF) finance. The masterclass will be given by Cyril Gouiffès, Impact Investment Manager at the European Investment Fund in Luxembourg. It will include a real case study from Croatia. At the end of the masterclass, Renata Brkic and her team will share their experience raising EIF finance for their social impact fund. Brkic raised €15 million for the social impact fund she and her team are launching in 2019. Brkic leads the Global Impact Investors Committee of the World Business Angels Investment Forum and chairs the Impact Investment Summit at the World Congress of Angel Investors.

EIF-managed financial products for social impact investing will be presented, specifically, (i) the Social Impact Accelerator (SIA) and (ii) EFSI social impact instruments:

(i) SIA is a vintage 2013 social impact fund-of-funds of EUR 243m with 11 investments in its portfolio to date.

(ii) EFSI social impact instruments are part of the European Union growth plan to foster social innovation in the EU by financially supporting social SMEs through accelerators and incubators, social impact bond schemes and co-investments with business angels.

Profile
Cyril Gouiffès has been an investment manager within the venture capital team of EIF for the last five years. He is responsible for the management of EIF social impact instruments portfolio at EIF: Social impact funds investments Social Impact Bonds, co-investment with Impact Business Angels and Investments in impact incubators. His entire career within EIF has been dedicated to impact related activities, starting with microfinance in 2008. In this context, he was responsible for the implementation of the JASMINE programme, an EU initiative aimed at boosting the institutional capacity of microfinance institutions in Europe. Prior to joining EIF, Cyril gained unique field experience working with microfinance institutions in the Middle East. Cyril is an occasionnal lecturer on impact investing at EM Lyon and studied at Toulouse Institut d’Études Politiques where he received a Masters in Development Economics with a focus on poverty alleviation and local development.

BIC Masterclass:
New Methodologies to Pick Winners When Angel Investing in Blockchain Powered Projects

empowered by case study

by Brad Bulent Yasar, Founder of the World Blockchain Consortium, USA

This masterclass is designed to share best practices in early-stage investing in startups in the blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Masterclass will cover best practices on conducting due diligence on the business model, legal issues, founders, technology and growth strategies of blockchain projects to reduce investment risks. The masterclass will allow participants to become more confident with doing an initial assessment of blockchain projects and better understand the red flags to watch for.

Panel 1:
19 February 2019, Tuesday
09.30 – Geneve Hall

Mobilizing Private and Public Capital in Innovative Ways for the Social Good 

Now is the time to focus on developing new ways to finance social investments. The World Business Angels Investment Forum brings together angel investors, corporate venture executives, fund managers, stock exchange executives and public institutions at WBAF 2019 to discuss the increasing need for innovative and effective approaches to solving social and environmental issues. This panel will focus on new ways of cooperation between governments, NGOs, corporates, and private investors that combine the forces of entrepreneurship, innovation, and capital to improve peoples’ lives. Such cooperation leads to increased awareness and can expand the investor base, which in turn fosters more inclusion and more sustainable societies as they develop action plans for impact investment. 

Moderator
Ozlem Dalga, Corporate Communications Consultant, Turkey

Cyril Gouiffès, Investment Manager, European Investment Fund (EIF), Luxembourg
Dražen Mršić, Member of the Board of Directors, WBAF Croatia
Sanem Oktar, President, KAGIDER - Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey

Panel 2: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
10.30 – Geneve Hall 

Empowering Women Financially: The Why and the How 

Women are the future of the world’s economies. They control more than $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, a figure that is expected to rise to $28 trillion by the end of 2019. By 2019, women will control 75% of discretionary spending worldwide. The proportion of working women carrying the primary financial responsibility in their families rose from 23% in 1996 to 33% in 2013. Consequently, there has never been a more opportune time for women to get serious about understanding their finances and for the industry to start serving them better. This panel will focus on ways to empower women financially.

Moderator
Tuba Terekli, International Executive Consultant and Angel Investor, Saudi Arabia

Gordana Nikolić, Founder of Par University  College and Business Academy Rijeka, Croatia
Leyla Alaton, President  of Alvimedica, Board Member at Alarko Holding, Turkey
Tijen Mergen, Founder and President, Power of Happiness Platform, Turkey

Panel 3: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
11.30 – Geneve Hall 

How Can We Help Women Take Action Through Innovation?

Financial literacy is important, but it is only one part of a much larger picture. Effectively empowering women and helping them take action will have a direct impact on their financial independence and a positive influence on their lives. We first need to consider the gap in financial advice and recognise that innovation is imperative for bridging this gap. This panel will focus on the question of how financial institutions can meet the demands of women in such a way that solutions will be cheap, relevant, and accessible. 

Moderator
Ghada Teima, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank Group, USA

Maria Hala, Founding Partner, MH Partners, Greece
Rina Neoh, Co-founder, Ficus Venture Capital, Malaysia
Zehra Taskesenlioglu, Parliament Member, Republic of Turkey

Panel 4: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
14.30 – Geneve Hall 

Developing a Collaboration Model for Impact Investors and Fintech Start-Ups to Create More Social Good for the Unbanked 

Financial technologies can address a wide array of socio-economic problems, including gender inequality to slavery. The roots of such problems in developing countries lie in poverty and low education levels. The best way to lower cultural barriers and resist traditionalism seems to be globalization, which brings with it access to education, healthcare and financial inclusion. Globalization, however, sometimes has unintended consequences. In developing regions, globalization has created an ecosystem where citizens are often forced to work in harsh and unhealthy work environments for very low wages. Fortunately, the tide is gradually turning, with the rise of the notion of ‘impact investment’ and with the general trend of commercial enterprises that work not only to turn a profit, but to do so in a humane manner. ‘Fintech for social good’ denotes the use of emerging fintech solutions that will enable greater access to basic human amenities for their populations. This panel will focus on ways impact investors can collaborate with fintech start-ups and scale-ups for the social good and how they can develop solutions for the unbanked segment of the world’s economy – around 2 billion people. 

Moderator
Tal Garih, Strategic Planning Manager, Alarko Holding, Turkey

Barbara Lang, Managing Partner, InnoExc, Switzerland
Renata Brkic, Founder, Feelsgood Social Impact Investment Fund, Croatia
Tahir Mahmood, Head of Business Development, Nasdaq Dubai, UAE

Panel 5: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
15.30 – Geneve Hall 

Responsible finance and impact Investment: The future of smart finance for social entrepreneurs

There is an increasing trend in capital markets to use responsible finance to search for – and fund – solutions to many of the pressing social or environmental issues of our time. Corporate ventures also intend to invest up to 10 percent of their private equity investments with private equity fund managers whose investment strategies they expect to generate positive social and environmental outcomes, and who are willing to report on non-financial impact metrics. This trend is important for shaping the future of smart finance in capital markets. This session will be essentially a think-tank session for the future of responsible smart finance in impact investments.

Moderator
Pierre, Matek, Member of the Board of Directors, WBAF Croatia

Deniz Misir, Family Officer - Financial Wellbeing Consultant, V22 Int. Adv. J. S. Co., Turkey
Ozlem Denizmen, Founding President of FODER, Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association of Turkey
Mulemwa Moongwa, Social Impact Investor, Zambia

Panel 6: 
19 February 2019, Tuesday
16.30 – Geneve Hall 

Women leading the way in impact investing

More high net worth women have engaged in impact investing, inspired others, influenced advisors, and served as champions of change to accelerate the development of an inclusive and vibrant impact investing ecosystem. As a result, there is in an expansion of sustainable capital to address the most pressing social and environmental issues worldwide. This session will discuss how global capital markets can include more women in the impact investing ecosystem and what the benefits from the network of women investors are. Panellists will discuss the growing influence of women (those who earn as well as those who inherit) over the world’s wealth as investors as well as influencers in the financial, philanthropic and corporate sectors.

Moderator
Renata Brkic, Founder, Feelsgood Social Impact Investment Fund, Croatia

Hauwa Yabani, Chief Executive Officer of Abuja Technology Village FZ, Nigeria
Dr Sabetha Mwambenja, Country Director, World Business Angels Investment Forum Tanzania
Sebahat Isik, Managing Director and Partner of YSM Consultancy, Bahrain

14:30 - 15:00

Welcome Speeches – Key Note Speeches

FINTECH SUMMIT

Where

Istanbul

Panel 1: Fintech Summit Main Panel
18 February 2019, Monday
15.30 – Geneve Hall

Increasing the Role of Fintechs for Financial Inclusion: Creating an Innovation Ecosystem to Explore Innovations in Financial Technology for Democratizing Access to Finance Worldwide 

Financial inclusion and its role in economic development was highlighted at the G20 meetings in 2017 and again in 2018. Small and medium-sized enterprises have been shown to account for the creation of significant numbers of new jobs, but an estimated 2 billion people around the world lack access to an account for even the most basic financial transactions, such as making deposits and receiving payments. The world clearly needs an innovative way to democratize finance, and we maintain that fintech can help expand access to finance and equalise opportunities. This panel will focus on ways to create an innovation ecosystem that will democratize access to finance globally.

Moderator
Matthew Gamser, Chief Executive Officer, SME Finance Forum - IFC, USA

Mohamed Fetah Krichene, General Manager, Sfax Technopark, Tunisia
Serkan Fergan, Digital Banking Group Director, TEB BNP Paribas, Turkey
Thomas Dübendorfer, President at Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC), Switzerland

Panel 2: 
18 February 2019, Monday
15.30 – Geneve Hall

Scaling-Up: The Challenge of Fintech Start-Ups 

Fintech companies founded in the last decade offer new products and innovative ideas that may lead to their eventually replacing banks. On paper, they seem better, faster, and more efficient. However, scaling up their initial success remains a significant challenge. Globally, there are over 2,000 fintech start-ups, but only a few have managed to expand their business. They struggle to achieve the so-called tipping point. This panel will focus on the question of how companies can gain market share thanks to fintechs and will address the issue of whether there is a formula that will help overcome the scale-up challenges fintech start-ups face. 

Moderator
Ken Kengatharan, PhD MBA, Managing Partner, Atheneos Venture, USA

Ioana Frincu, Chief Operating Officer at Beyond Enterprizes, Chief Operating Officer at Under Development Office, Romania
Jason Fishman, SVP Digital Strategy at Digital Niche Agency, Advisor Beyond Enterprizes, USA
Muhammed Emin Ozer, General Manager of Albaraka Asset Management, Turkey

Panel 3: 
18 February 2019, Monday
16:00 – Geneve Hall

Finding the Best Model for Fintech–Startup Collaboration: Matching the Strategic Vision and Business Goals of Wealth Management Firms and Banks 

In a recent global fintech survey by PwC, the asset and wealth management industry was ranked as the third most likely industry to experience the disruptive impact of start-ups. Futhermore, over half (60%) of asset and wealth managers surveyed believed that at least part of their business is at risk to fintech startups. Clearly, traditional industry players need to explore start-up collaboration as a way to stay relevant, transform offerings, and continuously connect with clients. The collaboration models currently available include the detached model, the overlapping model, and the embedded model. The key to success in fintech collaboration lies in selecting the right model and taking into account critical cultural sensitivities. This panel will focus on ways to select the best fintech–startup collaboration model that fits the strategic vision and business goals of the wealth management firms and banks.

Moderator
Murat Duran, Founder & President, FintechPark Angel Network, Turkey

Hugo Mendes, Group CFO, Macauto Industrial Co, Taiwan
Michael O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer, CorkBIC, Ireland
Petr Šrámek , AI Startup Incubator founder; Czechia

Panel 4: 
18 February 2019, Monday
16.30 – Geneve Hall

Cashless Economies: Global Perspectives and Future Trends 

Digital payments are dominated by debit or credit cards in many European countries, but in other countries (China, for example), consumers have jumped directly from cash to mobile. More than 70% of Chinese internet users say carrying cash is no longer necessary—payments are made via Alipay or WeChat. Few non-Chinese realise how fast and advanced the development actually is in China’s new payment methods and mobile financial services. By contrast, numerous countries are waiting for their ‘uber moment’ to unlock the potential of fintech and wealthtech for a cashless economy. For example, in Turkey, with the world’s 18th largest economy, there are only a few fintech firms. A recent mobile banking survey shows that 34% of individuals in Europe would readily go cashless if given a choice. This panel will focus on how the innovation ecosystem in local economies can come together to create a favourable environment for accelerating the adoption of mobile banking and digital payments and thus make the transition to a cashless economy. The discussants will share their views on the future of cashless economies and best practices from their respective countries.

Moderator
Nikhil Agarwal, Senior Advisor, Federation for Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI),  India

Arton Celina, Chief Executive Officer, BPB Bank, Kosovo
Barbara Lang, Managing Partner, InnoExc, Switzerland
Vitaly Polekhin, President, Russian Business Angels Association, Russia

WBAF Workshop 1
Making big returns investing in small businesses: An entrepreneurial approach to investing

by Callum Laing, partner in Unity Group Private Equity

Investors complain there are not enough good deals. Entrepreneurs complain that there is not enough money. The current investment structures are keeping the two parties apart.

50% of the Worlds GDP comes from small to medium enterprises, yet most of it is off limits to sophisticated investors. Learn how adopting an entrepreneurial approach with a fixation on liquidity can allow all investors to make big returns investing in small business.

Profile

Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor. He is partner in Unity Group Private Equity, Co-Founder and Chairman of MBH Corporation PLC, and is the originator of ‘Accelerated Venture Capital’ (AVC). Author of two best-selling business books, publisher of more than 700 interviews with entrepreneurs and investors, he is also the WBAF High Commissioner for Singapore.

WBAF Workshop 2:
Combining the best of angel investing and venture capital

by Ian Sosso, Founder of Monte Carlo Capital, EBAN Board Member

According to the latest EBAN figures, the average investment for an angel investor in a single business in 2017 was EUR 25,000, and EUR 182,000 for an angel network. At the same time, venture capital investment starts with significantly larger numbers. Businesses looking to raise $500K to $2M often struggle. It’s the valley of death.

Ian explains how, by leading investment rounds from $500K to $2M, and increasingly leading follow-ons, whilst bringing a global ecosystem of advisors and relationships usually available only at large VCs, an angel investor can combine the best of what angel investors and venture capital can offer.

Profile

Ian Sosso is the founder of Monte Carlo Capital, a group of business angels, UHNWI and family offices investing globally in early-stage deep tech and highly disruptive businesses. He currently lectures on venture capital and entrepreneurial finance to MBA and finance MSc students at the International University of Monaco. He joined the European Business Angels Network (EBAN) in 2016 and in 2017 won the best performing new member award. Ian was elected to the board of EBAN in June 2018. He is also a board member of the Monaco Venture Capital Association. Ian is a Monégasque and holds a MSc in Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE).

WBAF Workshop 3:
Growth and excellence from startup to scaleup to exit: How to maximise your people investments on your entrepreneurial journey

by Wayne Clarke, Founding Partner, The Global Growth Institute, UK

There’s a lot of information (and misinformation) about world-class people engagement, from governments to tech start-ups, leaders talk about the operational and strategic advantages for companies who seek to better engage their people. The benefits, from improvements in productivity to quality to safety to profitability are clear. How to achieve these benefits is also clear. However, we know that many organisations struggle to realise and sustain these benefits.

We know that the quality of management and leadership is the key ‘input’ to achieve these ‘outputs’, as is a sustained and rigorous focus on positively impacting the ‘experience’ of being at work, day to day, for our people. None of the factors that propel companies to the top of ‘best employer’ lists are rocket science. It’s always the culmination of small practical changes in the way that leaders, managers and everyone interacts with each other, it’s the result of people ‘feeling’ more cared for, valued, listened to etc., and it’s the result of the key functions of the business that enable every team to be at their best.

In this workshop, Wayne will look at three key areas: what startups and scaleups are getting right, what managers are getting right and what we need to get right, as leaders and investors, to realise these important operational and strategic benefits for our organisations.

Profile

Wayne Clarke is a founding partner of the Global Growth Institute based in the UK/Netherlands and from 2007 until 2012 was the international partner of the advisory arm of Best Companies, who produce the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies lists. He began his career at Deloitte and went on to help BDO, the fifth largest accounting network, to achieve a top 20 ranking in the Sunday Times Best Companies lists. He has advised over 600 CEOs/boards and thousands of managers in over 30 countries from Fortune 500 companies to startups on how to drive growth through better people engagement. Wayne was recognised again in 2018 by HR Magazine as one of the ‘Most Influential Thinkers in HR’ globally. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Cass Business School in London.

WBAF Workshop 4:
How to steal like Steve Jobs - Learn to create the next unicorn - Learn how to think like a great artist, inventor, creator and innovator.

by Patrick Kedziora, WBAF High Commissioner - France

This workshop will show you how the great artists, scientists, musicians, movie makers, innovators and business creators all have one thing in common – THEY STEAL! You’ll learn how others create, how to develop your own creative mindset, how to learn from others and how to create like the best. You’ll learn the tools you need to start thinking like Picasso and Steve Jobs. Creating and innovating isn’t just for geniuses – it’s something that can be learned. And, once you’ve learned how to ‘Steal like Steve Jobs’, you’ll be on your way to creating something spectacular. Even if you don’t create the next unicorn, you’ll learn how to come up with winning products, services and designs that give you a competitive edge.

Whether you’re an investor, a corporate innovator or an entrepreneur, this master-class will teach you something that you can use every day.

Profile

Patrick Kedziora works closely with early-stage companies and has been a founder of five technology companies in the past fifteen years. He is currently focused on growing his most recent venture – Kedzoh.com, a mobile learning platform for the enterprise, which has won three major international innovation awards: Startup Chile, Startup Brazil and French Tech Ticket. His experience encompasses both banking and industry. He headed a number of corporate finance groups in New York City, and his experience encompasses both commercial and investment banking. Additionally, he was the Managing Director for a $250 million investment fund. He has also been the Chief Financial Officer of both private companies and a public company, head of business development, and an arranger and financier of management-led buyouts. He has held senior positions at Solomon Equities, Société Générale, and Barington Capital Group and counts Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and T. Boone Pickens amongst his previous clients. He has an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University (NYU) and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Economics and Political Science from NYU. He is proficient in Spanish and has native fluency in English and French. Mr Kedziora is a mentor to entrepreneurs and is actively involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the U.S. and France. He is passionate about sharing his experiences. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels in both the U.S. and France and has been a judge in numerous start-up competitions.

WBAF Workshop 5:
7 steps to scale your start-up. How to invest early and add value to smart teams to get great returns

by Michael O'Connor, CEO CorkBIC, Ireland, EBAN Board Member and founder of the International Security Accelerator & Fund

An interactive session for (1) Start-ups through Series A/B, (2) angel investors to evaluate and select scalability and (3) corporate partners seeking to work with and support great scale-ups

Great teams are built with a shared vision and an ability to execute it. Testing the team is the primary go/no-go decision for any investor or partner. How to do this will be explored in the workshop. There is a close linkage between the mindsets of great sporting teams and great start-up and scaling teams. Scaling is little understood and is often mixed up with the start-up process. Team selection by psychological methods and a focus on key step(s) are critical for scaling. This forces team restructuring, role definition and sometimes early failure to create pivots. Customer and channel commitment via partnerships and leveraging data will be explored alongside RoT (return on time) and lifetime gross margin by customer, channel, product and R&D phases. Investors can, by early application of these techniques, identify great investments via funds, accelerators and business angel syndicates. Corporations can, through partnering and proof of concept or pilot funding, get a first look at new technology or disruptive products or processes.

Profile

Michael O’Connor is CEO of CorkBIC, specialising in high tech businesses involving international growth. He started in marine and arctic exploration in the UK, Spitsbergen, Nigeria and the Caribbean before moving to high-growth manufacturing and sales start-ups with Raychem Corporation in Menlo Park, California. He co-founded Intepro, a venture capital-backed Irish IT start-up. He led the Europe and U.S. market entry, building a team based out of Boston and San Diego and with several rounds of international venture capital before a successful trade exit. Since returning from the USA, he has advised over 500 start-ups. He graduated from Cambridge University in Engineering and earned an MBA from the London Business School and the Wharton School, USA. He is a chartered Engineer in London. Michael has created and runs a regional HBAN business angel network that has completed 80 deals with 2 syndicates and 150 investors investing over €40m in primarily start-ups. He was awarded as the best performing new EBAN member in 2015. He is the founder of the International Security Accelerator as a private investment fund under AIFMD. Funded by VC, angels and a corporate partner and identifying Scaling and Deep Tech teams in cybersecurity, AI, blockchain and data analytics.

He has been a board member of several private and public companies in the last 30 years, including EBAN. His interests include governance and building effective boards in the hi-tech field of play. He has been an international judge and umpire in the sailing world for major events. Michael and his team at CorkBIC have an enviable track record of selecting and guiding successful start-ups over many years and achieving good exits.

WBAF Workshop 6:
Converting yourself to an angel investor: What should you know to be a qualified angel investor

by Marcel Dridje, President Sophia Business Angels France, EBAN Board Member

For anyone new to angel investing, this is an invaluable workshop that covers the most important topics of investing as an angel and tips on how to avoid the many pitfalls new angel investors often encounter. Marcel Dridje will outline of basic milestones of becoming a qualified angel investor. In this workshop, you will have an idea of what skills you should develop to be a startup-friendly angel investor.

This workshop is for corporate executives that manage innovation and corporate ventures, early-stage capital fund managers, M&A and business development executives, family office investment managers, entrepreneurs who are raising capital or planning exit strategies, successful entrepreneurs interested in becoming an investor or advisor, members of boards of directors, policymakers wishing to encourage the creation of clusters of innovation in their region, and service providers: attorneys, accountants, and consultants.

Profile

Marcel Dridje is currently the SOPHIA BUSINESS ANGELS President (Nice, France), an EBAN Board Member, and Mentor at The Camp (Aix en Provence, France ). A seasoned European sales senior executive, Marcel has substantial field experience helping IT and telecom startups in the U.S. and EMEA. Marcel has a broad range of experience in all aspects of sales, marketing, communication and management with direct experience with Fortune 500 enterprises (IBM, Nortel, Lucent, Cisco, EMC, ALU) and startups (Quantum, Andrew Networks, Pluris, Corvis, Ascend and Airespace). During the course of his career, he has held VP roles, most notably as VP EMEA Corvis (first all-optical router), where he grew the team and business to an outstanding success. Of French-Algerian and British origin, Marcel launched his career after completing a BSc in Electronics and Computer Science from Portsmouth Polytechnic UK and holds an M&A executive program credential from INSEAD. Marcel recently left CISCO after 30 years in IT and telecom sales to start his new venture as a business angel with SBA to help startups with seed money, VC connections and business development. Vaelsys/ IVAS, Microgine, Faveeo, Digitalarti, OnePulse and Cyberflowanalytics (Webroot) are six of his star ventures. A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, Marcel loves new challenges in sharing his 30 years of experience in IT and telecom and high-tech VC firms with new high-tech start-ups ready to expand their sales and marketing success across EMEA, the USA and APAC.