Entrepreneurs line up for Angel Investment at the CorkBIC Investor Day
07 July, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
Entrepreneurs line up for Angel Investment
6pm Wednesday 6th July 2011 – AxisBIC and it’s Business Angel Partnership hosted the first Investor Day in Cork on Wednesday 6TH July, in response to the extremely successful Entrepreneur Experience® (see note below) which was held in April. The aim of this event was to combine a morning coaching session with successful seasoned Entrepreneurs, followed by a pitching session to Angel Investors.
Eight pre-screened Emerging Entrepreneurs from start-up or scaling companies presented to a distinguished audience of 26 Angel Investors and got the opportunity to gain intensive critique and feedback focussing on their investor readiness.
The Business Angel Partnership has completed 75 seed capital deals over the last 4 years raising in excess of €28 million of equity seed funding of which €14million was sourced from private equity business angels registered with the BAP.
Key coaches at the event included Pat O’Flynn, CEO Solvotrin, who is an entrepreneur with over fifteen years experience as well as Declan Fox, Magellan Partners who is a serial entrepreneur, technologist, digital marketer and business coach. Jim Breen, AxisBIC Board member and CEO of PulseLearning who was a driver behind the Entrepreneur Experience® chaired the event.
Pictured: Michael O’Connor, AxisBIC; Asier Rufino Business Angels Crecer+, Spain; Helen O’Dowd, Virginia Health Foods; and Jim Breen AxisBIC Board Member and PulseLearning.
Participating companies included Eugene Murphy, Tweekaboo.com whose digital diary platform enables parents to create a record of their children’s early years with their smartphones that is secure, easy to update and share; and Helen O’Dowd, Virginia Health Foods who supplies the retail and catering market with a range of health foods based on milled flaxseed, gluten free bread mixes and protein powders.
“The Entrepreneur Experience was an incredible platform for start-ups like me to get advice and coaching and point me in the right direction; it was Angel Dust for Start-ups! The Investor Day was the perfect follow-on event as we have had time to put that coaching and advice into action and pitch in front of some key Investors like Bill Liao and others,” commented Eugene Murphy, tweekaboo speaking after the event.
“The Investor Day is a unique event in Ireland combining coaching with hardnosed pitching. This was no dress rehearsal and we have received some great feedback from some of the investors” commented Michael O’Connor, CEO, AxisBIC. He went on to say “There is a vibrant private equity market emerging in Ireland and even though we are in a recession, a small group of high net-worth individuals who have an appetite for risk and have cash are looking for investment. As a result the Business Angel Partnership is on course in Ireland to do over 30 deals this year.”
ENDS
NOTE: About the Entrepreneur Experience®
In April 2011 AxisBIC held a hugely successful event for Emerging Entrepreneurs, the Entrepreneur Experience®. This event was an opportunity for Emerging Entrepreneurs to gain exclusive access and coaching from some of Ireland’s most successful Entrepreneurs over 24 hours.
About AxisBIC
AxisBIC is a private-sector led organisation, in its 23rd year, specifically set up to identify and build knowledge intensive companies based on promising technology and capable innovative people. It plays a hands-on role helping entrepreneurs navigate the minefield of start-ups, raise finance, sort out business propositions, arrange agreements with shareholders and investors, and, perhaps most important of all, to find customers.
Every year, AxisBIC identifies, selects and develops 12 - 15 higher potential start-ups or expansions. At any one time, there are 40 or 50 projects in the pipeline. 85% of start-ups engaging in this integrated process survive after five years, far outstripping the international survival average of 50%. Over the past 20+ years AxisBIC has worked with over 250 start-ups, many of whom come back, re-engage and give their time to emerging entrepreneurs.
AxisBIC is part of a network of 200+ BICs throughout Europe, the European Business & Innovation Centre Network (EBN). EBN has implemented a rigorous EC approved certification and quality system enabling the development of a network of excellence.
About the Business Angel Partnership
The Business Angel Partnership (BAP) is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland, InterTrade Ireland and the Irish Business Innovation Centres (BICs). The BAP operates on a regional basis, providing a matching service for private investors (Business Angels) and pre-screened investment opportunities in start-up, early stage and developing businesses. AxisBIC manages the BAP in the Midwest and Southwest region of Ireland.
For Press enquiries, please contact
Fionnuala Wall
Marketing
CORKBIC
Tel: 021 2307014
Email: fwall@corkbic.com