EBAN Congress kicks off at max capacity and welcomes Ukrainian entrepreneurs
17 May, 2022
Michael O'Connor, AxisBIC; Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform; Cathy Bryce, AIB Capital Markets; Terence O'Rourke, Enterprise Ireland and Roger Wallace, EY
- 350 business angels, entrepreneur, VCs and business leaders are attending the two-day EBAN Cork Annual Congress at Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh
- Event kicks off this morning with speeches from Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence; and Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform
- Taoiseach Micheál Martin will deliver a virtual address at a gala dinner awards ceremony tonight
- A number of Ukrainian entrepreneurs will attend the event to speak about their businesses, and the value in investing in Ukrainian start-ups
- EBAN Congress is the second-largest angel congress in the world
Cork, Wednesday 18th May 2022 – AxisBIC today announces that the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) two-day Congress kicks off at max capacity today at Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh, with opening speeches from Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence; and Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will deliver a virtual address at the EBAN Cork Gala Awards Dinner tonight.
Some 350 business angels, entrepreneurs and business leaders are attending the two-day event, which is the second-largest angel congress in the world. Among the attendees are Ukrainian entrepreneurs, who will demonstrate the value in investing in Ukraine’s start-ups, while also speaking about the challenges that the country’s entrepreneurs currently face.
- Oleh Derevianko, co-founder and chairman of Cork-based GuardYoo, received special permission from the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ukrainian Department of Defence to travel from Kyiv to Cork for the Congress. In 2018, Oleh participated in the AxisBIC International Security Accelerator. The cybersecurity company is an Enterprise Ireland client, with some of its technology team currently locked down in Ukraine.
- Inna Ushakova is the co-founder and CEO of Scalarr, which develops AI-based cybersecurity solutions for mobile and edge. Based in the US, she is currently a fundraiser for the aid organisation Help Kharkiv, consisting of a team of business leaders using their business expertise to efficiently allocate financial and humanitarian aid across key volunteer groups on the ground.
- Cork-based Alex Chernenko, CEO and founder of translation service provider, Translit, will take part in a live pitching event on the Main Stage. His company is currently providing free translation services to Ukrainian refugees coming to Ireland. Alex participated in the AxisBIC Entrepreneur Experience
Attendees will also include elite business angels and VCs from across Europe and the US, who are coming to Cork to learn from world-renowned speakers including Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General, UN Women; Terence O’Rourke, Chairman, Enterprise Ireland; and Cornelius Schmaltz, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s European Innovation Council Accelerator. Speakers will provide insights on major angel investing trends and topics including impact investing and how to become angels of change; environmental, social and governance (ESG) funding routes; the power of accelerators for raising global finance; building for exits; and building a more diverse community.
The event will feature panel discussions, roundtables and workshops that will promote business angel investing and enable attendees to share their knowledge and unique experiences. In addition, pitching events today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) will see 30 high-potential start-ups from across the EU pitch for investments of €50K to €5M. Meanwhile, this evening (Wednesday), the EBAN Cork Gala Awards Dinner will recognise the people, start-ups and European angel networks making an impact on Europe’s early-stage investment market.
The event will be a major networking opportunity for attendees and is the first time Europe’s business angels have met in-person in more than two years. This will help EBAN to grow business angel investment across Europe from €8BN to €10BN by 2025.
Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, said: “Success comes from working together and for AxisBIC and EBAN to do that on an international scale is hugely valuable for Europe’s economies and those working in them. Attendees will be able to connect, network and share ideas with some of Europe’s most successful investors. In doing so, this Congress will create greater opportunities for the international community to work together and back the ideas that will shape our future.”
Michael O’Connor, CEO, AxisBIC, said: “This event demonstrates the value of the investment community to start-ups in Ireland and across Europe. Particularly in times of uncertainty, it is important that we buoy the start-up community to come up with solutions that make a real-world difference.
“We are delighted to be at maximum capacity for this important event that reconnects Europe’s investor and start-up communities. Together, we are stronger.”
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