Workshops 2020

It is the position of the WBAF Business School that when investors have had the advantage of training in the best practices of negotiating deals for early-stage investment, they are in a better position to ensure good returns on their investment. With this in mind, the WBAF Business School offers a wide variety of training programmes using a range of input (case studies, panel discussions, and presentations, to name a few), all of which encourage active participation and interaction on the part of those attending.

The WBAF Business School delivers free Masterclasses to the participants of the World Congress – WBAF 2020.

 

World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall, 09.00 – 09.45
Exclusive Workshop:
Entrepreneurial Investing – Connecting sophisticated capital with talented small businesses
 

Exclusive Workshop
Entrepreneurial Investing – Connecting sophisticated capital with talented small businesses

The founder and CEO of the MBH Corporation PLC discusses how investors can profit from a trillion-dollar opportunity and explains how MBH grew its revenue from zero to $150m in 18 months and added nearly $13m of EBIT.

By Callum Laing, Entrepreneur, investor and best-selling author
Small businesses make up 50% of the world's GDP. A single new client can sometimes double or even triple the profits of a small business, and yet there are no products available that allow sophisticated investors to access these returns. Because these are too risky and too illiquid on their own, a new approach allows investors to make a positive impact (job creation) and get above-market returns (PE level and beyond), coupled with all the liquidity of public markets. This new approach marries the flexibility and liquidity of capital markets with the entrepreneurial zeal of successful small-business owners around the world. Imagine being offered stock in a good, well-run, profitable small business the day before it goes public, with a guarantee that your money will go into the business to fuel future growth. Now imagine having that opportunity 10–20 times each year. In a model that can be replicated anywhere in the world, Callum will show how combining several well-known listing strategies in a unique way is allowing small companies to go public without any cost. He will also describe how investors can access a trillion-dollar new asset class. In this workshop, Laing will lay out the fundamentals of the model and present a case study of MBH, which was able to add more than $1m of EBIT every month in its first year of listing.

About Callum Laing
Callum Laing is a successful entrepreneur, investor and director of public companies. Founder and CEO of MBH, he is a partner in a private equity company (Unity Group), ambassador for DealGateway.com, and High Commissioner for the WBAF. He is the author of 3 best-selling business books.



World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall, 10.00 – 10.45
Exclusive Workshop:
Positioning export agencies in global startup value chain to empower local economies
 

Exclusive Workshop
Positioning export agencies in global start-up value chain to empower local economies

An Innovative Approach: Creating a new export revenue for economies through attracting foreign investors for local startups


By Balazs Hendrich,
Chief Executive Officer, Hungarian Export Agency (HEPA)

The objectives export agencies are changing rapidly. The number of mandates covered by export agencies are growing and new trends are emerging in the startup and innovation economy around the world,.To remain competitive, export agencies will need to adapt to an ever-changing environment. They will need to optimise their performance by positioning themselves in the fast-growing startup value chain. This workshop will identify opportunities for export agencies in early and post-early stage equity and capital markets to leverage a country’s export capacity. Hendrich will also explore innovative ways to develop collaboration between export agencies and entities such as private equity funds, wealth management institutions, angel investor groups, corporate ventures and VCs, thus expanding co-investment opportunities. In addition, he will discuss how current trends in the global startup and innovation chain can facilitate world class investments.


About Balazs Hendrich
He is a business strategist, a management consultant and a business developer, but also the head of Hungarian Export Agency (HEPA). He graduated in International Business School with Oxford Brookes University and got his second degree from Corvinus University in Budapest. During his professional career he worked for commercial banks, Hypobank and Erstebank focusing on corporate and asset based financing, leasing. Since 2001 he worked, as an entrepreneur, running his consulting company, Grid Consulting, which mainly has been working for the energy industry in Central and Eastern Europe. From 2014 he worked for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, as a consul general in Istanbul, before he became the director of HEPA. Balazs is a proud father of 4 boys, whom keep him always on the edge.
 

 

World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall,  11.00 – 11.45
Exclusive Workshop:
Anatomy of an SME IPO: Planning and structuring a public offering

Nasdaq Exclusive Workshop
Anatomy of an SME IPO: Planning and structuring a public offering

How to make it possible for SMEs and start-ups to begin life as listed companies
 

By Carsten Borring, Associate Vice President Listings EMEA and Head of Listings & Capital Markets, NASDAQ Copenhagen

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. This exclusive workshop 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?


About Carsten Borring
Carsten Borring is Associate Vice President Listings EMEA and Head of Listings & Capital Markets, NASDAQ Copenhagen. Carsten has gained a broad knowledge of financial transactions in Corporate Finance departments at Gudme Raaschou and Alfred Berg before joining the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.  - Copenhagen Stock Exchange is together with the exchanges in Sweden, Iceland, Finland and the Baltic countries today part of Nasdaq. Mr. Borring were the architect behind the establishment of the Nasdaq First North market in 2005 – today the Nasdaq junior market has more than 350 companies listed in the Nordics. Carsten is a member of the governments Entrepreneur Panel, the Danish national jury of Entrepreneur of the Year by EY and the jury of FSRs CSR/ESG award, and a board member of the independent think tank Center for ESG Research. Carsten was born in 1968 has an educational background as a cand.merc. in Finance & Accounting from CBS, and Essentials of Management Certification Program from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania.



World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall, 14.30 – 15.15
Exclusive Workshop:
A health check for the entrepreneurship ecosystem of your country
 

Exclusive Workshop
A health check for the entrepreneurship ecosystem of your country
Developing an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Canvas to boost the economy: Mapping entrepreneurship, innovation and early-stage equity market ecosystems to foster collaboration for a better return on investment

By Arjan Goudsblom
Programme Director of Co-Creation
University of Amsterdam & Amsterdam Science Park

In this fast-paced, interactive, hands-on workshop, Goudsblom will do a health check on your entrepreneurship ecosystem by posing critical questions: What makes your ecosystem unique? Who are the key stakeholders and what programs do they have in place? What activities are being deployed? What's working and where is there room for improvement? And most importantly: What is the level of collaboration between ecosystem players for a better return on investment for startups? Guided by a structured approach and with plenty of use cases from around the world, you will dive into your own entrepreneurial ecosystem and gain insights into where the opportunities might be.  You will walk away from this workshop with:

•           An assessment of your country / region's growth potential for entrepreneurship

•           A blueprint of key development and opportunity areas

•           Inspiration for activities that will take your ecosystem to the next level of maturity

About Arjan Goudsblom
After being a corporate ‘intrapreneur’ at companies like Holland Casino in the Netherlands and IAG in Sydney, he decided it was time to work with ‘real’ entrepreneurs, so he took on the role of Head of Global Growth and Mentoring at Cicada Innovations. During his tenure, this Sydney-based incubator was voted ‘Best incubator in the world’ by INBIA twice in 5 years.  Back in his home country of the Netherlands, Arjan is now pursuing his ambitious agenda to connect scientific knowledge to business and social challenges on behalf of the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Science Park.

 


World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall, 15.30 – 16.15
Exclusive Workshop:
Increasing start-up success through innovative capacity building techniques
 

Exclusive Workshop
Increasing start-up success through innovative capacity building techniques

How can start-up business owners increase their chances of success? Is investing in building the capacity of start-up business owners as financially rewarding as investing in start-up businesses?
 

By Moutasem Mismar, Senior Advisor - IFC / World Bank Group

It is no secret that that global startup survival rates are still below expectations; most of the recent research concludes that only a small percentage of global startup businesses are able to create success stories. The reason for this can be understood by taking a look at 3 characteristics of startups that were not able to make it: incompetence, lack of experience, and external influences on the startup business owner. These factors are strongly related to the capacity level of startup business owners. This workshop will therefore shed light on the following capacity-related topics: What startup business owners should avoid if they want to increase their chances of success (Taking biased decisions, over-confidence, illusion of control over events, copying others, etc.) Assessing the capacity building needs of startup business owners (How to measure a startup business owner’s the level of knowledge, skills and abilities and ways to identify gaps) Developing and delivering customised capacity-building programs for startup business owners, based on the gaps identified (What tools, methods and techniques to use and when to use them)

At the end of the presentation, the following question will be open for a 10-minute general discussion: Is investing in building the capacity of startup business owners is as financially rewarding as investing in startup businesses?

About Moutasem Mismar  Over 25 years of experience in banking operations, SME credit and Banking / Microfinance Consultant & Master Trainer at IFC – WORLD BANK Group 



World Business Angels Investment Forum
2020 World Congress, Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
18 February 2020, Tuesday, Luzern Hall, 16.30 – 17.15
Exclusive Workshop:
Managing multibillion-dollar companies with a start-up mindset
 

Exclusive Workshop
Managing multibillion-dollar companies with a start-up mindset

Toys R US investor shares innovative techniques with global CEOs

Based on a case study on How Toys R US IB

By Paulo Andrez, Toys R US Investor IB

Big companies are often agnostic to innovation and change. This type of attitude has killed many great companies that failed to adapt to changing markets—a situation we witness almost daily. Experts and management consultants believe that significant changes in a strong company culture are impossible, largely because making the necessary changes means that management must leave their comfort zone.

By applying a startup mindset and by mitigating risk, says Paulo Andrez, we can indeed bring about a culture change in big companies. He will present examples from real companies he has invested in, with a main focus on Toys R Us Iberia. Toys R Us Iberia has 62 large toy stores in Portugal and Spain, more than 1,200 employees and annual sales in excess of 170 million USD. The turnaround of Toys R Us Iberia involved challenging the existing culture and bringing the company to new levels in terms of IT, logistics, product assortment, services, and customer relationship management.

A clear response to the economic challenges of big companies comes from Paulo Andrez.
The risk mitigation methodology that Paulo Andrez applies to start-ups has also proved to be workable in big companies. In this workshop, he will describe his techniques for making a company a ‘star of the economy’ in a short period of time by creating a new mindset in the management.

About Paulo Andrez
Paulo Andrez is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. In the last two years, he has made 6 successful investment exits. Apart from Toys R US, Paulo has investments in companies in a variety of sectors, including chemicals, biotechnology, real estate, tourism, and IT. Paulo is President Emeritus of the European Business Angels Network.

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