Linking European Investors and Startups

The Business Angel Summit took place for the third time in Kitzbühel and also hosted the first annual general members meeting of the European Super Angels Club (ESAC). More than 100 private investors from more than 9 countries met to exchange ideas, improve business relations and screen startups selected by the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws). Semper Constantia Privatbank, KPMG, PHH Rechtsanwälte, Venionaire Capital, and the European Super Angels Club were proud sponsors of the event.

 

Kitzbühel is the optimal hub for startups, especially to get to know investors from all over Europe and Asia. Nowhere else in Austria is the financial power of early-stage investors so concentrated than at the Business Angel Summit in Kitzbühel, says aws i2 Business Angels Program Manager Bernd Litzka.

 

Dr. Bernd Litzka

 

International partnerships

The Summit offered us the opportunity to announce two new international partnerships, which will significantly strengthen our pan-European network: The leading startup studio NEXT.Amsterdam became our new local partner for the Netherlands and the emerging accelerator and venture fund OXO Labs for Hungary. In return, ESAC and its partners from Venionaire are acting for both companies as local venture partners and experts in the Alpine Region. We are looking forward to working intensely with them and are happy to connect startups, corporates, media and other stakeholders with our friends.

 

from left: Maximilian Schausberger (Elevator Lab, Raiffeisen Bank International), Timan Rebel and Esther Gons (NEXT.Amsterdam), ESAC board members Berthold Baurek-Karlic, Alexander Rapatz, and Martin Steininger.

 

Summit 2016 enabled EUR 750k for Yodel.io

Kitzbühel is an event that goes far beyond simple networking. It’s all about business and investments. At last year’s Summit we met Yodel.io and not even one year later, we were able to announce a financing round for the startups of half a million Euro, following an angel round of EUR 250k by business angels and ESAC members. This was not a one-hit phenomenon – we are already working on the next investments and Kitzbühel was once again a great place to find co-investors.

 

ESAC board members with founders and friends.

 

We are pleased, that we found great partners for this year’s event in Semper Constantia Privatbank, PHH Rechtsanwälte, Raiffeisenbank International (Elevator Lab), KPMG, Venionaire and the European Super Angels Club, says Marcus Hofer, Deputy Managing Director of Standortagentur Tyrol and managing director of CAST, who organized the event together with aws.

 

Marcus Hofer (on the right side) with Berthold Baurek-Karlic

 

Last but not least we congratulate entrepreneur and investor Luigi Amati for taking the presidency of the Business Angel Europe (BAE) network and are very happy he joined us for the third year in a row at this event.

 

Pictures: © Oliver Allmooslechner