Event overview
The Equity Investment Forum, which will take place in Athens, in December 7th-8th 2015, is
the leading event for all equity financing solutions on venture capital & private equity level,
as well as on stock exchange markets level in Greece. It is co-organised by the Hellenic
Venture Capital Association, Enterprise Greece, New Economy Development Fund (TANEO),
PRAXI Network -coordinator of the Enterprise Europe Network – Hellas, and, for the first
time, the Athens Stock Exchange.
This year’s Forum welcomes Israel as the honored country and appreciates the active
involvement of the Israeli Embassy of Athens. A dedicated delegation of Israeli investors,
policy makers and business people will contribute to the success of the event by promoting
cross country operations and by enriching the Greek community with valuable expertise and
experience. All involved parties aim at establishing a strong, flexible and mutually beneficial
business relationship between our distinguished countries.
The Equity Investment Forum is the successor to the International Venture Capital and
Private Equity Forum that has been organized annually since 1999, with great success. It is a
unique opportunity for more than 500 participants (entrepreneurs, investment
professionals, fund managers, stock exchange executives, investment bankers, admission
consultants, policy makers) to network, exchange views and experiences and explore
investment funding and business deal opportunities. On most occasions the Forum has had
the honor to have the Minister of Economy as its keynote speaker.
On average over 150 pre-arranged meetings take place, among venture capitalists, private
equity investors and entrepreneurs, while also impromptu meetings occur frequently / in
numbers.
During the last Forum organizers received over 100 business plans and distributed them to
17 funds for evaluation, which led to over 150 pre-arranged bilateral business meetings. 88%
of those business plans came from Greece, 4% from Cyprus, 4% from Great Britain, 2% from
the USA. Most of the business plans were seeking expansion capital, a fact which underlines
the shortage of liquidity even among established companies. Attendance also reached the
impressive number of 550 people, a fact that made a lot of ad hoc networking possible.
Opportunities for all participants
The best starting point to sniff investment opportunities in Greece
Get a firsthand understanding of the current developments in the market and identify
opportunities through the Forum’s panels and speeches.
Through the Forum’s keynote speeches and panels you will have a first-hand chance to grasp
the current burning issues in the Greek investment community, get up-to-date with current
and planned developments and even identify potentially useful tools to realize investments
in Greece.
Opportunities for entrepreneurs
Hold one-on-one pre-arranged meetings with fund managers, professional investors,
investment experts, stock exchange executives and admission consultants
Use the on-site business networking lounges and exhibition to conduct pre-arranged
meetings with fund managers and professional investors who have evaluated your business
plans and are interested in supporting your corporate growth. Conduct informative
discussions with Athens Stock Exchange executives and admission consultants and get
informed about the available funding opportunities through stock exchange markets. Meet
Enterprise Greece’s experts and discuss investment opportunities in Greece and interest
expressed by foreign investors.
Get informed about the funding opportunities available for your company
Stay updated on all major initiatives undertaken at European level for financing small and
medium enterprises, discover the funding tools of the Athens Stock Exchange and
understand investment opportunities that venture capital and private equity funds offer to
target companies. Meet executives from Enterprise Greece Agency and explore investment
opportunities in Greece and potential investors’ interest for your project.
Opportunities for investors
Examine a large number of business plans submitted to the Forum (for investors only).
Besides the big picture, the Forum also provides the opportunity to get really granular as far
as investments opportunities are concerned. Should you wish to do so, you may receive the
screened business plans that are being submitted to the Forum and start considering and
evaluating specific investment opportunities.
Hold one-on-one pre-arranged meetings with entrepreneurs, fund managers and banking
executives
Use the on-site business networking lounges and exhibition to conduct pre-arranged
meetings with interesting business plan submitters and/or carry out spontaneous
presentations. Conduct informal conversations with high profile investors and entrepreneurs
and generate new partnerships and investment opportunities with over 500 attending
executives. Meet Enterprise Greece’s executives and discuss investment opportunities
included in its Investment Portfolio.
Networking opportunities will enable you to meet prospects and clients and gain direct
access to new business opportunities, delivering a real return on your efforts.
As a special service to foreign fund managers, the Organizers can pre-arrange meetings with
Greek venture capital and private equity fund managers.
Additionally, you may want to advertise, or present/discuss a subject of interest in one of the
Forum’s panels.
In the case you wish to signal your presence in the Greek market, why not have your logo
displayed on the Forum’s material? Why not address an issue as a keynote speaker or
partake in a discussion panel? Have your material circulated to the Forum’s participants
and/or set up and exhibitor’s stand, to receive extra attention.
HELLENIC EXCHANGES-ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE (ATHEX) is the parent company of the
Group of companies that support the operation of the Greek capital market. The parent
company and its 100% subsidiaries ATHEXClear and ATHEX CSD operate the organized cash
and derivatives markets, carry out trade clearing, settlement and registration of securities,
provide comprehensive IT solutions to the Greek capital market, and promote the
development of capital markets culture in Greece.
In a period that the role of stock markets in exploring alternative ways of financing business,
at a European level, is significantly enhanced, the Athens Exchange Group has taken a series
of initiatives to highlight the attractiveness of the Greek Capital Market and the Greek
companies to the international investment community and expand the variety of investment
opportunities by developing a secure, stable and accessible market environment. The
reliability in operation, the transparency, the trust in relationships, the corporate
governance know how and the harmonization with international standards are the
prerequisites of the competitive Greek capital market.
Enterprise Greece is the official national agency of the Greek State, under the supervision of
the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Maritime Affairs and Tourism, to attract and assist
investment in Greece, promote exports from Greece, and make Greece more attractive as
an international business partner. www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr.
The organizers
The Hellenic Venture Capital & Private Equity association was established on September
2003, as a professional non-profit organization, aiming at promoting and developing the
activities of venture capital funds, examining issues of common interest concerning its
members as well as protecting their business interests. The association’s members are 18
companies who are all engaged in Greek Venture Capital industry.
TANEO is a Greek state-sponsored, privately funded and independently managed fund-ofventure capital funds, Greece’s only institutional fund-of-funds. TANEO was initially founded
by the State, was later privatized, upon raising €105m from the private market, through a
bond issue, listed in ISE and guaranteed by the Hellenic Republic. TANEO invests exclusively
in new Investment Vehicles managed by private sector entities operating under commercial
criteria. TANEO participates in 11 Venture capital funds that have already invested in more
than 50 Greek SMEs.
PRAXI Network is an established technology transfer organization with long-standing
experience in assisting Greek SMEs and research organisations to achieve cross-border
technological cooperation. It is a distinct administrative unit operating within the
Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH). Its services are extended from
information to mediation and advisory support covering the whole spectrum of activities
related with research collaboration, technology transfer and commercial exploitation of
research results. Currently acts as the coordinator of the Greek consortium of the Enterprise
Europe Network, the largest network of integrated business support to Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) and in parallel as National Contact Point for “Horizon 2020”.