The UK has led Europe in finding ways to engage private investors in small or start up businesses. Known as "business angels", these individuals invest their own personal wealth in exchange for an equity share in the business. Today this model is being replicated throughout Europe.
Building a Business Angel Market
Exemplas has been asked to join a group of partner organisations from France, Greece and Italy, to support the development of a Business Angels network around the Mediterranean. Through the MACC BAM project, we will build and test a coherent framework for planning and implementing a sustainable Business Angel Market which will result in the formation of a number of Business Angels Networks (BANs).
The project, which is being funded by the European Commission, gained support because BAN activity is so fragmented throughout the Mediterranean region. Our aim will be to strengthen organisations wishing to set up, run or validate BANs while assessing existing governmental policies to improve the environment in which BANs operate.
It will be a highly innovative project, which will have a significant impact on local economic development and will result in an integrated approach to accelerating the development of BANs within the Mediterranean area.