Each month, GBAN hosts a one-hour field call for its members, observers, and special guests to developments from the field. The goal of these Field Reports is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, foster cross-border cooperation and explore emerging angel investing trends. Moderated by members of the GBAN Board, the discussions feature presentations by angel investing leaders and experts. Below is a summary of our Field Reports going back to October 2016, with links to relevant materials, such as reports, presentations, etc.
USAID Capacity Building With Bangladesh Angels
Presenters: Nirjhor Rahman, CEO, Bangladesh Angels
When: November 28th, 2022
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director
Description:
- Bangladesh Angels recently announced an important partnership as leads on the USAID-backed WeScale Program which seeks to invest in 100 SEA women entrepreneurs
- Navigating global funding undercurrents like depreciating currencies, election politics, extended runways on portfolio companies
- Building capacity as a young upstart economy
Links:
Managing Risk Capital in Lebanon
Presenters: Nicolas Rouhana, CEO and Chairman at IM Capital
When: September 29th, 2022
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director and Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
As many countries face political, economic, and social uncertainty, GBAN looks to its members for playbooks on how to manage the unknown. On this call, Nicolas Rouhana provided a concise history of how Lebanese economics and politics impacts the ability for investors to invest in startups.
- Discover whos-who and whats-what in Lebanon's startup ecosystem
- Learn about programs and strategies for managing investor risk in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainty
- Explore opportunities for investors and startups interested in doing business in Lebanon
Links:
GEN Exchange: Building an Active and Sustainable Business Angel Network
Presenters: Peter Cowley, President Emeritus of the European Business Angels Network, Linda Smith, President Emeritus at the Angel Capital Association, Tomi Davies, Co-Founder and President of the African Business Angel Network, and Israel Pons, Founder at Angels Nest and Pitch at the Beach
When: June 30th, 2022
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director and Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
This discussion was a continuation of the panel led by members of the Global Business Angels Network Board during the 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Congress. The topic covered:
- Common challenges that early-stage investor groups face in various parts of the world.
- Technologies and best practices used to scale business angel networks.
- Case studies about successful angel groups launched in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere.
Links:
Early-Stage Investing in Brasil: Anjos do Brasil
Presenters: Maria Rita Spina Bueno, Executive Director, and Cassio Spina Bueno, Founder and President of Anjos do Brasil
When: May 26th, 2022
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director, Israel Pons, Co-Chair GBAN and Founder of Angels Nest
Description:
Anjos do Brasil is the leading angel organization in Brazil, with more than 500 investors all over the country.
On this call, you will:
- Hear an overview of Brazilian angel investments based on an annual survey the organization has carried out since 2011.
- Discuss market growth challenges in terms of public policy barriers and training for angels and entrepreneurs.
- Learn current trends in the Brazilian market, the state of impact investing and diversity in Brazil in the dimensions of gender, race and geography.
Links:
Going Public: How TV Viewers Can Invest in Featured Public Offerings
Presenters: Darren Marble and Todd Goldberg Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director, Crush Capital and Going Public
When: October 7th, 2021
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director and Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
Under the auspices of the GEN Invest umbrella, which includes GBAN, GEN is engaging in many initiatives relevant to financing entrepreneurs. This Field Call is a sneak preview of a very exciting new TV show GEN is involved with. We have partnered with pioneering fintech firm Crush Capital on an original new docuseries called Going Public. The series follows the journeys of entrepreneurs as they prepare to go public. It is the first show that features companies accepting investments from viewers, while they watch. Ahead of the premiere, producers Darren Marble and Todd Goldberg will join a special GBAN Field Call to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the groundbreaking series, share their global capital raising approach and new, innovative ways to invest
Links:
Family Offices' Involvement in Early-Stage Investing
Presenter: Rebeca Hwang, Senior Director at Thunderbird's new Center for Global Entrepreneurship, Managing Partner at Kalei Ventures, and Member of the Board of Directors at GEN Global
When: September 2nd, 2021
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director and Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
Family businesses and offices are an integral player in local economies, often representing 70 to 80% of the economic activity in many regions. However, they are often not intimately connected to the startup community. The pandemic has proven the need for diversification, connection to innovative ideas, and the need to instill a culture of adaptability and resilience. This session will discuss how embracing change by investing in and learning from entrepreneurs and innovators can hugely benefit family businesses and offices.
Links:
Investment Opportunities in Latin America
Presenters: Isabelle Chaquiriand, President at Xcala
When: July 28, 2021
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director, Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN, and Israel Pons, CEO and Co-Founder of Angels Nest
Description:
The Latin American entrepreneurial ecosystem has lived a tremendous transformation in the last decade, and this is not separated from its investor dynamic. Angel activity has had an important role in this evolution. As a result, the region has a track record of successful cases and nowadays is offering significant investment opportunities that deserve to be shared. Isabelle discussed the evolution of the Latin American angel Ecosystem, investment opportunities in Latin America, and covered a few successful syndication case studies in the region led by Xcala.
Links:
Angel Investing in Global Markets
Presenters: Jan Lederman, Director of Valhalla Private Capital
When: June 24, 2021
Moderator: Pauly Suchy, GBAN Director, Mike Ducker, Executive Director at Valhalla Private Capital
Description:
If it was ever true, the rapid transition to remote work brought on by COVID meant you no longer had to launch your startup in a top-tier ecosystem to gain access to top talent and smart capital. Global investing really has gone global. Jan discusses Valhalla’s approach to getting comfortable with investing in foreign startups.
Links:
Bangladesh's Angel Ecosystem
Presenters: Nirjhor Rahman, CEO of Bangladesh Angels
When: April 23rd, 2021
Moderator: Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN and Padmaja Ruparel, Indian Angel Network Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
Nirjhor provided insights into the Bangladesh business angels ecosystem and discussed the latest challenges and opportunities in their community through the lens of the Bangladesh Angels. He described how the country's startup ecosystem has evolved over the past decade, due in part, but not limited to, an increase in consumer use of technology, early stage angel funding, government support, and cross-border collaboration.
Mexico's Early Stage Investment Ecosystem
Presenters: Israel Pons, CEO of Angels Nest
When: January 22nd, 2020
Moderator: Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
In this talk Israel Pons presents an overview of the work that Angel's Nest has done to strengthen Mexico's early-stage investment ecosystem and provides an overview of the current activity in the region and what's to come.
India's Angel Ecosystem
Presenters: Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder, Indian Angel Network
When: October 30th, 2019
Moderator: Jonathan Ortmans, Co-Chair, GBAN
Description:
Ruparel presented a thorough overview of India's rapidly developing angel ecosystem, and the impact Indian angels are having on entrepreneurship across the sub-continent. She recounted how angel investing has gone from basically non-existent at the time she co-founded IAN to become an established financial sector. IAN investments now average in the $750,000 range. She also described which startup sectors are booming, how startups vary across India's regions, and how government policy supports entrepreneurship (e.g., administrative digitalization, entrepreneur support programs, investment incentives, etc.).
Building an Angel Network
Presenters: Tomi Davies, co-founder of Lagos Angel Network and President of African Business Angel Network
When: May 18th, 2017
Moderator: Candace Johnson, President, European Business Angels Network and GBAN co-chair
Description:
For the first half of the call, Davies used his experience in co-founding Lagos Angel Network as a case study for building angel organizations. Utilizing the World Bank guidebook, Creating Your Own Angel Investor Group: A Guide for Emerging and Frontier Markets, Davies broke down the components and how he used them to form LAN in Nigeria. Davies also noted that his experience is in many ways unique to the entrepreneurial environment in Lagos and that it isn’t as important to ‘check boxes’ when it comes to forming a network. In the following discussion, GBAN members compared notes on managing their organizations based on LAN’s continued success, with some taking time to share their own experiences and the unique challenges they faced in founding their local networks.
Links:
Cross-Border Investing
Presenters: Candace Johnson, President, European Business Angels Network and GBAN co-chair
When: October 12th, 2016
Moderator: John May, President Emeritus, Angel Capital Association and GBAN co-chair
Description:
In an intervew format, Candace Johnson discussed her personal experience with investing across borders. For Johnson, the major reason to invest globally is that entrepreneurs are increasingly going global. Startups are either growing out of emerging markets or looking to enter markets where they see a need to solve complex problems – which means there is an opportunity for angels to invest in these ventures. Over the course of the call, Johnson provides valuable advice for those looking to invest beyond their own ecosystem, as well as examples of her successes working with partners around the world.