Istanbul’s first licensed angel investment network Galata Business Angels (GBA) continues the Angel Investment Trainings it initiated in 2014, with Borsa İstanbul Private Market. Angel Investment Training was organized for potential Angel Investors at Borsa İstanbul on Thursday, November 26.
Angel Investment Training, hosted by Borsa İstanbul Private Market, covered angel investment thoroughly while the panel participated by GBA’s experienced angel investor members, Q&A session, and entrepreneurs’ presentations strengthened the training both theoretically and practically. The training started with the question: “Who is an angel investor?” and discussed angel investment practices in Turkey, including a wide range of issues from enterprises in Borsa İstanbul Private Market to financial evaluation, and from tax advantages of angel investors to legal procedures.
Angel Investor Training, aimed at increasing the quality of entrepreneurs and angel investors in Turkey and creating added value for the players in the ecosystem, was organized with the participation of GBA and Borsa İstanbul Private Market’s business partners BTS Partners, JPA Arkan & Ergin and Treasury Undersecretariat, and contributions of Istanbul Development Agency (İstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı- İSTKA) at Borsa İstanbul Foyer and Conference Hall.
In his opening speech, Borsa İstanbul Listing and Private Market Group Manager Sertaç KARAAĞAOĞLU said, “As Borsa İstanbul, we hope to see more big companies being traded, and more investors trading on the exchange. In order to achieve this, we support entrepreneurs that have new ideas which will lead to big companies. In the event that such entrepreneurs fail to meet the right capital, it is impossible for the future’s big companies to come alive. We established the Private Market in order to ensure this meet-up”.
About Galata Business Angels (GBA)
Founded in 2011, Galata Business Angels is the first Individual Participation Investor Network of the Turkish Internet ecosystem to be accredited by the Treasury Undersecretariat. As a non-profit organization, GBA endeavors to improve angel investment and Internet ecosystem in Turkey. GBA works to create a larger capital pool for newly founded innovative companies, and with the contributions of its 25 members, GBA not only developed ethical rules in the sector, but also has made a total of 12 investments in and out of Turkey since 2012, and cooperated with the relevant parties including non-governmental organizations, public institutions and universities. GBA felt the pulse of the sector through activities such as Investor Meetup and Mentor Clinic. GBA also cooperates with the France-based Sophia Business Angels and US-based Houston Angel Network in order to strengthen entrepreneurs in Turkey, attract foreign investors to Turkey and ensure Turkish start-ups to enter the market while opening to Europe or the US. GBA members, consisting of experienced angel investors and executives of global companies such as Mynet, Airties, Gittigidiyor, Yemeksepeti, Markafoni, Monitise, Vepa Grup, ReklamZ, DBI, and 41-29 (Emre Kurttepeli, Saruhan Tan, Varol Civil, Ahmet Faralyalı, Ahu Serter, Alemşah Öztürk, Arif Akdağ, Burak Divanlıoğlu, Cem Soysal, Erinç Özada, Fatih İşbecer, Fırat İşbecer, Kaan Boyner, Melih Ödemiş, Cem Topçuoğlu, Nevzat Aydın, Ömer Akarca, Ömer Hızıroğlu, Önder Öztarhan, Orkun Tekin, Uğur Şeker, Umur Özal, Ayşe İnal) aim to discover enterprises that would create great effect in Turkey and the world. GBA focuses on technology start-ups engaged in the Internet, mobile, software and telecommunications sectors.
www.galatabusinessangels.com
Borsa İstanbul Private Market
Founded in late 2014, Private Market is a marketplace which brings together companies, company partners and investors to meet financing, liquidity and new investment needs without going public. Private Market is a membership-based and web-based platform where the shares of non-floating joint stock companies are traded to raise capital and new investments and to ensure liquidity. Contrary to the classical markets of Borsa İstanbul, Private Market does not offer continuous trading, does not impose the Capital Markets Board’s obligations; and share transfer and partnership structure are under the control of the company itself. Private Market platform brings companies and investors together in a secure environment and offers the opportunity to share documents and information as well as organizing sales bids. With more than 250 members and two awards -one domestic and one international-, the Private Market offers start-ups and rising companies the opportunity to meet qualified and angel investors operating both locally and globally. Private Market also offers the opportunity to make use of financial and legal consultancy services.
www.bistprivatemarket.com
