Business angels are flapping their wings
In 2015, there will be 10-15 thousand business angels in RussiaThe capital of the country
At the III Annual Congress of the National Association of Business Angels, representatives of government authorities, organizations of business angels, venture investors and young entrepreneurs discussed the prospects for the development of the Russian venture capital investment market at an early stage.
Almost 300 people representing more than 20 Russian regions took part in the Congress. About 50 speakers took part in the panel discussions: heads of business angel organizations, public authorities, development institutions, venture funds and public associations, including Anatoly Chubais (Rusnano), Igor Agamirzyan (RVC), Albina Nikkonen (RAVI), Sergey Polyakov (Assistance Fund), Eduard Fiaksel (Starting investments), Alexander Kashirin (SBAR) and many others. Executive Director of the European Association of Business Angels (EBAN) Claire Munk also took part in the Congress.
In his address to business angels Anatoly Chubais invited them to cooperate: "We are waiting for you in our projects. For example, in nanocentres, cooperation with which is a distinct prospect for business agnelov. There will also be work with venture funds. The Innovation and Investment Market under construction at the MICEX is still small, about 15 initial public offerings of companies have been held there, but we will not abandon it and will continue to promote it, and it is clear that business angels may also be there as investors."
The Congress participants came to the conclusion that the attractiveness of venture investment of companies at the early stages of development is growing. A significant increase in both the number of interesting projects and the number of business angels and their organizations is expected. The main mechanism of state stimulation of the market in the next 3-5 years will be co-investment of state development institutions with early-stage market participants, the main representatives of which are business angels.
"According to our estimates, by 2015 there will be about 10-15 thousand business angels in Russia, and their investments will amount to about $ 500 million per year," notes Konstantin Fokin, president of the National Association of Business Angels. – As for the organizations in which business angels unite, over the next 3 years their number will increase 3-4 times and by 2015 will reach 50-70, and the number of business angels entering these networks will exceed 1000 people."
The main problems limiting the attractiveness of private investment in early-stage high-tech companies were identified as the lack of professional managers and the poor development of infrastructure to support start-up entrepreneurs.
In addition, at the end of the Congress, a solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the II annual NABA award in the field of early stage venture investments took place.
The winner in the nomination "Business Angel of 2010" was recognized Igor Ustinov, at one time – one of the founders of the company "Buka", today – an active private investor in IT projects. Alexander Kashirin, Chairman of the Board of the National Commonwealth of Business Angels (SBAR), was recognized as the winner in the nomination "Leader of the Group of Business Angels 2010". In the nomination "Early Stage Company of 2010" – Nanocorund LLC. In the nomination "Publication dedicated to early stage venture investments in 2010" – The Angel Investor Internet portal. Dmitry Knyaginin, the founder of the National Network of Business Angels "Private Capital", was awarded for his contribution to the development of the business angel movement.
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The National Association of Business Angels (NABA) is an all-Russian industry association of early–stage venture investors. The National Association unites business angels, seed funds and other early-stage venture investors. The Association was established in 2009 by leading Russian organizations of individual venture investors.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru21.04.2011