One of the most notable initiatives in Romania and Eastern Europe, Venture Connect reached its sixth edition, being organized on 27th November for the first time in the heart of the Romanian entrepreneurial community, the HUB Bucharest. Venture Connect is the first Romanian initiative that periodically brings together a number of pre-screened entrepreneurial teams from the IT/Internet/Technology sector with potential investors in order to maximize and ensure direct business interactions.
Entrepreneurs who want to present their businesses in front of some of the most important investors in Romania and SEE can submit their projects until Friday, November 16th by filling in the Application Form.
“VentureConnect is a project in which we had confidence from the get go, and after two years from its official launch, through the efforts of my colleagues in the VentureConnect Foundation, we intend to surpass ourselves with each edition. So far, VentureConnect facilitated two venture investments and also paved the way for over 70 Romanian businesses to the investor’s community,” mentioned Orlando Nicoară, General Manager Mediafax Group and VentureConnect Board Member.
VentureConnect, the first initiative in Romania that brings together entrepreneurs and potential investors from the IT / Online / Technology sector, has evolved over the past year from a match-making event type to an entire platform of support for entrepreneurs, helping in identifying new funding, business and mentoring opportunities. In 2012, together with VentureConnect, the Foundation organized four Venture Mentoring sessions, other eight meetings being scheduled for the rest of the year. Venture Mentoring is a program of monthly sessions between entrepreneurs who need mentoring and business counseling and VentureConect Board members or other guests, who use their experience and knowledge to guide and advise the entrepreneurial community.
“Unlike other VentureConnect editions, for this autumn event we already have two entries which demonstrates that the platform we have built is a very effective investment in a Romanian entrepreneurial community that is becoming stronger and even more active”, mentions Dragoș Rouă, online entrepreneur and member of the VentureConnect Board.
Apart from VentureConnect and the Venture Mentoring sessions, in October this year the VentureConnect Foundation will launch Angel Connect, a digital community targeting business-angels and VCs, the first of its kind in Romania and South-Eastern Europe, focusing on the education and growth of the local investment branch.
In the five VentureConnect meetings so far, 60 companies pitched their business plan in front of over 200 potential investors; with close to 1000 participants involved in the entrepreneurial community.
“In May 2012, VentureConnect attracted 37 companies with rapid growth from Romania, Bulgaria and Silicon Valley, with over 40 potential investors interested in the Technology, IT and Online sector. This autumn, projecting on the high interest for VentureConnect and relying on the strong positive feedback received for the last meeting, we built the concept of the event around entrepreneurs, so that those who deliver presentations can find their originality and free spirit in front of an audience that is usually extremely demanding” adds Alexandra Dumitru, Project Manager VentureConnect.
Venture Connect, the project dedicated to entrepreneurs from the IT, Online, Technology areas, will be hosting the third meeting of the Venture Mentoring program. Every month, one of the Venture Connect Board members is meeting with the entrepreneurs that need advice and concrete solutions for the challenges they face in their business.