An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) aims to ease access to smart finance for businesses.
These businesses range from startup to scale-up to exit, and the ultimate goal is to generate economic development, jobs and more social justice worldwide.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it particularly difficult to reach out for any kind of finance – smart or otherwise. The World Business Angels Investment Forum has therefore strengthened its emphasis on developing innovative financial and non-financial instruments for entrepreneurs and SMEs as a part of its global agenda.
One new innovation is the new digital ID cards, a virtual platform for entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, consultants, faculty members and university students around the world. The ultimate goal is to create a high-quality portfolio with some of the world’s most promising startups, and scale-ups and, at the same time, create opportunities for co-investment and follow-on investments. An additional goal is to connect startups with angel investors, making it possible for startups to benefit from the know-how, mentoring, and networks of qualified investors.
Baybars Altuntas, WBAF Executive Chairman, says, “Entrepreneurs in post-pandemic times need much more than a clever idea to succeed – they need a complex set of skills and funding to develop, execute, and succeed in order to take their idea to market. The best form of early-stage finance is when one combines finance, know-how, mentoring, and networking. These are the components of smart finance, which give entrepreneurs and SMEs much better prospects of success in post-pandemic economies. WBAF’s digital ID card programme supports entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, consultants, faculty members and university students by providing valuable resources, including toolkits, quality education, international business mentoring, global networking, and opportunities to pitch online to investors.’’
He adds, “The World Business Angels Investment Forum believes that by drawing on various disciplines, we can design innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest issues — access to finance, gender equality, ethical governance, commercialization of scientific research, business and digital transformation, and financial inclusion. This collaborative approach of the WBAF Digital ID Card programme will have a multiplier effect on world economies.”
The WBAF digital ID card programme is designed to capitalize on the worldwide growth in entrepreneurial activity and venture financing for startups and scale-ups and on WBAF’s extensive network of global investors, which include angel investors, private equity funds, co-investment platforms, wealth management institutions, family offices, VCs, and acceleration centres.
There are 4 main card categories:
- Entrepreneurs: Startup Founder, Global Entrepreneur, Woman Entrepreneur
- Investors: Investor, Qualified Angel Investor, Impact Investor
- Mentors: Business Mentor, Personal Coach, International Consultant
- Academics: Faculty Member, University Startup
The digital ID card programme is supported by the WBAF Business School, The WBAF Investment Promotion Agency (WIPA), the WBAF Angel Investment Fund and the WBAF Publication House.
How to register
Anyone can register free for a WBAF digital ID card.
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