The World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), committed to collaborate globally to empower the economic development of the world by fostering innovative financial instruments for SMEs, innovators and startups, kicked off in Istanbul, Turkey. The forum is taking place from February 18 to 20, 2018.
For the first time ever, WBAF 2018, the world’s biggest annual gathering of early-stage equity and investment markets, will have 5 important summits running concurrently and will host more than 1000 delegates from around the world. WBAF 2018 will also salute the global successes of the year at the World Excellence Awards & VIP Gala Dinner at the Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), Baybars Altuntas, the WBAF chairman, said that Turkey provides the highest tax incentive in the world for angel investors partnering with entrepreneurs through capital support. He said that Turkey offers 75 percent or 100 percent tax exemption on income tax basis to the investors partnering with entrepreneurs.
Altuntas of WBAF says ‘’The three important agreements that we have signed today will serve to easing access to finance for startups, scaleups, SMEs and investors in the World. 2018 will not be an easy year for global economies and our goal is to provide a solution for the most important challenge of the 21st century: Providing smart finance for everybody’’.
The Congress hosted three important agreement signing ceremony in the opening part. Agreements between WBAF and IFC – International Finance Corporation, Anjos de Brazil - Brazilian Trade Association for Business Angels and Unity Group, all have a common goal: Easing access to finance.
For the first time ever, WBAF opens its doors to Start-ups, Scale-ups and High-growth businesses. 50 start-up or scale-up or high-growth businesses each have a 4-square-metre area to showcase their business at the event. They will thus have exposure to highly qualified angel investors, family office executives, co-investment fund managers, angel investment group directors, corporate venture executives, accelerator executives, techno park investment directors and venture capitalists. The mission is to showcase the world’s top start-ups and scale-ups, which, typically, are funded companies in the process of raising €500K – €3M, with the aim of globalizing.
