Business angels associations join Investors Portugal to invest 150 million euros in three years – O Jornal Económico
The two Portuguese associations of investors, the National Federation of Business Angels (FNABA) and the Portuguese Association of Business Angels (APBA), with over 15 years of experience in venture capital investment, have merged into an institution now called APIES (Associação Portuguesa de Early Stage Investors – Investors Portugal).
Launched yesterday, the entity was born (almost) from scratch and with the ambition to improve the activity of angel investors in newly upgraded technology-based companies and strengthen their ability to influence associates and partners (consultants, law firms, universities and polytechnics, incubators and accelerators, autarchies and business associations), through a wider range of activities, including funds from venture capital.
“To get out of the median in which the country has dropped since the beginning of the century and, if we want to have more qualified jobs with better salaries, we have to create more companies with high attributed value. Investors Portugal embraces these challenges by supporting its members to invest in qualified entrepreneurship”, guarantees João Trigo da Roza, co-president of APIES.
Under the motto “first seeds, growing forward”, an association of investors in early stage (initial phase) intends to develop entrepreneurship, invest, create synergies, represent sector agents and provide training. For the next three years, the forecast is for an investment of around 150 million euros, according to information released this Thursday.
“Do we want an innovative, competitive and exporting Portugal? This is only possible with business angels A well-organized venture capital. Investors Portugal is one of the investors who believe that Portugal has entrepreneurs with the skills to create international success in Portugal”, guarantees co-chair Pedro Bandeira.
The newly created association currently supports around 425 business angels, has more than 300 invested startups, 23 vehicle entities and venture capital funds and 500 million euros of investments under management.