72 countries celebrate the World Business Angel Investors Week, 18 – 24 October 2021.World Business Angel Investors Week is envisioned as a great platform where all stakeholders pause to assess their fast-paced journey, to analyse why and how we should leverage angel investment as a must-have financial tool for boosting economies, and to reiterate how entrepreneurial ecosystems can create more jobs, more wealth and more social justice in co-operation with key players in early-stage equity markets. It is celebrated every third week of October, under a global theme.
(WBAF) World Business Angel Investors Week (WBAW) is a global platform from which to campaign for solutions to critical issues of early stage equity and capital markets, startup economies and other worldwide concerns at the United Nations, the European Union, the ASEAN Economic Community, the OECD and in G20 countries and regional and local economies. This year’s global theme is Business Diplomacy for International Entrepreneurship. The Week is coordinated globally by the World Business Angels Investment Forum – an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI).
Baybars Altuntas, Global Chair of the Week & Executive Chairman of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, says ‘The WBAW 2021 will host more than 80.000 entrepreneurs, startups, investors, innovators, policy makers and thought leaders from around the world. During this special Week, all stakeholders and participants of the Week will pause to assess their fast-paced journey, to analyse why and how business diplomacy can take a more active role in leveraging angel investment as a must-have financial tool for boosting economies, and to reiterate how entrepreneurial ecosystems can create more jobs, more wealth and more social justice in cooperation with key players in early-stage equity markets.’
The World Business Angels Investment Forum issues commemorative stamps for events and themes of widespread global appeal and significance of the Week.
Honorary Guest of the Week
H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia (2015-2020)
Ministers to deliver speeches in alphabetical order
H.E. Andres Valenciano, Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa Rica
H.E. David Piccini, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Ontario, Canada
H.E. Fatmir Bytyqi, Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Economic Affairs, North Macedonia
H.E. Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance and Economy, Monaco
H.E. Martha Delgado, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico
H.E. Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Jamaica
H.E. Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D., Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand
H.E. Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economy, UAE
Regional Leaders of angel investment to deliver special remarks in alphabetical order
Dr. Abdul Malek Al Jaber – President, The Middle East Trade Association for Business Angels (MBAN)
Israel Pons – Honorary President of the Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Association for Angel Investors (XCALA)
Marcia Dawood – Chair of the Board of the Angel Capital Association of the United States (ACA)
Paulo Andrez – Emeritus President, European Business Angels Network (EBAN)
Tomi Davies – President, African Business Angels Network (ABAN)
Continental Chairs of the Week
Kevin Hin, World Business Angel Investors Week, Continental Chair Europe
Hauwa Yabani, World Business Angel Investors Week, Continental Chair Africa
Israel Pons, World Business Angel Investors Week, Continental Chair Latin America
Dr Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes, World Business Angel Investors Week, Continental Chair North America
Derik Kim, World Business Angel Investors Week, Continental Chair Asia
Sandra Glasgow, World Business Angel Investors Week, Regional Chair The Caribbean
Feryal Nass, World Business Angel Investors Week, Regional Chair MENA
Grand Opening Ceremony
The Grand Opening Ceremony of the Week will be hold virtually on 18th October, Monday, 2pm GMT. The Grand Opening Ceremony will host Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of the Republic of Croatia (2015-2020) as a keynote speaker on increasing role of business diplomacy for international entrepreneurship . Zev Siegl, Co-founder of the Starbucks, Massimo Falcioni, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), UAE and Marcia Dawood, Chair of the Board of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), USA will deliver special remarks.
The Ministerial Roundtable of the Grand Opening Ceremony will be moderated by Prof Inderjit Singh – President, Global Startup Investment Promotion Agency (WIPA). Discussants of the roundtable are Eduard Shalsi – Minister of State for the Protection of Entrepreneurship, Albania (2019 – 2021), Prof Hykmete N. Bajrami – Minister of Finance, Kosovo (2020 – 2021), Martha Delgado, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico and, Noomane Fehri, Minister of Communication Technologies & Digital Economy, Tunisia (2015 – 2016).
Expo2020 Dubai
The UAE Team of the World Business Angels Investment Forum will hold a Special Event to celebrate the World Business Angel Investors Week, Saturday October 23rd, 2021, at the Expo2020 Dubai, 5:00pm-7:00pm. Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the Government of UAE will deliver a keynote speech.
Registration
You can follow all events free and online at the www.angelsweek.org