CE - Connector: Building knowledge and linkages among Business Angels and Public across territorial ecosystems to close the financial gap for innovative start-ups

Project date: 01. 04. 2019 - 31. 03. 2022

Webpage:

www.interreg-central.eu/CE-Connector

Contact: Mitja Divjak, Gašper Juvančič

Phone: +386(01) 6201770

E-mail: mitja.divjak@tp-lj.si, gasper.juvancic@tp-lj.si

Main goals and project activities

Startups are key drivers of innovation and guarantee the future prosperity of central Europe. Despite the availability of new financing schemes, there is still a financial gap between the “3Fs” (friends, family, and founders) and venture capital. One solution is enhanced cooperation between public providers who leverage investments and groups of business angels and startups.

Expected results

The CE-Connector project will increase the number of business angels and improve their investment competencies. 

It will build sustainable linkages among them and strengthen linkages with providers of public leverage, industry and also among the ecosystems of participating territories. Such ecosystems will facilitate and pilot investments in start-ups, which are relevant for two selected strategic segments of territorial smart specialisation strategies.

The new CE-Connector network will further enable transregional co-investment in start-ups and enable start-ups from other segments to seek funding from other territories.

 

Project partners

CZECH REPUBLIC: DEX Innovation Centre + Innovation centre of the Usti Region

CROATIA: Optimization + Zagreb Innovation Centre Ltd. + Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments

HUNGARY: P-INVENT Consulting, Trading and Services Kft. + Széchenyi Venture Capital Fund Manager Ltd. + Hungarian Business Angel Network (HUNBAN)

SLOVENIA: Bogatin, market research and consulting company, Ltd. + Technology Park Ljubljana + Slovene Enterprise Fund + Business Angels of Slovenia + Government Office for Development and European Cohesion  policy

POLAND: Lodzkie Region + Centre for Support of Entrepreneurship „Connect“ Sp. LTD 

GERMANY: Automotive . Engineering . Network - The Mobility Cluster e.V. + City of Karlsruhe

BELGIUM: The European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players

 

Total budget

1.995.288,03 EUR

Project  is co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF)