By Business & Finance 
John Phelan, National Director, HBAN
Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN), the joint venture between Enterprise Ireland and InterTradeIreland, today announced that it plans to sign up 35 new angel investors at its national conference on Thursday, 8 February.
The conference takes place at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. It will have international, stalwart speakers, including Christopher Mirabile, Peter Cowley and Feargall Kenny. They will give advice on being a successful investor while maximising return on investment (ROI) and capitalising on trends.
Being the biggest gathering of business angel syndicates in Ireland, representatives from nine syndicates will be at the event: MedTech Syndicate, Irrus Investments, Food Syndicate, Bloom Equity, Boole Investments, WxNW Syndicate (West by North West), SEBAN (South East Business Angel Network) and a New York syndicate HBAN has partnered with and a Singapore syndicate which HBAN helped establish.
There will also be a panel discussing best practices in angel investing and how to use the HBAN network. Workshops will also be on show with key tips on aspects such as portfolios, exit strategies, the role as a lead angel and the value of the system as a whole.
The National Director of HBAN, John Phelan, said: “Angel investing is a vital element in the start-up environment, particularly for those companies that need knowledge and expertise and not just funding. We are confident that we will reach our target of €7 million and 35 new business angels to invest in the dynamic and innovative start-up scene in Ireland. Last year, we raised €6 million at our business angel roadshows in two days.
“We are delighted to have a record number of syndicates gathering together as there is a growing trend for co-syndicate investment. For example, three HBAN syndicates – MedTech, Boole and Irrus – co-invested in the €1.8 million AventaMed deal last year. We are also seeing the overseas syndicates co-investing with Irish-based syndicates. The conference is a chance for syndicate members to network and discuss potential collaboration.
“We expect to have more than 200 attendees at the conference. It’s a great opportunity to showcase some of HBAN’s success stories and highlight the quality of deal flow that HBAN provides to the network. It also gives prospective and existing HBAN members the chance to meet other members of the network’s business angel community and learn about the opportunities for angel investing in Ireland.”
The conference is open to non-HBAN members who wish to see how the operation works and connect with like-minded people. Over the last decade, HBAN angels invested over €80 million in Irish start-ups, showcasing the network’s great strength and prowess.
Tickets are priced at €50 for non-HBAN members and it’s free for existing members. For more information, visit the HBAN website.
