Angel leaders of world unite to launch World Business Angels Association

In October 2007 in Estoril (PT) at the invitation of the European Commission and the Portuguese Government, leaders of federations of angel groups from 5 continents met to discuss the possibility of creating a connected global platform to raise awareness on the role of business angels in supporting high growth potential early stage businesses.

They agreed to work on the set up of a new organisation to act as the voice for business angels worldwide.

In April 2009, the World Business Angels Association is now a reality. Its main ambition is that of helping to foster a favourable environment for the activity of business angels at the international level.

Objectives of the association:

- Promote the professionalization of the angel market through the set up of angel groups and associations
- Identification and spread of best practice at international level
- Identification of global successes supported by business angels
- Supporting entrepreneurship worldwide
- Improving knowledge about business angel activities
- Coordination of research produced on the angel market worldwide
- Standardised terminology at international level regarding BA investing

WBAA is a platform to exchange information about the development of the business angels market around the world. It serves as an entry point for investors and entrepreneurs looking for angel groups worldwide.

The WBAA is also an educational tool to spread knowledge about the business angel market to intermediaries and policy makers, and is the solution for a connected environment for all parties supporting this asset class beyond borders.

WBAA will carry out the several activities for its members, including the organisation of an annual event. The first WBAA Global Conference will be held late 2009 in Asia.

The WBAA will coordinate information at global level to facilitate advocacy work in favour of business angel activities. It will maintain a website serving as a global repository of tools, best practices, research, and international / regional events. The Association will also provide regular information flows including newsletters regarding the latest developments on the global angel market.

WBAA Membership:

1. Founding Charter Members of WBAA are the following organisations:

- ACA, Angel Capital Association, USA
- BBAA, British Business Angels Association, UK
- CBAR, Center for Business Angel Research, China
- IAN, Indian Angel Network, India
- ESBAN, Red Espanola de Business Angels, Spain
- AAAI, Australian Angels Investors Association, Australia
- Southern Angels, Chile
- IBAN, Italian Business Angels Association, Italy
- ABAN - Arab Business Angels Network, United Arab Emirates
- France Angels, France

2. Honorary members:

- FNABA, Federacao Nacional de Associacoes de Business Angels, Portugal
- EBAN, European Trade Association for Business Angels and Early Stage Investors

3. WBAA welcomes two categories of members:

- Full members: national associations representing the angel movement in their country. There can only be one member per country as full member of WBAA.

- Provisional members: business angel groups (possibly from the same country) that have an interest in setting up a national association in the short term and would like to get first hand expertise from full WBAA members.

WBAA also welcomes Affiliates: organizations that have an interest in supporting the global angel market and therefore in collaborating with WBAA.

Leaders of trade associations of angel groups feel that WBAA is a great response to the current international financial and economic crisis. Start-ups with high growth potential are in danger right now to fail due to acute challenges in accessing finance. Business angel investors, investing their own funds and time for the benefits of young companies, are now one of the few investors able to invest. It is important to raise awareness of the asset class and to recruit new angels to the market at the global level.