Hong Kong, ranked 4th in the ease of doing business according to the World Bank, was the guest city at the last edition of Catalonia’s main Investment Forum, held on May 8th 2019 in Barcelona.
The Investment Forum is the place where local startups from Barcelona and Catalonia meet annually with international and national investors, present their ideas and engage in dynamic networking.
The startups that participated in the last editions (2009-2018) raised €261 million from business angels, venture capital funds and public institutions. They are a great representation of the Catalan startup ecosystem and its growth over the last years in raising capital investments.
Angie Lau, CEO of Forkast.News, was the keynote speaker
Angie Lau, an award-winning former Bloomberg Television lead anchor, was the keynote speaker at the Investment Forum this year with the conference “It Takes a Global Village: How to Raise Your Startup in an International Market".
Angie Lau, a 20+ year veteran of journalism, is currently Editor-in-Chief and CEO of Forkast.News, a digital media platform that focuses on all things blockchain.
As a communications leader, Lau has advised CEOs and executives at global firms including Li Ka Shing Foundation, UBS, Horizons Ventures, Antler, and Walmart. She is a sought-after speaker, the director of the Executive Committee at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong, and is a former two-term President and now senior board member of Asian American Journalists Association Asia Chapter.
She is a valued past Correspondent Board Governor at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong, and also serves on an advisory board for Journalism and Media Studies Centre at University of Hong Kong.
VC funds from Hong Kong
Representatives of international venture capital funds Fresco Capital, SPARQ Capital and CoCoon Ignite Ventures took part at the Investment Forum as members of the panel.
Furuzonfar Zehni, Senior Associate at Fresco Capital, is an entrepreneur, investor and connector. With a portfolio of 60 promising technology companies transforming education, healthcare, and the future of work, Fresco’s core mission is building global ecosystems.
Donna NguyenPhuoc is Partner of SPARQ Capital, a multi-FO investment vehicle providing venture capital to technology growth-stage startups. Donna manages investments into highly compelling and well-curated global ventures across Europe, the US and Asia.
Roland Yau is Managing Partner of CoCoon Ignite Ventures, L.P., an early stage technology venture fund focusing on investments around data driven businesses. At CoCoon Ignite Ventures, Roland has led investments in companies including Cafe X, Soundbrenner and Plutux.
The panel of the Investment Forum included a total of 18 investors and Venture Capital firms, being the local ones represented Asabys, Caixa Capital Risc, BAGI, Inveready, Itnig, Kereon Partners, Nina Capital, Nekko Capital, Origen Ventures Fund, WEcubed Partners, Reus Capital Partners, SeedRocket 4Founders Capital and BStartup-Banc Sabadell.
The perfect opportunity to find and be found
The last Investment Forum saw 21 pitches from the best local startups from Barcelona that presented their projects to an audience of 650 entrepreneurs and investors.
During all day, the attendants also engaged in a dynamic networking based on having previously booked 10-minute meetings with other attendants.
Investment Forum Program
From 8.30 to 14.00: Networking Area
9.30 Welcome
9.45 Keynote speaker: Angie Lau, CEO of Forkast.News
10.05 21 startups elevator pitch
11.00 Coffee break and networking
11.30 Tech demos and 9 startup presentations
13.30 Investment Forum Award
13.35 Closing
Investment Forum Catalogue of Companies
Each year, 50 startups from more than 100 candidates are chosen to be included in the Investment Forum Catalogue. This publication is aimed at private investors interested in discovering new projects. Take a look at the 2019 edition here.
