Nelson has been selected as an expert speaker by DG Enterprise and Industry from the European Commission to provide a “train-the-trainers” presentation as part of the access to finance for Enterprise Europe Network, event to be held in Brussels on 30th and 31st of May 2012 on the topic of “Investment readiness and business angel financing”.

Addressed to potential organisers of decentralised trainings, the main goal of this meeting is to ensure a consistent training approach of the decentralised trainings thus offering a similar level of knowledge to the Network staff members wherever they are located.
Participants will be provided with relevant information and tools to be used during their local trainings. Besides, useful pieces of advice about how to organise decentralised sessions will be also offered.

The meeting is designed for Enterprise Europe Network staff members who are already familiar with access to finance and are willing to get further acquainted with the subject in order to deliver their client companies high quality services.
Therefore, this session requires participants to have a mimimum level of knowledge and experience in access to finance as well as the intention to organise a decentralised training in the 18 months following the meeting.
More information -
European Commission
DG Enterprise and Industry
Unit E3: Financing innovation and SMEs

Brey 06/228
Avenue d’Auderghem 45
B-1049 Brussels/Belgium
+32 2 29 92557
georg.raab@ec.europa.eu

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/finance/index_en.htm

Moscow 23 April.

Nelson will be speaking during two sessions at the EBAN Annual Congress 2012.

Public Financial Mechanisms Used to Support/ Stimulate the Early Stage Market in Europe and Russia
And
Early Stage Co-Investment Schemes: Successes, Challenges and Trends

Belfast 5 April. 6th April 1012 sees the introduction of the new UK tax incentive for Angel Investors – Seed EIS.
At an Event organised by the Chartered Accountants Ireland, Nelson, along with representatives from the UK Revenue service will outline the significant new benefits available and the most efficient ways for potential new angel investors to start making early stage investments.
With tax incentives of over 78% on investments of up to £100,000 per year, and with subsequent capital gains being potentially completely tax free, many new investors are likely to be attracted to become angels. But, with an many as 56% of angel backed companies failing, what is the best way to become involved? How do you find appropriate deals and what due diligence do you need to do? What about valuation and best exit options? Nelson will urge that “spray and pray” is not the best strategy, and that it would be better to join with more experience angels in syndicated deals to start with, and to build a portfolio of deals to spread the risk.

Belfast 4 April

On behalf of HALO, the business angel network for Northern Ireland (www.nisp.co.uk/?page_id=32), Nelson to deliver a seminar on Due Diligence for angel investors. This will emphasis the importance of Due Diligence, and explore the real issues that angels need to look out for. Due Diligence is not a question of filling in a bunch of forms or ticking off a list of standard questions. In reality Due Diligence begins well before an investment proposal is ever revived, and continues until after the exit. And if you think its just cash you can lose as an angel if a company is unsuccessful - you really don’t understand what you are doing – it can get much worse than that!