Schedule

Friday, 16 May 2008

All Day Arrival of participants
20:00 Welcome Reception, Greenville Restaurant

Saturday, 17 May 2008

08:30 - 09:00 Registration & Networking Coffee
09:00 – 09:15 Welcome Address by the US Ambassador and USAID Director
09:15 – 09:30 Opening Remarks by Nikolay Yarmov, CEED Bulgaria and SEAF, Washington DC 09:30 – 10:15 Keynote Speaker “The Power of Angel Investing”


 
John May, Managing Partner of New Vantage Group, Chairman of Angel Capital Association, and author of “Every Business Needs an Angel.” John will outline how the development of angel capital networks can play a pivotal role throughout Eastern Europe. He will also outline what angel investors look for in emerging companies and the entrepreneurs who run them.

10:15 - 10:45 Refreshment Break & Networking
10:45 - 11:00 Company Spotlight

Want to get a possibility to pitch your business idea? Here is your chance. A few conference participants will have the opportunity to go on stage and briefly present their company or project. (3 participating companies will have up to 5 min. each to make an elevator pitch in front of the audience and potential investors)

11:00 – 12:00 Great Fund Raising Success Stories

What better way to learn the ropes than to hear it from those who have done it! Several entrepreneurs will ‘tell their stories’ including their business model, their goals, their capital gaps, how they approached capital providers, their “pitch,” the due diligence process, the finance infusion, and the business progress vs. milestones. In the process they will outline the greatest issues, advantages and challenges, and provide practical examples, solutions, and steps that you can then build into your approach.

Moderator: Steve Eastham, Senior Capital Markets Adviser, USAID Washington

Panelists:

• Thomas M. Higgins, Managing Partner, Balkan Accession Fund C.V. (BAF)
• Deyan Vasilev, Executive Director, MoitePari.BG

12:00 – 12:30 Q&A Session

Moderator: Dragana Radevic, Executive Director, CEED Montenegro

12:30 – 13:45 Power Lunch & Networking
14:00 - 14:15 Company Spotlight

This will be a second session to hear entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas. Again a few conference participants will be selected to go on stage and briefly present their company or project profile. (3 participating companies will have up to 5 min. each to make an elevator pitch in front of the audience and potential investors)

14:15 – 15:15 Are You Ready for the Cash? This is what you need to do.

Usually companies need to have the adequate capital structure in order to be able to attract outside investors such as banks, private equity and/or VC. And while that is generally true, there is much more that firms need to do before they might actually get private equity and VC commitment. During this session, several financial experts and seasoned investors will discuss the things they like to see or have done before they ”pull the trigger.” They will discuss such things as your business model, what your team should look like, your investment strategy, and of course the business track record – earnings, costs and returns.

Moderator: Jovan Madzovski, Executive Director, CEED Macedonia

Panelists:

• Danail Danailov, Senior Investment Officer, SEAF Trans Balkan Bulgaria Fund
• Company/Investors, Romania
• Company/Investors, Slovenia
• Company/Investors, Macedonia
• Company/Investors, Montenegro

15:15 – 15:45 Q&A Session

Moderator: Cristina Manescu, Executive Director, CEED Romania

15:45 - 16:15 Refreshment Break & Networking
16:15 – 18:00 Speed Dating and Matchmaking

Moderator: Barbara Bregar-Mrzlikar, Executive Director, CEED Slovenia

Investors’ Fair & Posters Session (in the hotel lobby bar)

One-on-One Investor Meetings(hotel executive suite)

20:00 – 24:00 Bulgarian Folk Dinner, Vodenitsata Restaurant

Sunday, 18 May 2008

All Day Business & Leisure
Golf Tournament & Networking

Conference participants will have an option to experience Bulgarian golf course in Ihtiman near Sofia and play 6 holes in a friendly business environment.