“On an individual level, innovative entrepreneurship has the potential to educate and inspire people to improve their lives and communities.”
#LEAP23 speaker Ana Barjasic (Founder and CEO at Connectology) is a Board Member on the European Innovation Council, and an international expert on entrepreneurship. With a focus on early-stage investment and a keen understanding of investment readiness, Barjasic founded Connectology to develop entrepreneurial projects and offer investments to selected early-stage startups.
All of that to say, there are few people better placed to help entrepreneurs understand the processes they’re walking into when they decide to seek funding, and few people with Barjasic’s tireless drive to elevate and empower entrepreneurs.
Why? Because Barjasic recognises the critical role that entrepreneurs play in building a positive, sustainable, and better future.
“Connectology is an international investment and advisory firm, focusing on early stage entrepreneurship and innovation. Connectology’s approach is based on our signature Zero Risk Startup methodology, which offers a comprehensive framework for identifying and mitigating the main five risks in early stage startups. Zero Risk Startup is more than a strategy, it is a mindset, which was developed building on decades of extensive investment experience of our core team. Thanks to this unique concept, Connectology affiliated companies have so far raised over 150 million euros in funding.”
“Our main criteria is innovation. The more innovative the project is, the more interesting it is for us. Connectology’s portfolio includes projects of different industries, from food & beverage to fintech and behavioural science, however all projects contain at least one novel element. As the market shifts and emerging industries are attracting the spotlight, our investment thesis is changing as well, and we are looking to support more companies operating in the climate tech and femtech space.”
“Investment readiness refers to the readiness of a business to receive investment or not. This concept goes beyond having an attractive pitch deck and a good story behind it. Investors expect entrepreneurs to be able to understand key financial and legal terminology, but also their market, competition, business model and so on.
“Startups looking to raise money should take this seriously not only from the perspective of reaching out to investors, but to also be better protected in negotiations. Investment readiness programs are becoming mainstream all over the world, often online and for free and there is no excuse for entrepreneurs not to take the opportunity to get well informed.”
“One of the most common mistakes is related to poor fundraising roadmap and strategy. Often, early stage entrepreneurs sell a significant percentage of their shares to investors in the initial financing rounds, which may translate to loss of control of the company in subsequent rounds, when company needs become more capital intensive. Another common mistake is accepting terms of the shareholders agreement without completely understanding the concepts and their potential consequences.”
“Innovative entrepreneurs are critical for creative problem-solving that changes and benefits societies globally.
“Many products and services we use on a daily basis are results of innovative businesses, in the beginning often operating as startups with small teams. Innovative entrepreneurship is gaining its deserved momentum worldwide, and its relevance for the international economy is tackled in the media, academia, regulatory and policy spheres.
“On an individual level, innovative entrepreneurship has the potential to educate and inspire people to improve their lives and communities.”
Thanks to Ana Barjasic at Connectology. Discover LEAP 2023 to learn more.
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