I am confident that the WBAF Thailand Country Office, NSTDA, will open up splendid opportunities for the country and provide a wide range of advantages for Thai start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, innovators and high-growth businesses. Thai angel investors and aspiring entrepreneurs will now have more opportunity to connect with global leaders in equity and capital markets. As an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), WBAF supports start-ups, encourages the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. It also helps venture capital and companies connect with international companies, fintechs and other relevant institutions. I believe WBAF will contribute to the economic development of Thailand by facilitating connections with entrepreneurial ecosystems. I have no doubt that Thailand will continue to develop its economy in an entrepreneurial atmosphere.

Baybars Altuntas
Chairman, World Business Angels Investment Forum

"Today we are marking another important milestone by establishing the WBAF Thailand Office, the first WBAF country office in South East Asia. The WBAF Thailand Office aims to strengthen the start-up community by bringing together entrepreneurs and angel investors from local and abroad, thus, stimulating and fostering the growth of startups and SMEs community.  The office will also help bridging global network of Angel Investors and train experts to grow Angel Investors, not only in Thailand but also in the neighboring countries, providing more access to finance for the startups and SMEs community.

Dr. Narong Sirilertworakul
President of NSTDA
WBAF Thailand Office High Commissioner

The WBAF Thailand Country Office will be instrumental in advancing research, development and innovation to commercialization.  I look forward to the office creating further linkage and support for start-ups/scale-ups and high-growth businesses and initiate opportunities to connect with hundreds of highly qualified angel investors from Thailand and abroad.  This will provide access to financing outside the mainstream banking to facilitate acceleration of financial inclusion, thus stimulate the growth of SMEs along with supporting job creation.

Welcome to WBAF Thailand!

Dr. Thitapha Smitinont
Executive Vice President of NSTDA
WBAF Thailand Office Country Director

The WBAF wants to give 100 start-ups, scale-ups and high-growth businesses an opportunity to connect with hundreds of highly qualified angel investors from five continents. We are therefore allocating a special area at WBAF 2019, where 100 start-ups, scale-ups and high-growth businesses will each have a designated area to showcase their business. The WBAF Take Invest Summit 2019 will essentially be a co-investment platform for angel investors, start-ups, scale-ups and high-growth businesses. In addition to opening an exhibition booth, each team will be asked to make a 3-minute pitch to investors on the Global Pitching Stage.

The World Business Angels Investment Forum offers a wide variety of workshops at WBAF 2019, using a range of inputs (case studies, panel discussions, and presentations, to name a few), all of which encourage active participation and interaction on the part of those attending.The WBAF 2019 Workshops serve not just business angels; all types of stakeholders are welcome.

After the first cohort of the QBAC+ program at the London Stock Exchange Group, the next cohort of the certification program will start immediately after WBAF 2019. An intensive course will be held in Istanbul at the Swissotel The Bosphorus 20 – 22 February, which will provide an opportunity to be recognised as Qualified Angel Investor. For anyone new to angel investing, this is an invaluable course that covers the most important aspects of investing and ways to avoid the pitfalls angel investors may encounter. This course is for professionals (including CEOs) from listed companies or anyone who has an entrepreneurial background,directors of business angel networks, acceleration and incubation centres and technoparks and anyone who wants to set up a business angel network or create a business angel investment group.

With its Excellence Awards, the World Business Angels Investment Forum looks beyond borders. It seeks to promote and nurture start-ups, scale-ups, high-growth businesses, SMEs, angel investors, and a dynamic business community throughout the world. From business angels to policymakers to academics, the Awards salute those who stand out in imagining, discussing, and shaping the future of an entrepreneurial world.