EUROPEAN BUSINESS ANGEL NETWORK EUROPEAN ... - Idepa

1. Background
EUROPEAN BUSINESS ANGEL NETWORK - Directory of Network 2005
BELGIUM
2005
Since 1998, seven BANs have emerged in Belgium. These networks were set up in the period
1998-2001. They guaranteed a complete coverage of the Belgian area: 4 networks in
Flanders, 2 in Wallonia and 1 in Brussels. In the beginning of 2004, the 4 Flemish networks
merged into 1 Flemish network: BAN Vlaanderen.
As per today, Belgian counts 4 networks: 1 network in Flanders, 2 in Wallonia and 1 in
Brussels.
The international (inter-regional) network Euban (B-D-NL) operates in the eastern part of the
country.
2. Statistics
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003* 2004**
Number of BANs 1 4 6 7 7 7 5
Number of Business Angels 0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 160
Number of deals 0 1 19 39 31 37 29
Number of accredited projects 0 n/a 260 370 273 229 136
Number of commercial BANs 0 2 2 2 2 2 1
Number of non-commercial BANs 1 2 4 5 5 5 4
Number of national BANs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of regional BANs 1 4 6 7 7 7 5
National association 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
*Up to 2003, 7 networks were operating in Belgium, 4 in Flanders and 3 in Wallonia and Brussels.
**Including Euban
3. BAN legal status
In Belgium, 4 out of 5 networks are not for profit organisations. The other one is a commercial
BAN.
Not-for-profit does not mean that these are public organisations: some are created together
with development agencies, others are emanations of business schools, of business
innovation centres and of private investors.
4. National association
The 5 Belgian networks all join forces in BeBAN, the Belgian Association of Business Angels
Networks. Its main goal is the promotion of the visibility of business angel finance and
business angel networks. A code of conduct was elaborated and subscribed by all existing
networks.
BeBAN became the facilitator in setting up cooperation between all Belgian BANs and other
governmental, public and private organizations active in the field of risk capital. For instance,
in 2002 a new product, the “business angel+”-loan, was launched by the national Participation
Fund to give a favourable subordinated loan collateral to a BA-input realized through a BAN.
The BeBAN contact details are:
Mr Reginald VOSSEN, Chairman BeBAN
C/o BAN Vlaanderen vzw
Kunstlaan 18
3500 HASSELT (B)
E: r.vossen@banvlaanderen.be; W: www.banvlaanderen.be
15