February 2013
Venture Capital in Europe: High-Level Working Lunch
Under the timely theme How Smart Policy Choices Can Attract International Venture Capital, the Lisbon Council convened a High-Level Working Lunch on Investing in Europe. Brad Burnham, managing partner at Union Square Ventures, kicked-off the debate with a fascinating presentation on the changing norms – and coming challenges – of venture capital on both sides of the Atlantic (Mr. Burnham was an initial seed investor in such run-away Internet-based businesses as twitter and Kickstarter). Philippe de Backer, member of the European Parliament (ALDE-Belgium); Alexander von Gabain, chairman of the governing board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); Oliver Gajda, co-founder and co-chair of the European Crowdfunding Network; Luis Galveias, director of secretariat at the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and other Early Stage Market Players (EBAN); Simon Hampton, director of European public policy at Google; John A. Holloway, director for transaction and relationship management at the European Investment Fund (EIF); Thibaut Kleiner, member of cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes; José Manuel Leceta, director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT); Philippe Legrain, principal adviser and head of analysis team at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission; Frédéric Michel, Europe director of Telefónica; Emil Paulis, director for financial markets at the European Commission’s directorate-general for internal market and services; Baudouin Regout, adviser for economic, financial and banking questions at the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) of the European Commission; and Kristin Schreiber, deputy head of cabinet of European Commissioner Michel Barnier, and others also intervened in a rich and fascinating debate.