September 14 DELab Talks “The Missing Link” with Candace Johnson
The 9th EuroMed: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Digital Ecosystems conference included an inspiring meeting with Candace Johnson, president of EBAN (The European Trade Association for Business Angels), and founder and president of – SES/ ASTRA and SES Global the world's pre-eminent satellite group – Europe Online Investments SA – Loral Cyberstar-Teleport Europe, the first private company providing cross-border satellite communication services in Europe – Global Telecom Women's Network (GTWN) – VATM (the Association of Private Telecom Operators) in Germany.
Candace highlighted the challenges faced by start-ups, shared advice on running a business and emphasised the importance of a positive and ambitious mindset. She told the story of her business, which she founded at the age of 23, the problems she had to face and the ways she solved them. The engaged audience asked questions about the development of their own start-ups. Candace also emphasised the important place of women in business, emphasised the importance of their entrepreneurship and role in the labour market. She presented the story of several women from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, who, at her urging, developed a communication network using satellites, providing access to the Internet throughout the region. According to Candace, the most valuable thing is to turn an idea into an innovation. The modern economy focuses on innovation, and large corporations need it to develop. However, the cooperation between innovative start-ups and large companies is hindered by the issue of the so-called "missing link", i.e. the lack of connection between large corporations called "Business ventures" and small start-ups. Large companies expect financial liquidity and an appropriate organizational culture from start-ups, but this is often not possible without appropriate financial support. This support is provided by, among others, business angels, people like her, who invest their own money in start-ups, give them time to develop and do not expect immediate profits. We invite you to see photos from this extraordinary event!