ESIL (Early Stage Investing Launchpad) has launched the ESIL Angel Academy. This initiative is completely free and offers a comprehensive online learning experience for both aspiring and active business angels. The tool is designed to help current and future angels invest in innovative startups.
ESIL is a European initiative started in 2017, designed to strengthen the European angel ecosystem and professionalise angel investing across Europe. ESIL’s three main focuses are strengthening the angel ecosystems in key target countries where angel investing is less developed, building a connected and dynamic European angel investment market, and connecting angels and innovation actors with early-stage deep tech researchers.
A combination of initiatives like online networking, e-pitches, masterclasses, workshops and trainings help ESIL tailor their support to business angels. By bringing together investors and innovative startups from across Europe, ESIL helps build a stronger, more connected and more professional angel investment community. The newly launched ESIL Angel Academy is one of those initiatives, offering aspiring and active business angels free online training from experienced investors and ecosystem experts.
The ESIL Angel Academy: translating ESIL's mission into practice
The ESIL Angel Academy is a free and online course that provides a structured learning experience for current and aspiring angel investors. The program contains key insights, templates, tools and essential investment knowledge from more than 30 industry experts, and aims to equip participants with the knowledge and confidence needed to become effective angel investors.
The ESIL Angel Academy covers the full angel investment journey through practical and on-demand courses: from identifying and evaluating promising startups to structuring deals, mentoring founders and investing in deep-tech innovation. Participants also gain insights into risk management, diversity in investing and the broader European startup ecosystem, drawing on the experience of leading angel investors and industry experts from across Europe.
BAN Flanders and ESIL: connected through a shared European vision
The launch of the ESIL Angel Academy is particularly relevant for BAN Flanders. Our connection to the initiative runs through Reginald Vossen, CEO of BAN Flanders and President of Business Angels Europe (BAE), the European federation representing angel investment networks across the continent. BAE is one of the organisations leading the ESIL programme, alongside META Group and Bpifrance, with a shared ambition to strengthen and diversify Europe's angel investment ecosystem.
That ambition closely mirrors BAN Flanders' own mission. Both organisations believe that successful angel investing relies not only on access to capital, but also on education, mentorship, knowledge sharing and strong investor networks. By helping current and future business angels develop their skills, initiatives such as ESIL contribute to a more professional and connected investment landscape across Europe.
For BAN Flanders, the ESIL Angel Academy is therefore more than just a new learning platform. It is an example of how local and European initiatives can work towards the same goal: empowering business angels to support the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs.
Sources: ESIL, ESIL Angel Academy and BAE
Join the ESIL Angel Academy!The ESIL Angel Academy is a free e-learning course that offers over 20 hours of on-demand content designed to guide aspiring and early-stage angel investors through the fundamentals of startup investing and mentorship.
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