Equity Thursday: Unpolished diamonds
Angel investing plays a critical role in identifying and shaping early-stage startups, turning “hidden gems” into successful scaleups through early backing, hands-on support and long-term strategic guidance.
This Equity Thursday online meetup, co-hosted with HunBAN, explored how angel investors identify and develop early-stage startups into successful scaleups, sharing real-life insights on backing “hidden gems”, supporting founders and enabling their path to international growth and follow-on investment.
Covered topics
- How angel investors identify high-potential early-stage startups (“hidden gems”)
- What it takes for startups to grow into successful scaleups
- The role of investors in mentoring, supporting and guiding founders
- Key red flags in teams and projects from an investor perspective
- How to prepare for follow-on funding and international investors
- What defines a strong investor–founder collaboration
Agenda
The free online meetup took place on Zoom, registration was required through the Equity Thursday meetup group.
17:15 - 17:30
Welcome & introduction by Absolvo and HunBAN
17:30 - 17:35
Panel discussion: From “hidden gems” to scaleups
Our speakers share first-hand experience on how they identify high-potential early-stage teams, invest before market validation, and support founders through mentorship, strategic guidance and network access.
17:35 - 18:10
Case studies & investor perspectives
Deep dive into real startup journeys, including examples such as Shapr3D and Tresorit, exploring how these companies evolved from early-stage ventures into internationally recognised scaleups, and what role angel investors played along the way.
18:10 - 18:30
Live Q&A
Open discussion with the audience, covering topics such as investment decision-making, red flags, and how founders can better prepare for raising capital.
18:30 - 18:45
Organized in partnership with:
About the speakers:
Zsolt Weiszbart is a Partner at Day One Capital and an early-stage investor in companies such as Distinction (acquired by Skyscanner), Nowtechnologies, Recart, Craft and Shapr3D, where he was the first investor. He brings hands-on experience in identifying high-potential startups at an early stage and supporting their journey towards international scale and follow-on investment.
Marton Szoke is a pioneer of angel investing in Hungary and the founder of IndexTools, acquired by Yahoo in 2008. As an active investor, he has contributed to the growth of companies including Tresorit, Bitrise, Recart and Logiscool, and is known for his strong focus on building and supporting high-performing founding teams.
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