Private Equity & Entrepreneurship

The Workshop aims to call attention on the importance of private equity and venture capital as fresh-and-new sources of funding capital to trigger the growth of firms in the wide area of Southern Italy known as “Mezzogiorno”. While such firms, namely small and mediumsized firms and family managed and controlled companies, often bear vast potential to expand their market shares and operating span in their respective industries, in the area at hand they frequently suffer from financial and managerial constraints. Depending on the various stages of their lifecycle, private equitors and venture capitalists can be important drivers in the activation of firm growth in Southern Italy as they are excellent complements to other traditional forms of funding. In addition, the new rules set by the Basel 2 Agreement in Europe and the wide-reaching globalization process will induce entrepreneurs to increasingly open the equity of their firms to external investors.The workshop has immediately gathered the interest of numerous outstanding professionals from leading investment banks, consulting and law firms, business angels and academics. The Workshop will be held at the Grand Hotel San Domenico of Taormina in a breathtaking scenario overlooking the black Etna Volcano and the deep blue Mediterranean Sea.