Croatian President recieved award from European Business Angel Network (EBAN)

President of Croatia Mrs. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović received the prestigious “Visionary Leadership Award 2016” from the European business angel network (EBAN).

This prestigious award was presented by recently elected President of the EBAN’s Central-Eastern European and the President of the Croatian business angel network (CRANE) Davorin Štetner. While presenting the award, Davorin said that Mrs. Kolinda Grabar – Kitarović is the first person from the Croatian high policy that recognizes the importance of business angels and start-ups and includes them in her work with the Council for Economic Affairs.

At the same time, this was an opportunity to look back on an extremely successful international conference EBAN Winter University 2016, where a large number of foreign and local business angels and entrepreneurs gathered. The conference was held in Zagreb with the sponsorship and active support from the President Mrs. Grabar-Kitarović.

EBAN brings together more than 150 business angel organizations from more than 50 countries around the world related to investing in start-ups. Business angels are an important link in the development of startup companies because with money, their knowledge and network of contacts, business angels help with the rapid development of the company.

On the meeting, Davorin Štetner and Mrs. Kolinda Grabar – Kitarović highlighted and shared their view that for startup companies, but also for all small and medium-sized enterprises it is necessary to ensure simplification of business rules while reducing administrative – bureaucratic repression which with high labor costs and often changing laws most harms Croatia as a desirable destination for business.