Scottish businesses could be set to benefit from a massive funding injection as potential investors from across the globe prepare for the Connect Investment Conference 2010.
Investors will assemble to hear pitches from a hand-picked selection of up-and-coming businesses at the Connect Conference, to be held at the George Hotel, Edinburgh on the 16th and 17th November this year. The annual investment event is being run by The GO Group, one of Scotland’s largest business support organisations.
And the three key sectors which are attracting the most attention from would-be investors are energy (oil and gas and renewable such as wind and wave power), IT and healthcare. In a time of almost zero economic growth, these industries put Scotland firmly in the sights of investors looking for a strong return on their capital.
Scotland benefits from a unique combination of natural resources, which give us the lead in the energy sector; and a very strong university base, which produces specialised spin-off companies driving breakthrough technologies in all three sectors.
Isabell Majewsky, chief executive of The GO Group, said: “Scotland has a favourable tax regime and businesses see the financial benefits of being in a UK enterprise zone. On top of that, the labour markets are strong, highly educated and world renowned for academic excellence and innovation. It is no surprise that Scottish Development International figures show Scotland as the seventh most attractive destination for business investment in the world.”
The Connect Conference will serve as a platform to put discerning investors in touch with businesses who have the ideas but not the funding for growth. Majewsky added: “We will be selecting businesses to pitch at the Connect Conference based on the strength of their ideas, plans for growth, experience and knowledge within their team, networks, intellectual property and whether we feel that they have the drive to take the business from infancy to something of great value.”
Visit www.connectscotland.co.uk for further details.
