Boosting stakeholders for strong

early stage financing ecosystems

efino is a global training, advisory and operating firm launched in 2019 by three experienced angel investors and entrepreneurs. It is on a mission to boost key ecosystem stakeholders to perform at their best and contribute to filling the early stage financing gap. efino helps:

Investors
build, manage and exit
startup investment portfolios

Entrepreneurs
plan, prepare, test, run, close
and leverage financing rounds

Angel networks
design structure, set up team and tools and engage
members to achieve growth and economic viability

Development agencies
design, set up and run
sustainable ecosystem-building initiatives

efino’s vision is that strong and diverse early stage financing ecosystems around the world
will unleash huge entrepreneurial potential and impact

Methodology

efino brings value to clients by co-creating practical modular solutions based on proven approaches;
by applying learning by doing methodology and by accompanying them throughout their journey

Organizations

Development
Agencies

To increase their capacity and reach to make entrepreneurship support accessible, by offering investor readiness and capacity building programs in developing countries.

Angel
Network

To set up an efficient organization that provides full assistance during the whole investment process to their members, from the generation of investment opportunity flows, analysis and selection of such opportunities, decision making, negotiation of agreements and syndication vehicles.

Investors

Business Angels

To learn how to build a diversified portfolio of investments by developing your own investment strategy, selecting the right deals, negotiating the terms and conditions and managing your investments to become a successful business angel.

Family Offices

To understand the benefits and rewards linked to early stage investing and learn how to expand your investment portfolio into this new asset class.

Fund Managers

To be trained in all aspects of setting up and running a fund, including the onboarding and managing of the LPs.

Entrepreneurs

To prepare the founders team as well as the company to raise funds by understanding the different options available, the specific needs of the company and the challenges when facing individual investors and VCs.

“Our iterations with efino last and this year have been an absolute blast! Cooperation with them is not only beneficial for the sake of the knowledge and skills we have received but because they manage our expectations, resolve our fears and encourage us to think bigger when it comes to making an impact in the entrepreneurial and investment areas. Their vast experience in angel investing and angel network management was crucial for activating DSI business angel network and making the first investments. After organizing our work in line with their training and suggestions we have received multiple comments on how angels and startups have never experienced such events and processes, and that says it all! “

Nataša Škrbić, Program Director for the Startup Ecosystem Digital Serbia Initiative

“At the end of 2020, the Peruvian government approved a $ USD 20 million Fund of Fund, administered by COFIDE, to bolster first-time fund managers and attract more capital. Concerned about the sustainability of the Fund of funds, COFIDE and Swiss EP team up with EFINO to deploy a training program to unlock VC expertise to potential local investors. Thanks to their more than 30 years of investment experience, sound knowledge of Latam and track record delivering capacity-building programs around the world, Brigitte, Clara, and Maria Carolina were the perfect fit to put forward this initiative. The program helped 19 potential VC investors to get the basic foundations of investing, due diligence, valuation methods, term sheet conditions, and fund economics. The training took part in 7 live sessions, combined with pre-recorded materials, personalized mentoring, and a hands-on experience analyzing 2 local startups in fundraising process.”

Juan Carlos Crespo, Subgerente de Competitividad Departamento de Competitividad Gerencia de Desarrollo e Innovación COFIDE

“efino has been instrumental for us in closing our first external funding round at Out-Class. Maria Carolina is an exceptional coach having a diverse range of strengths that she brings to the table in every meeting. Her forte lies in her ability to zoom out to assess a wider business landscape and within minutes to zoom back in for a sharper focus. With her help we were able to highlight our blind spots, envisage investor mindsets, iterate and reiterate our preparation and finally, make the right business decisions at the right time.”

Aiman Bashir, Out-Class CEO

“Working with efino has been an absolute pleasure. The team goes far beyond expectations to deliver real value to the beneficiaries – investors, startups or support organizations. In each activity, be it a series of conversations with a potential angel or an extensive investment readiness program, efino always show the highest level of professionalism and deliver quality services that are highly appreciated by the end beneficiaries. Beyond their professionalism, efino achieves success thanks to its approach and attitude. They are flexible in intervention design, tailoring activities to address the real and agreed upon needs of the beneficiaries, always keeping in mind the local context. Most importantly, working with efino, you are always left with sensation that they genuinely care about you and your mission, and it is this sense of empathy for other people, mixed with high caliber knowledge, skills and experience transfer that make efino deliver a high learning impact and positive change.”

Jakob Modéer, Regional Manager Western Balkans Swiss Entrepreneurship Program

“efino was recommended to us by our funding partner. By the time our collaboration started, the DNA was growing quite rapidly and thus facing a lot of challenges. Not only did they coach the founding team, but they also provided invaluable guidance on how to manage the network effectively, roll up their sleeves and set to work hard alongside us helping on recruitments of key hires, re-engineering our processes and executing them. The support offered was just amazing and it outweighs the very impressive short-term gains as they contributed to laying the foundations for a strong and sustainable growth in the future. efino quickly became part of the DNA family and will remain as such. On behalf of the network, I want to express my gratitude to them and thank them for a well thought experience that has certainly transformed the DNA for the better.”

Marième Diop, Founder of the DNA

“Our iterations with efino last and this year have been an absolute blast! Cooperation with them is not only beneficial for the sake of the knowledge and skills we have received but because they manage our expectations, resolve our fears and encourage us to think bigger when it comes to making an impact in the entrepreneurial and investment areas. Their vast experience in angel investing and angel network management was crucial for activating DSI business angel network and making the first investments. After organizing our work in line with their training and suggestions we have received multiple comments on how angels and startups have never experienced such events and processes, and that says it all! “

Nataša Škrbić, Program Director for the Startup Ecosystem Digital Serbia Initiative

“At the end of 2020, the Peruvian government approved a $ USD 20 million Fund of Fund, administered by COFIDE, to bolster first-time fund managers and attract more capital. Concerned about the sustainability of the Fund of funds, COFIDE and Swiss EP team up with EFINO to deploy a training program to unlock VC expertise to potential local investors. Thanks to their more than 30 years of investment experience, sound knowledge of Latam and track record delivering capacity-building programs around the world, Brigitte, Clara, and Maria Carolina were the perfect fit to put forward this initiative. The program helped 19 potential VC investors to get the basic foundations of investing, due diligence, valuation methods, term sheet conditions, and fund economics. The training took part in 7 live sessions, combined with pre-recorded materials, personalized mentoring, and a hands-on experience analyzing 2 local startups in fundraising process.”

Juan Carlos Crespo, Subgerente de Competitividad Departamento de Competitividad Gerencia de Desarrollo e Innovación COFIDE

“efino has been instrumental for us in closing our first external funding round at Out-Class. Maria Carolina is an exceptional coach having a diverse range of strengths that she brings to the table in every meeting. Her forte lies in her ability to zoom out to assess a wider business landscape and within minutes to zoom back in for a sharper focus. With her help we were able to highlight our blind spots, envisage investor mindsets, iterate and reiterate our preparation and finally, make the right business decisions at the right time.”

Aiman Bashir, Out-Class CEO

“Working with efino has been an absolute pleasure. The team goes far beyond expectations to deliver real value to the beneficiaries – investors, startups or support organizations. In each activity, be it a series of conversations with a potential angel or an extensive investment readiness program, efino always show the highest level of professionalism and deliver quality services that are highly appreciated by the end beneficiaries. Beyond their professionalism, efino achieves success thanks to its approach and attitude. They are flexible in intervention design, tailoring activities to address the real and agreed upon needs of the beneficiaries, always keeping in mind the local context. Most importantly, working with efino, you are always left with sensation that they genuinely care about you and your mission, and it is this sense of empathy for other people, mixed with high caliber knowledge, skills and experience transfer that make efino deliver a high learning impact and positive change.”

Jakob Modéer, Regional Manager Western Balkans Swiss Entrepreneurship Program

“efino was recommended to us by our funding partner. By the time our collaboration started, the DNA was growing quite rapidly and thus facing a lot of challenges. Not only did they coach the founding team, but they also provided invaluable guidance on how to manage the network effectively, roll up their sleeves and set to work hard alongside us helping on recruitments of key hires, re-engineering our processes and executing them. The support offered was just amazing and it outweighs the very impressive short-term gains as they contributed to laying the foundations for a strong and sustainable growth in the future. efino quickly became part of the DNA family and will remain as such. On behalf of the network, I want to express my gratitude to them and thank them for a well thought experience that has certainly transformed the DNA for the better.”

Marième Diop, Founder of the DNA