ProSeed partners with Sharelink

ProSeed Capital, the Belgian early stage investor has agreed a partnership with Cypriot firm, Sharelink Financial Services. Together the two companies will assist life science and technology companies in Cyprus, Greece, Belgium and Israel. ProSeed and Sharelink will provide technical and financial services advice respectively, to ProSeed’s portfolio companies and third parties. They may also invest together in the future.

Marios Argyris is head of venture capital at Sharelink Financial Services, which has been providing investment management advice since 1988. Sharelink has grown its practice from its stockbroking origins and expanded to become a financial services group with diverse operations including investment banking, asset management, venture capital/private equity and research.

“An interesting opportunity has been created with the coming accession of Cyprus to the European Union. Cyprus is an attractive location, both for European technology companies moving eastward in search of markets, or for VC funding and/or business development purposes. Cyprus has all the ingredients to develop into a technology node in the region and we are here to facilitate this,” says Argyris. Sharelink has an SFA-regulated subsidiary in London and venture capital operations in Greece.

Currently, ProSeed’s activities (seed investing, venture capital fund management, investment banking and consulting) are primarily focused in Belgium, Israel and the US, where the company has offices. The company operates Boston-based ProSeed Biotech Services, which provides consulting services for life science companies and investors, ProSeed Ventures, a venture capital fund management business and Avian Securities, which focuses on brokerage, research and investment banking services. The partnership with Sharelink will open another market for the investor.

Benjamin van Oudenhove, chairman and co-CEO of ProSeed, said: “The violent political state in Israel, where we are active, means many companies are considering making the short move to Cyprus. There is currently a lack of venture capital experience and expertise we hope to fill.”