On June 16, 2019, Georgia’s TBC Bank organized the second regional business forum series with the support of the EFSE Development Facility (DF) under its Entrepreneurship Academy. Held in Telavi in the Kakheti Region, an area famous for wine and agri-tourism, the business forum attracted around 200 representatives of the region’s micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) – both from established companies as well as from start-ups. 

The forum comprised of presentations on business topics for the entire audience, as well as separate workshops for those interested in specific business sectors. Topics included discussions on trends in business, corporate culture and management, accounting and tax news, marketing, as well as specific information for the hospitality and agri-tourism sector.

Representing EFSE was Ivane Lekvtadze from the funds advisor Finance in Motion who highlighted the strategic partnership between the EFSE DF and TBC Bank, emphasizing the importance of business development in the country. 

The aim of the regional business forum series is not only to provide MSMEs with updates on the current approaches of business management, but also to facilitate networking and exchange among local MSMEs. The provision of non-financial services to start-ups and established MSMEs alike aims to help them develop their business capacity in a responsible and sustainable manner and contributes to developing the entrepreneurial culture in the country.

The EFSE Entrepreneurship Academy plans to support 2-3 more events in the TBC Business Forum series, to be held in other regions of Georgia throughout the year.