Home Small Business Europe Gets First B2B Investor Relations Platform
Europe Gets First B2B Investor Relations Platform
By John Lewell | December 01, 2000
[London, ENGLAND] Launched Friday is a new Internet site that allows companies to present information about their businesses directly to European financial professionals.
Named Equitystory.com, the site originates in Germany, the brainchild of Achim Weick who conceived the idea on a flight to London to make presentations to investors. Unable to land due to heavy fog, Weick missed his appointment and suddenly realized that he what he really needed was a Virtual Roadshow rather than being there in person.
To present the objectives, visions and management of public limited companies Equitystory.com uses multimedia Internet technology with supporting texts and graphics. The main presentation is called a "CyberRoadshow," and there are other additional options including "CyberCompanyVisit" -- a virtual visit to a company to give investors an impression of its employees, offices, factories, etc.
Managing Director Wolfgang Reichert, a certified DVFA/CEFA financial analyst, believes the site will become a central platform for financial professionals.
"EquityStory.com is tailored exactly to the needs of financial professionals -- within no time at all a fund manager, for example, can gain an impression of the business and the people who work there. At the same time, he can be sure that the information is always up to date and authorized by the business, since we work directly in concert with the public limited companies."
Reichert suggested that this form of direct contact with companies presented a distinct advantage over financial portals. It remains to be seen, however, whether professional investors will stick with objective, third-party information or if they will prefer the official corporate message supported by PR production values -- or if they will use both, as seems likely.
Finance professionals can access the site free of charge to see all the information and films about the companies that are represented there.
EquityStory.com says it is currently producing B2B investor relations sites for Net@G, EM.TV & Merchandising AG, Internationalmedia AG, H5B5 Media AG, and other companies.