Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN)

Writing the check is the easy part. Leading the syndicate afterwards? That's where things get real, and that's exactly what yesterday's Lead Investor Academy was built for.🎓 It's part of the programs we offer at FiBAN, built specifically for experienced angels who are ready to move from backing deals to leading them. Hosted at Krogerus in Helsinki, we discussed many topics and learned from very experienced angel and VC investors about the role of the lead investor, benefits and responsibilities, practical tools, risks and rewards, documentation, agreements, clauses, and strategies. Thank you to our speakers: 🎙️ Jan Johanson and Janna Pihanurmi , Krogerus, on the legal fundamentals of leading a syndicate 🎙️ Tuomas Pahlman , on investment motivation, team evaluation, and negotiations 🎙️ Reima Linnanvirta , on due diligence and closing the deal Thank you to everyone who joined, and to Krogerus for hosting us. 🔥

Yesterday, Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN) hosted a Startup Clinic held in partnership with Danske Bank A practical, hands-on space where founders connected directly with FiBAN members, fellow founders, and our partners, walking away with real input on building and improving their company and funding strategy. The goal of these Startup Clinics is simple: to connect, share challenges, and exchange ideas on how to move businesses forward. 🚀Next Startup Clinic is coming up on 13.11 in Epicenter Helsinki, this time with a go-to-market focus, held in collaboration with HubSpot. Startup Clinic registration link in comments below 👇

Did you know that besides angel investors, FiBAN community consists of 60+ partner organizations: ecosystem partners, companies and VC investors? ☕Yesterday we invited them to Epicenter Helsinki for breakfast, introductions, and a look at what's been happening across the network. Mari Kirjalainen opened with the latest from FiBAN, Kristian Nieminen shared more about the FiBAN × Epicenter partnership, and partners had the floor to introduce themselves and their work. A tour of Epicenter's co-working spaces rounded off the morning for those who wanted to explore. Thank you to Epicenter Helsinki for hosting — and to all our partners who made time to join. 🤝 FiBAN opens our partners doors to the unique angel investor and partner network. Interested in joining the FiBAN partner community? Find out more in the comments.

✅ This autumn's FiBAN Academy is a wrap. Yesterday we closed it out with our Post-Investment Management -session, hosted by our partner Danske Bank in Helsinki. Thank you to our speakers: 🎙️ Reima Linnanvirta, FiBAN President Emeritus and one of the most active angels in Finland and the Nordics 🎙️ Petri Rajahalme, founder of FOV Ventures, on investors' role in future funding rounds and what it takes to go from investment to success 🎓 Congratulations to everyone who completed all three modules, your Certified Angel Investor diploma is on its way! 🚀 Ready to take the next step? For those looking to go deeper — FiBAN Lead Investor Academy is designed for experienced angels who want to master syndicate leadership: from term sheets and due diligence to negotiations and post-investment management. Guided by some of Finland's most seasoned lead investors. Details and registration in the comments 👇

Start up applications are open for DECOI x Borderland 2026! Helsinki becomes the meeting point for Europe's defence and dual-use ecosystem on 17 November, during Slush week. From the applicant pool, 14 startups and scaleups will be chosen to pitch across two tracks, TRL 4–6 and TRL 7–9, in front of a room full of VCs, corporates, and public-sector decision-makers. Every selected company also gets a ticket to Slush 2026.🎟️ Organised by FiBAN and Borderland, in partnership with Patria, EUDIS Matchmaking (Civitta), and ecosystem partners Bittium, Business Finland, Define Riihimäki, Digital Defence Ecosystem, Latvia and Tesi. ⏳Applications close 2 October. Start up application and event registration links in the comments.

🎉 Baltic Sea Unicorns: The Iconic Investor After-Party Some of the most valuable conversations at Slush happen after the sessions end. FiBAN, together with Latvia, Startup Lithuania, EIS | Enterprise Estonia, and Aleph Digital, is pleased to host Baltic Sea Unicorns, an evening bringing together 300+ investors from across the Nordics and Baltics on Slush Day 0. This is a dedicated space for the region's investor community to connect, in a setting that allows for the kind of conversation the conference floor doesn't. Access is limited to Slush Investor Pass holders, invited guests, and FiBAN members & partners. 📅 17 November, 19.00–22.00 📍 Vanha Ylioppilastalo, Helsinki Save your spot! Link in the comments.

What a week the FiBAN delegation had in Texas! We wrapped up our Austin program on Friday with a packed morning: a session with FBFK Law and Sarah Florer on startup legal structures, capital raising, and IP protection in the US market (incredibly useful for anyone thinking about a US expansion), followed by a meeting with Nexit Ventures and Michel Wendell. We closed with a farewell lunch with Elizabeth Jennings and local investor community joining us: it was wonderful to meet you Pia Hytönen 🇫🇮🇺🇸, Mortada Mohamed , Amber Gunst , Oksana Malysheva 🇺🇦 . Next, part of the group headed to Dallas for a dinner with Finnish American Chamber of Commerce, North Texas. A warm and wonderful end to an extraordinary week. Thank you to our new friends Javier Roig , Abigail Megan Mela Reija Millner , Vesa Jaamuru Dr. Petri I. Salonen Rita Salonen and Kenneth Niesman. In one week, our delegation of FiBAN angel investors and partners met with world-class VCs, deep tech incubators, accelerators, law firms, and startup communities across Houston and Austin. We opened doors, built relationships, and brought back insights from USA. We run delegation trips like this every year for FiBAN members and partners, to destinations where the most interesting things are happening. Stay tuned for the next opportunity. 👀 Thank you to everyone who hosted us, met with us, and made this week unforgettable in Texas!🌵🤠 We have been lucky to travel with an amazing delegation: Ivan Helin, Tiina Laisi-Puheloinen and Mari Kirjalainen from the FiBAN office team, and the delegation participants: Ilkka Kaikuvuo, Mikael Paaso, Ulla Ristkari / StartHub, Antti Suikkanen and Jarno Saarinen / Lahden Seudun Kehitys LADEC Oy - Lahti Region Development LADEC Ltd, Eero Sihvonen, Niilo Tallberg, Annukka Pakarinen / Häme University of Applied Sciences, HAMK and Turo Numminen. Thank you Kasey Snyder from FiBAN partner Katalyst International , for supporting us with the delegation trip and putting together this fantastic program with the FiBAN team!

FiBAN delegation trips open doors for our investors and partners that aren't accessible otherwise. Currently, a delegation of 12 FiBAN members is exploring the Texas startup ecosystem - greetings from Austin! On Thursday, we sat down with the team at Vista Equity Partners, one of the world's leading technology-focused private equity firms. This visit was organised by Saku Sairanen and Fundco. Great discussions around Vista's investment strategy and AI. Our warmest thank you to Paul Sayers and all the speakers at Vista! Then headed to the Austin Technology Incubator at UT Austin Research to explore what's being built at the cutting edge of deep tech and microelectronics, hosted by Jes Torben. We also kicked off Thursday morning with Texas Economic Development Corporation and Opportunity Austin, where Dale Robertson and Corey Rose helped us to understand what's driving Texas's remarkable growth story. 🐂Thursday evening was spent the only way you should in Texas: bull riding and dinner on 6th Street, with a special guest Pia Hytönen 🇫🇮🇺🇸, a Finnish lady who does her business in Texas. Some of our angels turned out to be surprisingly talented in the saddle. No names mentioned, of course. 😄 We have been lucky to travel with an amazing delegation: Ivan Helin, Tiina Laisi-Puheloinen and Mari Kirjalainen from the FiBAN office team, and the delegation participants: Ilkka Kaikuvuo, Mikael Paaso, Ulla Ristkari / StartHub, Antti Suikkanen and Jarno Saarinen / Lahden Seudun Kehitys LADEC Oy - Lahti Region Development LADEC Ltd, Eero Sihvonen, Niilo Tallberg, Annukka Pakarinen / Häme University of Applied Sciences, HAMK and Turo Numminen. Thank you Kasey Snyder from FiBAN partner Katalyst International, for supporting us with the delegation trip and putting together this fantastic program with the FiBAN team!

Yesterday's screening board brought together FiBAN members and partners to review six startup cases across a range of sectors. Thank you to our partner BSV Ventures, and especially to Janiina Lammi for hosting this session, and to all the FiBAN members and partners who joined. Your time, expertise and engagement make these screening boards possible. Looking forward to seeing where these six startups go from here, and to the next screening board!