FiBAN - 10 years of Inspiring Private Investments - Book - Page 27
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FiBAN’s regional business angels play a crucial role in
supporting the regional startup investing ecosystem in
Finland. Finnish regions excel in innovation: from pitching in the air in ski lifts to pitching in icy water - and
everything in between. Investing, networking and a lot
of fun!
Wasim Al-Nasser, Communications Coordinator,
FiBAN:
“One of the more unique FiBAN Pitch Finland events was
held at Stream Festival in Tampere. Carrying Singa karaoke equipment from Helsinki all the way to Tampere and
back for FiBAN Karaoke Train - legendary!”
Johanna Ahtiainen, Training and Development
Manager, FiBAN:
“Today, FiBAN’s regional angels are spread across the
country and play a role in activating local communities.
It’s always an energy boost to meet up with our regional
angels in our monthly calls!”
FiBAN’s Regional business angels
Jari Osmala, FiBAN Regional Business Angel, Kuopio:
“In 2016, active members of the Kuopio Region Chamber of Commerce came up with an idea of putting two
entrepreneurs pitch their innovative ideas to investors in
a moving ski lift. A real elevator pitch! Since this goofy
idea was put into practice in 2017, Tahko Ski Lift Pitch
has been held every year excluding Covid-year 2020,
and startups and angels love it!”
Hannu Hamari, Oulu
Sami Halonen, Oulu
Kaj Rönnlund, Vaasa
Marko Koski, Vaasa
Keijo Koivu, Seinäjoki
Jari Osmala, Kuopio
Marjo Niittuaho-Nastolin,
Mikkeli
Nina Rautiainen,
Jyväskylä
Ossi Numminen,
Tampere
Kari Ollila, Pori
Antti Lehtimäki, Turku
FiBAN approached the market the same way startups
do: born global from the beginning. From early on, a lot
of focus was put on building good connections across
Europe and further.
“A crowning moment in this close relationship was
when the Nordic Angel Program won the EBAN Award
for Best Individual/Organisation Globally Engaging the
Early Stage Investment and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
in June 2019. With Janne Jormalainen now elected as
EBAN president beginning October 2020 and myself
re-elected as Treasurer, FiBAN and DanBAN are spearheading the efforts to build the European StartUp ecosystem.”
In the heart of Europe: EBAN-FiBAN cooperation.
Jacopo Losso, Director of Secretariat, European Business Angel Network (EBAN):
“EBAN has had the pleasure of working together with
FiBAN in the past years in advancing cross-border investing between the angels that are part of our communities. Be it at the 2014 EBAN Winter University we hosted together, or during the multiple international Investor
Days held during Slush, or be it at the more recent 2019
Congress that EBAN co-organized with FiBAN in Helsinki, at all of these events we saw many great cross-border deals being closed and many more new friendships
being established between the business angels in our
networks.”
Final NAP gathering in Tallinn in December 2019
A Nordic deal: DanBAN-FiBAN cooperation. Jesper
Jarlbæk, Chair of the Board at Danish Business Angels
Network (DanBAN):
Siblings: EstBAN-FiBAN cooperation. Anu Oks,
Managing Director at Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN):
“FiBAN and EstBAN have always been walking hand in
hand. Since 2012 when EstBAN was established FiBAN
has been our Big Brother and role model.”
“Ever since we joined
EBAN in 2014 we have
looked to FiBAN for inspiration as to how to grow
and develop our Business
Angel network.”
“There’s even a Big
Brother award that we
gave to FiBAN to celebrate our strong ties.”
Train karaoke in October 2018
Jesper Jarlbæk, Chair of the Board at Danish Business
Angels Network (DanBAN)
26
Anu Oks, Managing Director at Estonian Business
Angels Network (EstBAN)
27