The FiBAN Fall Meeting with KPMG provided a platform to reflect on significant milestones achieved and upcoming initiatives that promise even more improvements. The FiBAN team has been working hard to improve our member and partner services, and the work continues together with our active community. Let’s have a look at how FiBAN has been evolving this year to better serve our members, partners, and the broader startup community.
1. 60+ Expanded Events and Enhanced Member Services
This year, we strongly emphasized enhancing member value and engagement. We’ve managed to keep our network in a growth stage, and we’ve had over 50 new members join our network. We held over 60 events and experimented with new event types according to our members’ wishes, increasing opportunities for networking, education, and collaboration, tripling our networking offering, and increasing engagement in the community. We thank every member who actively shared their ideas and participated in the events.
2. Over 1000 startup applications and more founder-friendly communications
In deal flow, we’ve reached a significant milestone of over 1000 annual startup applications already by November, thanks to the excellent work of our team and even stronger ecosystem partnerships. This means we’re reaching a majority of Finnish early-stage startups annually, roughly a 50% increase from previous years. Contact our Deal Flow Manager Miikka Miettinen, if you want to offer hands-on help in screening or our overall Deal Flow development.
3. Leveled up Angel Training with nearly 50 partners
We’re dedicated to leveling up our angel training and academies. Our new Certified Angel Training program is an example of our commitment to nurturing skilled investors and reinforcing FiBAN’s position as Finland’s most attractive co-investor network by 2026. We’ll arrange another 3-module training again in the Spring. In the Spring, we’ll also launch our Lead Angel Academy, designed for especially Exprienced Angel Investors. Contact our Training & Development Manager, Mari Kirjalainen for questions or ideas!
To support regional angel activities, FiBAN has expanded its partnerships and organized more local events with our partners. We’ve established new event formats, increasing encounters between angel investors and our partners. These connections ensure members have access to specialized resources and encourage co-investing opportunities, strengthening our network and the Finnish investment landscape.
4. New focused events to foster diversity with partners
This year, we organized multiple events to encourage more women to become angel investors. By collaborating with organizations like Shevestments, Kauppakamari, Vapaa Vauras Nainen, and Lexia. Our amazing members have shared their life stories to encourage others to start their journey to angel investing. This commitment aligns with our long-term goal to support underrepresented founders and expand access to capital for diverse startups.
Women-focused events will continue in the coming year as FiBAN deepens its focus on inclusive growth. Our goal is to ensure that founders from various backgrounds see FiBAN as a credible and reliable source of funding, helping to build a more representative startup ecosystem.
5. Concrete Actions toward a safer startup ecosystem
In our commitment to maintaining a safe and supportive community, FiBAN introduced a notification channel. This secure channel allows members, partners, and startups to report inappropriate behavior, ensuring accountability within the FiBAN ecosystem.
By addressing issues transparently, we’re dedicated to fostering a welcoming environment where founders and investors alike feel respected. We also remain committed members of the Startup Ethics Committee, with Suomen Startup-yhteisö, the Startup Foundation, Slush, Aaltoes, and FVCA Finnish Venture Capital Association.
6. Leveraging AI and Data for Smarter Decision-Making
FiBAN’s adoption of advanced AI and data solutions transforms how we serve members and approach investment opportunities. With the appointment of a full-time data engineer, FiBAN has developed a modern database infrastructure that supports data-driven insights, nearly real-time tracking of deal flow, and event analytics. These advancements lay the groundwork for deeper research-based insights that benefit the entire startup ecosystem in understanding and predicting startup growth.
In line with our strategic goal to modernize FiBAN’s operations, we’re shifting from manual, Excel-based processes to automated workflows. Powered by a new CRM system and automation, these streamlined processes drastically reduce time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing our team to focus on higher-value activities that directly benefit members.
Looking forward, FiBAN is exploring generative AI tools to automate content creation, reporting, and analytics. We are also investigating AI-driven matching algorithms that could streamline the startup-investor pairing process, enhancing the relevance and efficiency of deal flow.
To include our community members, we’ve initiated the FiBAN AI Taskforce, inviting members to brainstorm and shape FiBAN’s future AI strategies. If you wish to join this task force hands-on, contact our Data Engineer Ivan Helin.
7. Stronger Team & Data-Driven Communication
FiBAN’s internal reorganization included hiring a COO and a full-time data engineer, allowing us to dedicate resources to our core mission. This strategic shift enables our team to prioritize high-impact tasks, ensuring that FiBAN remains responsive and proactive in supporting our community. With this enhanced support structure, we are better equipped to drive member engagement and provide startups with the tools they need to thrive.
Communications with our members have been improved by activating a community approach: we’ve opened a new Signal and WhatsApp member chats, and we’ve re-activated FiBAN’s Facebook Group. We launched our weekly event letter, reminding of our network’s opportunities every Monday. We’ve achieved more than 40 media appearances for FiBAN this year in media like HBL, HS, Arvopaperi, and KSLM, and our LinkedIn followers have reached almost 12,000.
Our revamped website, now clearer and more intuitive, represents our “less is more” approach to communication. We understand that accessible, concise communication is key to delivering value, and we are committed to further updates that simplify navigation and support member engagement.
We’re now preparing for next year’s 15th Anniversary Celebrations by gathering stories, memories, and grand visions for the future from FiBAN members to celebrate next year’s 15th Anniversary Year. Contact FiBAN’s COO Milja Mäkelä to suggest a story or write your piece.
8. Upcoming: Industry-Specific Pitching Events
FiBAN is set to launch more industry-specific pitching events in collaboration with partners. These targeted events have proven highly effective for startup funding, as seen with Pitch Finland DefSec, and the soon-coming DECOI 2024, which have attracted a broad range of stakeholders across Europe.
Next year, we will continue to pilot more spot-on pitching events, still keeping our industry-agnostic pitching events available and launching new industry-specific pitching opportunities together with our partner organizations. Follow our event calendar.
9. Upcoming: FiBAN Member Portal: A Centralized Digital Hub
A significant milestone in our digital transformation journey, the FiBAN Member Portal is set to launch during Q1 in 2025. Designed to be a one-stop platform, the portal will consolidate all essential digital services into a single, secure space. It will replace legacy systems like Membook, fibanacademy.org, and pitchfinland.org, offering members seamless access to profiles, networking opportunities, and event information.
The Member Portal marks a major upgrade, reducing the confusion that multiple platforms often bring. With this portal, FiBAN is transitioning from a traditional nonprofit approach to a modern, efficient system that meets today’s expectations. We anticipate that the Member Portal will greatly enhance user experience, centralizing resources to make engagement easy and intuitive.
Once launched, you’ll be able to pay your membership fee directly through the portal. Keep checking your inbox for more information to come.
10. Looking Ahead with the Community: What will FiBAN be like for the next 15 years?
Ultimately, it’s the community members that shape the community. The office team keeps working as the catalyst to help more startups get funded and more angels find high-quality deals and co-investment possibilities.
As FiBAN continues to evolve, our vision remains to position ourselves as Finland’s leading co-investor network and a reliable startup funding channel for diverse startups.
Next year marks the 15th anniversary of the Finnish Business Angels Network. We will be celebrating our achievements as a community on many occasions, sharing stories from along the way, and as a cherry on top, we welcome you to celebrate with us at the FiBAN 15th Anniversary Gala on March 7th, 2025.
Together, we look forward to a promising 2025. We’re launching a monthly call for our members where you can share ideas, connect with peers, and hear the latest news from the office team. These community calls are launching in January.
Keep following our Weekly Event letter sent to members and partners every Monday (check your spam), and our Event Calendar.
The FiBAN Team
Tiina Laisi-Puheloinen, CEO
Milja Mäkelä, COO
milja@fiban.org
Miikka Miettinen, Deal Flow Manager
Mari Kirjalainen, Training & Development Manager
Ivan Helin, Data Engineer
