Guardian Angel of the Year

A changemaker of the startup scene and a truly influential person who has moved the lives of many startup founders, Vesa Riihimäki has revolutionized and strongly established Nordea as the startup bank of Finland, created innovative solutions how to support startups and angel investors with growth. Vesa and Nordea have a long history of working together with FiBAN, and they have witnessed the evolution of the Finnish startup ecosystem from the very beginning.

Professor Samuli Knüpfer was awarded the Guardian Angel of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Business Angels Network. Professor Samuli Knüpfer is known for his long-standing work in studying ownership and household wealth management in various top positions around the world. Recently, he was appointed as the professor of ownership at Aalto University School of Business. “There’s a lot of value and wisdom in networks like FiBAN and networks that startup founders have set up in Finland. We should be making sure that this wisdom is shared widely in the society, including to the decision-makers,” he describes.

The Guardian Angel of the Year 2021 is given to the Finnish Startup Community (Suomen startup-yhteisö) for entering the Finnish startup ecosystem with a strong initiative to develop it further along with business angels in FiBAN. “To build success stories, we need great startups. FiBAN wants to recognize the important initiative that founded the Finnish Startup Community (Suomen startup-yhteisö). FiBAN salutes their mission to enhance the environment for growth companies and entrepreneurs.” tells Annukka Mickelsson, Chair of FiBAN Board.

The Guardian Angel of the Year 2020 is given to two initiatives enhancing the atmosphere for angel investing: the new professorship in ownership as well as the work of Steering Group for Domestic Ownership. “Ownership is in the very essence of angel investing. The professorship in ownership in Aalto University is unique in the world and is an important step for wider recognition of the significance of ownership in Finnish society. This significance was also highlighted in the work of the Steering Group for Domestic Ownership. Recognition of the significance of ownership is important for us angel owners. Thus, FiBAN wishes to underline this importance with the Guardian Angel of the year award.” tells Reima Linnanvirta, Chair of FiBAN Board.