Meet the FiBAN Board 2027 – Activating Finland’s Angel Investor Community

FiBAN heads into 2027 with a new chair and two new faces on the board. Irene Viinikkala will lead the board as chair, with Pekka Samuelsson as vice chair, and Paulina Piippo and Juha Miettinen were elected as new board members at the FiBAN Fall Meeting. 

Irene Viinikkala steps up from vice chair to chair. She is an entrepreneur, board professional and angel investor with more than 15 years of experience in strategy, business development and change leadership.

Pekka Samuelsson continues on the board as vice chair. A FiBAN member since 2023, Pekka is a full-time startup investor and advisor with an MSc in Finance. He was named FiBAN’s Most Active Angel of the Year in 2024.

Two new members bring fresh perspectives to the board.

Paulina Piippo has been a FiBAN member since 2020 and was named FiBAN Newcomer of the Year in 2025. She is an angel investor with nine investments and two board seats, and a partner and COO of a family investment company. Paulina holds an MSc in Technology (knowledge management) and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology, and has spent eight years as an entrepreneur in positive psychology. She is based in Helsinki.

Juha Miettinen has been a FiBAN member and angel investor since 2021, with more than ten startup investments. He founded the B2B SaaS company Labyrintti Media and led it as CEO until its exit in 2016. Today he works as an advisor to his portfolio companies and as a startup mentor at StartHub in Lahti, Hub Panostamo in Kuopio and the Resilience & Security Incubator in Helsinki. His strengths are B2B SaaS, sales, scaling companies and connecting people. Based in Lahti, Juha wants to bring a regional perspective to the board and help startups outside the capital region get more visibility.

Hanna Nyholm has been a FiBAN member since 2020 and on the board since 2025. She is an investor and angel investor, entrepreneur, executive coach and startup mentor with an MBA. Hanna is the founder of Shevestments, an initiative that supports female investors and women-led companies.

Jarkko Forsberg has been a FiBAN member since 2020 and on the board since 2025. An angel investor active in the startup scene since 2008, he co-founded LVS Brokers and led it as CEO until its exit in 2022. Jarkko is also a partner and investment committee member at Suomen Piensijoittajien Yhteenliittymä and has 15 portfolio companies of his own.

Perttu Ilmarinen has been a FiBAN member since 2022 and on the board since 2026. He is a partner and CEO of a family investment company and an active startup investor. Perttu holds an MA in aesthetics and leads FiBAN’s #CreativeAngels working group.

• Irene Viinikkala, Chair
• Pekka Samuelsson, Vice Chair
• Hanna Nyholm, Board Member
• Jarkko Forsberg, Board Member
• Perttu Ilmarinen, Board Member
• Paulina Piippo, Board Member
• Juha Miettinen, Board Member

Ilkka Kaikuvuo, chair of the FiBAN board in 2026, steps down after serving on the board since 2024. A FiBAN member since 2018, Ilkka is a technology entrepreneur, startup realist and board professional. He co-founded Framery, Surveypal and several other companies that grew from early ideas into international teams, and has invested in more than 30 early-stage startups. As chair, he brought strategic sharpness, operational experience and founder empathy to the board, with the goal of building a Finland where founders thrive, investors keep learning and strong companies grow stronger. We warmly thank him for his sincere commitment to FiBAN and our community.

Next year, FiBAN begins its Strategic Renewal Programme for 2027-2028. The shift we’re working towards is from an angel investor network to an angel investor community. In practice, that means more curated deal flow, stronger syndication support, more backing for lead angels, and more personalised services for our members. We’re excited to see what the new board builds together with our members and partners in 2027.