Antti Viitanen
Deal Flow Manager
Antti is the startup guy of the office. His responsibility is to take care of the deal flow, which includes screening the startup profiles and presenting them to FiBAN investors. His former background is from the regional development, working at Xamk – South Eastern University of Applied Sciences as a startup specialist and organizing a startup event called *ship Startup Festival at Kotka. Antti has been organizing several accelerator programs
Ask me about: #startups #dealflow #funding #pitchfinland #syndicate #startupincluder #fibanfollow #annualinvestmentstatistics #yellowlabrador
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because every day I learn so much. I get to see so many startups with great solutions, I learn about investing from our awesome members and I get to develop our operations with fantastic co-workers.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me spending time with my family. I like to spend time with my 1,5-year-old Sofia daughter and taking long walks with my yellow labrador Pontus.
A fun fact: when I was a teenager, I used to work as a telemarketer. The work was fun since we were working there with a bunch of friends. I learned to speak in different Finnish dialects since if you spoke in, for example, the Oulu dialect, the person on the other end did not hate you, which as a telemarketer you often face.
Heidi Tawast
Community Manager
Heidi works as FiBAN’s Community Manager and is responsible for partnerships, communications & media, and impact investing. She has acquired business development skills and intercultural competence in Asia, while working for different Team Finland organizations in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Her strategic and analytical approach is influenced by working in HR functions in listed companies, as well as education in Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics with a major in Management & Leadership.
Ask me about: #community #partners #communications #media #impactinvesting
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because it’s really inspiring to work with enthusiastic people who develop cutting edge solutions for making a difference. The Finnish startup community is very unique!
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me in a yoga class or practicing Chinese. I love to read about the cultures of the world and travel to broaden my horizon.
A fun fact: when I was a teenager, I used to work as a dancer in a Bollywood movie.
Reetta Ilo
International Affairs Manager
Reetta works as the International Affairs Manager for FiBAN, where she facilitates international funding rounds and is in charge of FiBAN Academy, training modules for business angels. Having two university Master’s Degrees in international relations, politics, and economics, her expertise lies in running international projects and buildings paths for angels to collaborate and coinvest beyond borders.
Ask me about: #FiBANAcademy #RegionalAngelActivities #EBAN #Delegationtrips
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because at FiBAN, we really are in the epicenter of startup scene in the New Nordic area. No day is like another at the office, there’s so much happening all the time.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me at karate dojo, where I volunteer as a karate instructor. If not there, most probably I am with my dog Meiko in the forest practising her search&rescue skills – we will one day be an official s&r team, helping to find people who get lost.
A fun fact: when I was a teenager, I used to work for my dad in his company, obviously, but in university years I wanted to save the world, so I worked at Amnesty International as a notorious face-to-face fundraiser. Maybe I even talked to you in the streets of Turku!
Wasim Al-Nasser
Communications Assistant
With a degree in Business Information Technology and interest in marketing and photography, he is the visuals-tech-SOME guy at the FiBAN office! At events, you will see him with the camera in hand creating content. In the office, he manages FiBAN’s website and social media accounts, and assists his colleagues in various marketing/communications related tasks. (bio)
Ask me about: #Communications #Website #SocialMedia #Content
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because angel investing is cool! Seriously. Also, FiBAN has a great team facilitating and supporting the angel investing and the startup scene in Finland. It is exciting to be part of an organization that does something you admire.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me walking around the city photographing or working as a photographer in events. I also spend quite a lot of time on video games, and dreaming of cars and visiting Japan.
A fun fact: when I was a teenager,I worked as a zombie at Linnanmäki. If I have scared you, I have no regrets. I have also won a video competition which rewarded me a trip to Berlin.
Amel Gaily
Managing Director
Amel is the Managing Director of FiBAN. Prior to working at FiBAN, Amel has experience from wealth management, private banking and financial crime due diligence. Amel is an economist and business school graduate by training.
Ask me about: #memberships #partnerships #lobbying
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because of the people I get to work with: our team, board, investor members and other stakeholders. Everyday is different and change is constant.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me training for some crazy athletic challenge. Reading, podcasts and wining and dining with friends and family are also high on my priority list.
A fun fact: when I was a teenager, I have worked all the usual jobs: selling ice-cream, selling fruits and berries, delivering newspapers, being an event promoter – to name a few. The funniest gig was dressing as Finkey, the Finnish Ice Hockey teams official mascot and entertaining little kids at a fair
Meiko
Chief Happiness Officer
Meiko is an ambassador for overall happiness and well-being. Her expertise lies in bringing good vibes, smiles, and begging for dog treats. In her extensive career, she has showed her robustness when it comes to doing nothing and taking naps that last for hours in a row. She truly puts the “pro” into procrastination.
Ask me about: #happiness #dogtreats
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because I get to sleep all-day next to humom, and occasional guests at the office pet me endlessly.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me doing the exact opposite what is expected of me, and I have no regrets. I also enjoy playing with my friends and finding people hiding in bushes – I don’t know why everyone gets so excited when I do so. But I get a lot of praises and treats, so I don’t complain
Pontus
Chief Excitement Officer
Pontus is taking care of the FiBAN concierge/front desk. He is immediately running to the door when someone is entering the office. He gets super excited about everyone and he can not hide his excitement. Pontus has an extensive background on basic dog tricks and likes to show them off especially when there are treats in line.
Ask me about: #food #playing #wrestling #exitement #sleeping
Working at FiBAN makes me excited because of the atmosphere. Everyday seems like everyone comes to the office just because of me (at least to me). The atmosphere is hectic and relaxed and that suites me perfectly. #workhardplayhard
Also, my master gives me extra treats every time someone enters the office, success.
Outside the office you’ll most probably find me taking my master for long walks, wrestling with my best friend Konsta, playing with my sister and sniffing the news from the streets 🐽.