Are you ready to lead your first angel syndicate and ensure the success of your investments? Our comprehensive course, "Leading Syndicates," is designed for business angels who aspire to excel in syndicate leadership. This course covers everything from the basics of leading a syndicate to advanced strategies for supporting founders and managing performance issues.

The course includes interviews with the speakers who are experienced angel investors, presentations and lectures by the speakers, and a Q&A session after their lectures. The course is in a video format, and the course will track your completion progress automatically so you can get back to where you stopped easily at any time.

After purchase, the course will be available for you for 365 days.

You can choose to participate in just one track or the entire program. All presentations and materials are in English.


What you'll learn

  • The roles and responsibilities of an angel syndicate and lead angel

  • Detailed steps of the syndication process and post-investment management

  • Key communication strategies to maintain a healthy syndicate-company relationship

  • Various compensation models for lead angels

  • Practical strategies for supporting founders' mental health and well-being

  • Effective methods for managing performance issues in startups

  • And a lot more…

What will I get out of the course

  • 5 comprehensive video lectures and interviews with field professionals

  • Real-life experiences from experienced business angels who have years of experience in angel investing

  • 1 whole year access to the course

Course curriculum

  • 01

    Let's get started!

    • Introduction to the course
  • 02

    Leading your first syndicate (~25min)

    • Introduction to the chapter

    • Interview with Janne Jormalainen, business angel

    • Angel syndicate & Lead angel role

    • Syndication process steps

    • Lead angel role in post investment management

    • Key topics to agree on & Experience as a lead angel

    • Q&A with Janne

    • Chapter 1 survey
  • 03

    Ensuring fluent communication between the syndicate and company (~25min)

    • Introduction to the chapter

    • Interview with Annukka Mickelsson, business angel

    • Before the investment is made

    • Life after the investment

    • Crisis communication

    • Developing your communication skills

    • Q&A with Annukka

    • Chapter 2 survey
  • 04

    Compensating the lead angel (~40min)

    • Introduction to the chapter

    • Interview with Riku Asikainen, business angel

    • Lead angel compensation

    • Board compensation

    • Options

    • Founder stock

    • Lead investor carry

    • Summary

    • Q&A with Riku

    • Chapter 3 survey
  • 05

    Strategies for supporting founders' health and well-being (~25min)

    • Introduction to the chapter

    • Interview with Leena Niemistö, business angel

    • Introduction and 5 major types of well-being

    • How to support the founder or CEO to thrive

    • Founders wish list for a lead investor or chair

    • Warning signals for founders burnout and how to act

    • Final tips

    • Q&A with Leena

    • Chapter 4 survey
  • 06

    Managing performance issues (~55min)

    • Introduction to the chapter

    • Interview with Ali Omar, business angel

    • Introduction

    • Why talk about performance

    • How to manage performance issues in startups

    • When to manage performance issues in startups

    • Escalation

    • Q&A with Ali

    • Chapter 5 survey

Start learning

What are you waiting for?

Buy Now

Meet the lecturers

Janne Jormalainen

Business angel

Janne Jormalainen is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He is active in the angel investment scene in Northern Europe, he has invested to over thirty high tech and education companies. He is currently chairman of the board in four highly successful startups. He is chairman emeritus of the Finnish Business Angel Network (FiBAN). He is a frequently heard speaker in conferences and seminars.


Annukka Mickelsson

Business angel

Annukka Mickelsson has over twenty years of experience in strategic development work, successful organizational changes, and guiding new, measurable growth paths for management, teams, and team members. She is a startup investor and has led international investment rounds. Her background includes numerous strategic processes as CEO, board member, and chairperson for organizations of various sizes.

Riku Asikainen

Business Angel, FiBAN Co-founder


Riku Asikainen is the Founder and Managing Partner of Evli Growth Partners, a serial entrepreneur, and an angel investor. He has founded and invested in nearly 50 companies, 10 of which have been successfully sold. Riku serves as Vice President of the Board at EBAN, is a Co-Founder of FiBAN, Head Coach at Startup Sauna Accelerator, and Co-Founder of Slush. One of Europe's first e-commerce entrepreneurs, Riku's entrepreneurial journey began in 1988. After selling his first company in Finland and his second in France, he became one of Finland's first professional angel investors. He has been instrumental in building the regional startup ecosystem through his involvement in angel networks and the Startup Sauna Accelerator.


Leena Niemistö

Business angel

Dr. Leena Niemistö is a health care professional with 30 years of clinical and leadership experience. She is also an active investor in several health-tech growth companies. She has been recognised as the Business Angel of the year 2016 by FiBAN, as the Top 2 Influencer of Healthcare sector 2015 in Finland by Mediuutiset, and the Top 3 Female Businesswoman in Finland years 2017-2019 by Talouselämä.




Ali Omar

Business Angel

Omar is a distinguished member of the Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN) and served on the association's board from 2018 to 2019. In recognition of his significant contributions, FiBAN named him Business Angel of the Year in 2019. As an angel investor, Omar has a keen interest in new technologies and B2B SaaS. By early 2022, his investment portfolio comprised over 30 startup companies, with three successful exits. Renowned in the Finnish startup ecosystem, Omar is celebrated as an active participant and mentor, continually contributing to the growth and development of emerging businesses.