As a startup founder, choosing the right advisors can make or break your company. Luckily, Helsinki is full of qualified startup advisors, with a broad range of industry expertise.
In the blog post below, we’ve listed some of the most notable startup advisors in Helsinki, who can guide you through the life cycle of your startup: from ideation to fundraising and beyond. These are mostly experienced entrepreneurs themselves, and they're all potential board members, evangelists, and they can provide immense value to your startup. In addition, we have included a few questions you can use to gauge whether an advisor is right for your business or not.
Helsinki Startup Advisors
- Aape Pohjavirta
- Arto Tolonen
- Aki Järvilehto
- Christian Lindholm
- Ilkka Kivimäki
- Inka Mero
- Janne Aaltonen
- Jaana Pylvänen
- Janne Saarikko
- Jiri Koivuniemi
- Jussi Heinilä
- Juuso Koskinen
- Kaija Pöysti
- Kari Mikelä
- Kristo Ovaska
- Linda Liukas
- Maria Sipilä
- Marko Kaasila
- Micke Paqvalen
- Mika Marjalaakso
- Mike Bradshaw
- Miki Kuusi
- Nina Ignatius
- Oki Tåg
- Oskari Kettunen
- Paavo Beckman
- Peter Vesterbacka
- Petteri Koponen
- Petri Aukia
- Reidar Wasenius
- Riku Mäkelä
- Sari Baldauf
- Teemu Polo
- Tommi Hietavuo
- Tiina Zilliacus
- Tuomas Wuoti
- Ville Vesterinen
- Inka Mero
- Harry Santamäki
- Torsti Tenhunen
- Oskari Lehtonen
- Kaj Hagros
Questions to ask advisors in Helsinki
When you meet with potential advisors, mentors, or evangelists to decide which is best for your company, you must understand that these meetings are a two-way street. On one hand, you will be interviewing the advisor to gauge how much value they can provide you. On the other hand, they will be interviewing you to see if you will be a worthwhile founder. As a result, it is always good to start the meeting by introducing yourself, explaining your professional background, and then describing your business with the goal of getting them excited.
Below are some other questions you may want to ask a prospective advisor in Helsinki:
- Which startups in Helsinki have you worked with, and why are you interested in working with more startups now?
- Which sector(s) is your specialty? What excites you the most about that sector?
- How often do you anticipate we would be able to speak with one another, if you choose to sign on as an advisor?
Key Resource: FAST Agreement
If you've already spent at least 1 month and 8+ hours with an advisor and you want them to be more involved in your company, the Founder / Advisor Standard Template (FAST) agreement may be right for you.
The FAST agreement is designed to compensate advisors for their contributions to startups. It's simple and easy, and helps founders avoid going through law firms when you don't have to. It's used by tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and advisors per year to establish productive working relationships, trading advice and support for a standardized amount of equity. You can learn more here, or download the template below.
Are you looking for expert guidance and feedback to build a startup in Helsinki?
The Founder Institute is an idea-stage accelerator that works with solo-entrepreneurs, and teams, during the earliest stages of building a business. Through an intensive 3.5 month program, FI participants build their business through a proven structured process, and receive feedback and assistance from over 30+ successful entrepreneurs and investors in Helsinki. Upon completing the program, Graduates join a global network of entrepreneurs and receive ongoing help to get funding and build their business. FI Graduates have raised over $1.75BN in funding, and are building some of the world's fastest growing companies.
Learn more about the Founder Institute at FI.co, join a free startup event in Helsinki, or apply to build a startup in Helsinki today.
