About us
Startup Founder 101 brings together aspiring and experienced tech entrepreneurs to discuss, meet, and collaborate to build great new startups, and to push the local startup ecosystem forward.\
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This group hosts numerous free events throughout the year where you can learn the best practices of starting a company from people who have been there and done that. You’ll have the opportunity to meet local founders and investors, exchange ideas with experts, get feedback on your idea, participate in startup workshops, and more.\
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Typical startup event topics include:\
• Coming up with a strong startup idea\
• Startup legal basics\
• How to pitch your startup\
• Starting a company without quitting your day job\
• How to raise funding for your startup\
• And much more!\
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Join the group to be invited to our next event!
Upcoming events
3
Building & Funding Startups in the AI Age: What Investors Actually Look For
·OnlineOnlineAI is transforming how startups are built and how investors evaluate opportunities. Join Founder Institute Nordics for a fireside chat to explore how the AI era is reshaping startup building and early stage fundraising. Learn what investors look for today, how founders can position themselves for funding, and what has changed in angel investing and venture capital as AI accelerates innovation. Ask questions and gain practical insights directly from the investor perspective.
❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Per Björklund (Partner, Further Than Capital l Angel Investor)
- Naimul Abd (CEO, Connect Öst & SweBAN - Swedish Business Angel Networks)
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How the AI wave is changing startup opportunities and investment strategies
- What investors actually look for in early stage startups today
- The key metrics, signals, and traction founders need before fundraising
- How to approach angels and venture capital investors effectively
- How founders can stand out in an increasingly competitive funding environment
❯ Who Should Attend:
- Early stage founders preparing to raise their first round
- Entrepreneurs building or exploring AI driven startups
- Startup teams looking to understand how investors evaluate opportunities
- Aspiring founders exploring different paths to startup funding
- Anyone interested in the startup and venture capital ecosystem
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/393371/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
6 attendees
What Startup Ecosystems Get Wrong, and How to Fix Them
·OnlineOnlineMost governments are getting startups wrong, and this is the conversation they've been avoiding. If your city is celebrating trivial startup events while founders quietly leave... if your programs optimize for attendance instead of outcomes... if capital keeps flowing but nothing compounds - then you're not building a sustainable ecosystem. On this live event, "Startup Economist" Paul O'Brien will provide a sharp, unapologetic deep dive into his new book, 'Startup Ecosystems' - already being called "the long-overdue operating manual for fixing how cities approach entrepreneurship".
❯ What You’ll Walk Away With
A completely different lens on how startup economies actually work (and why most don’t):- Why treating startups like small businesses quietly destroys both
- Why capital follows value (and what founders keep getting wrong about fundraising)
- Why copying Silicon Valley guarantees failure
- Why job creation targets kill early-stage innovation
- Why talent doesn’t follow programs — it follows optionality
- What metrics actually matter (and why most cities avoid them)
❯ Featured Speaker:
- Paul O'Brien - Author of the book Startup Ecosystems: Paul is the Founder of MediaTech Ventures, former Director of Founder Institute Texas, Writer at The Startup Economist, and has spent his career at the intersection of startups, venture capital, and public policy. As a founder, investor, accelerator leader, and policy strategist, he has built ecosystems from the inside and developed a rare, firsthand understanding of why most of them fail. His work spans legislative strategy, coalition building, and founder support across public, private, and civic sectors. Startup Ecosystems is the culmination of everything he has learned.
The Startup Ecosystems Book is an architectural examination of why startup ecosystems fail structurally, why capital behaves exactly as it is designed to, and why most regions are measuring the wrong things entirely. The patterns he documents don't point to bad intentions. They point to misaligned incentives, flawed design, and a stubborn unwillingness to distinguish innovation theater from actual value creation.
❯ Who Should Be There
If you have any role in shaping entrepreneurship, this isn’t optional:- Founders tired of performative ecosystems
- Investors trying to understand why regions stall
- Policymakers and economic developers funding the wrong things
- Accelerator and program leaders ready to be challenged
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24281 to get your link and join us live!
1 attendee
How to Raise Angel Funding for your Startup in Nordics
·OnlineOnlineAre you building a startup or exploring a new idea and wondering how to secure your first funding? Join this session to learn how early stage founders raise their first capital. We will discuss how angel investing works, how to prepare before approaching angels, and what investors look for at the idea and pre seed stage. You will also gain practical insights on pitching your startup, structuring early equity, and avoiding common mistakes first time founders make. Perfect for startup founders and idea stage entrepreneurs looking to take their first step toward funding. 🚀
❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Margarita Triantafyllidou (Angel Investor, RadCap & Daya Ventures l Serial Entrepreneur l Ex- Wall Street)
- Naimul Abd (CEO, Connect Öst & SweBAN - Swedish Business Angel Networks)
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How angel investing works in the Nordic startup ecosystem
- What angel investors look for at the idea and pre seed stage
- How to prepare before approaching angel investors
- Practical tips for pitching your startup and telling a compelling early stage story
- How early equity and investment structures typically work with angels
- Common mistakes first time founders make when raising their first capital
❯ Who Should Attend:
- Idea stage founders exploring their first external funding
- Early stage startup founders preparing to raise angel investment
- Entrepreneurs looking to understand how angel investors evaluate opportunities
- Aspiring founders curious about how early stage startup funding works in the Nordics
- Anyone interested in learning how the Nordic angel investment ecosystem operates 🚀
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/392673/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
6 attendees
Past events
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