The SUPERNOVAS Business Angels Training Programmes

We are thrilled to announce an initiative that’s set to shake up the world of angel investing: the free SUPERNOVAS Business Angels Training Programme, developed by the EIT Community with the support of EBAN. Our joint mission is crystal clear: to foster gender diversity in the angel investing world and create a more inclusive ecosystem that empowers women investors like you.

The Business Angels Training Programme is part of the Supernovas Women Investment Network , the place where female investors (both in venture capital and business angels) meet to learn and grow professionally, access investment opportunities in female-led startups and expand their network with the support of the EIT, the largest innovation ecosystem in Europe.

Are you a woman passionate about startups, innovation, and making a real impact in the entrepreneurial world? If your answer is a resounding “YES,” then we have something extraordinary in store for you no matter your investing experience:

• BEGINNER’S COURSE: The SUPERNOVAS Business Angels Training Programme for junior female business angels (0-5 investments)

• EXPERT’S COURSE: The ADVANCED SUPERNOVAS Business Angels Training Programme for senior female business angels (6+ investments)

Experts

• 

  Selma Prodanovic

  Co-founder and Board Member,
  Austrian Angel Investors Association

  Named Startup-Grande-Dame by the media and elected “TOP 100: Europe’s most influential women in the startup & VC space” in 2022, Selma is an internationally celebrated keynote speaker and thought leader. She is passionate about empowering people and creating a better future. In the last 20 years, she considerably shaped the startup and angel investing ecosystem across Europe. Global media in over 40 countries (Forbes, Financial Times, Elle, Aljazeera, Bloomberg Adria) covered her expertise and activities.

  She is the founder & Board Member of the global SDG platform 1MillionStartups and the Austrian Angel Investors Association. She advised and supported hundreds of startups, hosted the “EBAN- Masters of Angel Investing” interview series with the best business angels in Europe, authored two books, and is lecturing entrepreneurship at universities. Besides her passion for entrepreneurship, she is a fervent advocate for female empowerment and mental health. Above all, Selma is happily married to her first love and is the proud mother of two fantastic young adults.

   

• 

  Nina Dremelj

  President,
  Business Angels of Slovenia

  Nina Dremelj is the president of Business Angels of Slovenia. Her greatest passion is to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into real, successful businesses. In last 5 years she invested in more than 17 companies with average investment multiple 7,71x.

  She also puts her energy and focus towards Alita Capital, Investment company, investing smaller tickets but a lot of time and knowledge into extremely early stages or founding teams with a lasting will to bring innovative projects to life.

  In the past, she co-owned and successfully managed the Swiss seed fund AlpVent AG. In 2021, under the auspices of business angels, she helped set up the first daFUND venture capital fund, supported by business angels and also invested in it.

   

• 

  Caroline Sai

  Angels Santé, FRANCE

  Caroline is of French-American background and educated both in the US and France. After a master’s degree in International Business, she gained extensive business and Communication experience in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She is currently the Operations Manager of Angels Santé, the largest business angel network in Europe solely dedicated to healthcare and well as the Head of the EIT Health Investor Network operated by Angels Santé. This European network dedicated to equity investment in healthcare brings together Healthcare investors and pre-qualified healthcare European startups raising between 500 K to 10 M €. She represents Angels Santé on the EBAN Board.
  Caroline, who is passionate about early stage investment and the power of networking, is now based in Paris.

   

• 

  Tiina Laisi-Puheloinen

  CEO,
  FiBAN

  Tiina Laisi-Puheloinen is the fresh CEO of FiBAN and a former startup entrepreneur and board member of the company Priceff. Before her career in the startup world and joining FiBAN’s new CEO in May, she held international and national leadership positions in several Finnish companies. Previously she also built her career in the Finnish Defense Forces, where she was ranked Major of the reserve in 2021.

   

• 

  Marcia Dawood

  Chair of the Board,
  Angel Capital Association

  After spending an award-winning career in sales, marketing and operations for one of the largest education providers, Marcia Dawood now works on making people’s dream come true.

  She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of the Angel Capital Association (ACA). The ACA is the professional society for angel investors in the United States.
  Marcia is an investor in several early stage private companies. In addition to her own investing, she is a Venture Partner with Mindshift Capital and a part of the investment committee for Next Wave Impact Fund.
  She is also a member of Golden Seeds, one of the largest angel groups in the US. Mindshift Capital and Golden Seeds focus on investing in women-led companies. According to Bloomberg, the amount of early stage investing dollars that went to women in 2021 was less than 3%. We need to change this!!!
  Marcia is a founding member and current chair of the ACA’s Growing Women’s Capital group building syndication and collaboration among US investment groups focused on women-led companies.

  Previously, she was the COO of Portfolia (one of her portfolio companies) as well as a managing partner at BlueTree Capital Group where she was responsible for investment strategy, diligence research and member education.

  She received an MBA from the Global Executive program at UNC’s Kenan Flagler’s School of Business, OneMBA.
  Recently she was a speaker at TedX Charlotte in North Carolina. Here is a link to the talk on Do Good while Doing Well.

   

• 

  Christina Yding Hahn Elgaard

  Angel Investor,
  Danish Business Angels

   

• 

  Alexandra Nitzlader

  Regional Manager Austria & Transaction Manager,
  FASE

  Alexandra has over 20 years expertise in the finance industry and is a funding expert for early and later stage instruments. As a limited partner in Rising Tide Europe, a European program for females to increase women’s participation in angel investing, Alexandra brings in the investor perspective. She is passionate about supporting social entrepreneurs regarding their business and financial planning. It is her aim to make the social change models and stories of social entrepreneurs investment-ready. Alexandra is an alumna of the Ashoka Visionary Program.

   

• 

  Cecile Sévrain

  Co-founder & Head of Impact Measurement and Management,
  TIIME

  After 7 years of experience as an International Tax Manager for Deloitte, Cécile made a professional and personal decision to commit her time and skills to generating positive social impact. She is a co-founder of Tiime and as COO/CFO she manages daily operations and finance, alongside of training and workshops.

  Cecile is also the Managing Director of the Luxembourg Business Angel Network (LBAN) and a board member of EBAN Impact, promoting awareness and engagement in impact investing within the European Business Angel Network.

  She is an active business angel, notably in the Rising Tide program, which is part of a global movement to increase women’s participation in angel investing as an asset class. Cécile is a senior jury member at European pitching events, and does training on pitching, business models, accounting, impact metrics and CSR.

  Commuting between Luxembourg and Lyon, Cecile is an avid sports and outdoor enthusiast dabbling in extreme sports and a true social butterfly. She is passionate about social impact and how social innovation can tackle the most pressing issues on this planet.

To learn more about Supernovas, you can contact us!
Blanca.chocarro@eitmanufacturing.eu, EIT Community Senior Project Manager at EIT Manufacturing