Gust, LLC: Gust and FiBAN Announce Partnership to Support the Financing of Finnish Startups

NEW YORK and HELSINKI, Finland, 2013-11-13 20:00 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gust, the global investor relations platform connecting high-growth entrepreneurs and active early-stage investors, and the Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN), have entered into a long-term strategic partnership that establishes Gust as the official deal-flow management and investor relations platform for the financing of high-growth Finnish startups.

FiBAN is a non-profit association representing business angels and early-stage investors in Finland, and aims to improve the possibilities for private persons to invest in unlisted growth companies. FiBAN members represent several angel groups in Finland and neighbouring Northern European countries.

Gust, named the world's Top Innovator in Financial Technology at this year's Sibos conference organized by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), operates the global platform for sourcing and managing early-stage investments. It powers over 1,000 investment organizations in 75 countries and facilitates collaboration among more than 180,000 startups and 40,000 accredited investors. Gust is the official platform of the world's leading national angel investor federations, including those in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe (EBAN and BAE), Ireland, Scotland, Spain, France, Portugal, Turkey and Russia, among others.

"Northern Europe, and Finland in particular, are well known for their leading roles in creating and funding innovation projects of high impact worldwide. We look forward to supporting FiBAN in its efforts to find and collaborate with promising local startup companies," said David S. Rose, Founder and CEO of Gust.

"FiBAN is the fastest growing angel network in Europe with more than 300 private angels and comprehensive regional deal flow," said Riku Asikainen, Chairman of FiBAN. "FiBAN is entering a strategic partnership with Gust to be able to provide and develop reliable and comprehensive services to our members and startup entrepreneurs. These include services such as investment syndication facilitation and collaborative investment case evaluation. We're looking forward to working with Gust as we build FiBAN into the leading angel group in North Europe."

About Gust

Gust provides the global platform for the sourcing and management of early-stage investments, enabling skilled entrepreneurs to collaborate with the smartest investors by virtually supporting all aspects of the investment relationship, from initial pitch to successful exit. Gust is endorsed by the world's leading business angel and venture capital associations, and powers over 1,000 investment organizations in 75 countries. More than 180,000 start-ups have already used the platform to connect and collaborate with over 40,000 individual accredited investors. Gust is based in New York, NY, with a European office in Paris, France. Please visit www.gust.com for more information.

About FiBAN

FiBAN is a non-profit association of over 300 approved angel members in Finland that aims to improve the possibilities for private persons to invest in unlisted potential growth companies in Finland. The association helps the formation of syndicated investments and facilitates early-stage private investment trainings and research. FIBAN's work is based on the activity of its member angel investors and it cooperates with other networks supporting high-growth goals. It was elected by EBAN as Business Angel Network of the Year in 2012.

         CONTACT: Lana Gersten, (212) 784-5714, LGersten@GroupGordon.com