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When angel investors put money into startups, it’s not just to get a good deal. It is, but often it’s also about giving back in the form of experience and capital, typically built up over a long business career.

That also how the story about Louise Rindom starts, who earlier this year was recognised as a “Rising Star” in the business angel network DanBAN: her consulting career spans from international consultancies to large corporate companies.

However, she also brings something new to the space. Not just because she’s a woman in an industry where the average business angel is a 54-year-old man. But because she has seen and learned from the inside what it takes to develop a unicorn, as she is married to the co-founder and CEO of fintech unicorn, Pleo.

“Now we’ve made seven investments. I spend most of my time on it, and what drives me is being able to work with these super, super passionate and talented teams. To help them get off the ground – to pass on some of the lessons we’ve learnt in our familys scaleup,” says Rindom.

A new kind of angel

Fellow business angels have pointed to Louise as a Rising Star for her activity over the past years. They highlight how she gives back to the Ecosystem, reinvests from the family fortune and spreads her investments in everything from early startups to A rounds and VCs.

For the past three years, she has spent her time as an investor. And she comes with a great deal of respect for the investor ecosystem that has already been created. But also with a desire to add something new.

“From an ecosystem perspective, there are many different approaches to investing. Some have been there from the beginning and have built a lot. And then there are some newer people – including myself – who have more recent experience and come to represent something different and something new,” says Rindom.

And when she talks about new paths, it’s not so much about maximising return on investment. Instead, the talk turns to the ecosystem she herself has just been involved in through Pleo and how to strengthen it in the best possible way.

“The startup ecosystem is what we all need to live off going forward. That’s why good ideas need the best conditions to thrive. It’s just as much about how we can become even better and more competitive when we look internationally. Why should you choose to scale a successful case out of Denmark?” she asks.

More mixed teams

Diversity takes up a lot of space in Rindom’s investments, where mixed teams are particularly to be found among the investments.

“We still need to get much better at thinking about how to set up a system to avoid biases. It’s not that there’s anything more wrong in Denmark than elsewhere. It’s just that it’s an important agenda – and I want to do what I can to push things in the right direction,” says Rindom.

This does not mean that she is exclusively interested in female founders. She believes it makes a big difference if different genders, ages and backgrounds are represented.

“We’ve come a long way. But there are still a lot of opportunities where we can do things better.”