Lidia Rauramo - Executive Coach and NLP coach with substantial startup founders coaching experience. My main focus is startup and scale up coaching.
Bio
It is not a secret that Co-founder disagreements are inevitable and necessary, but the trick is how to handle them constructively. According to statistics, Noam Wasserman, author of The Founder’s Dilemmas, 65% of startups fail due to conflict between founders. These issues can be prevented through founder coaching, where a startup founder is supported in addressing difficult topics such as equity distribution, roles and responsibilities, resource allocation, time commitment, leadership, and decision-making—under the guidance of a certified coach. While founder coaching is not a guarantee of success, it significantly increases the chances of both startup and founder success. It helps founder build essential leadership skills in the unpredictable, fast-paced environment of a startup or scaleup. Strong co-founder relationships are developed when a founder is coached in intentional communication, structured conflict resolution, and regular startup team check-ins. I am an ACC ICF-certified coach, currently working with founders at Aalto Startup Center. One of the most common challenges I see there is miscommunication between technical leads who are building innovative solutions and business leads who are bringing those solutions to market. Previously, I worked as a coach and project manager in the nuclear industry, bridging the gap between leadership, architects/designers, and office managers. I supported founders by mapping project communications, identifying stakeholder interests, and facilitating environments that enable startup and scaleup success. I ensured smooth communication to avoid misunderstandings and project delays. I have also coached individual founders at Sampo Accelerator on topics such as defining roles and responsibilities, rebuilding confidence after investor rejections, and recruiting the right people. Coaching is my part-time job. I also work as an educator at the Department of Management Studies and Engineering at the best technical university in Finland – Aalto University – where I teach various participants how to develop their business ventures. If you need support on your startup journey, I would be a great coach for you. I hold an ACC ICF accreditation and conduct weekly founder individual and team coaching sessions at Aalto University. I am actively engaged in the Finnish startup ecosystem and teach startup simulation and leadership courses at Aalto University.
Lidia RauramoCertified Coach
I offer a personalized founder coaching process designed to meet the specific needs of your startup journey. Depending on your company’s stage and your personal challenges as a founder, I will design and run a supportive coaching process to help you overcome leadership, management, and communication obstacles.
Experience
With over 15 years of experience at the intersection of leadership and startup education, coaching, and startup experience, I bring an integrative approach to coaching startup and scaleup founders. My work is rooted in self-leadership, purpose-driven development, and business venture development, and spans across academia, executive education, startups, and international organizations. I also work as an internal coach at Aalto University, where I support employees through one-on-one or team coaching sessions, helping them navigate challenges, use more their potential, and cultivate psychological safety within teams. Currently, I work as an Educator at Aalto University, where I teach startup courses, mostly for engineers. Through this course and others, I teach entrepreneurship, leadership, design thinking, teamwork, and self-leadership. My work in academia blends evidence-based frameworks with practical tools. As a Trainer at Aalto Executive Education, I design and facilitate customized team training for companies exploring topics such as the entrepreneurial mindset, resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-leadership. My coaching portfolio includes work as an internal coach at SAMPO Accelerator, guiding founders through leadership dilemmas, work-life balance, and identity as entrepreneurs. I held a management role of Head of Education at Aalto Ventures Program (2020–2023), where I led the diverse team of highly ambitious international educators. I worked as an educator in XAMK, Berkley, TAMK, and MEPhI. My earlier professional background includes roles such as Senior Project Manager at ROSATOM, Strategy Consultant, and Service Designer, where I worked on complex systemic challenges in both public and private sectors. I have coached and mentored participants at SLUSH, Junction, The Shortcut, Skolkovo, Intel, and EIT Digital. I have been running coaching and leadership training for companies (e.g., HyTest, SMARTLY, FCA, HEUNI) and have contributed to urban development and service design initiatives (e.g., Finland National Museum, ISS, Aalto Business School, Irkutsk District). What I Offer in Founder Coaching A personalised founder coaching process designed to meet the specific needs of your startup journey. Depending on your company’s stage and your personal challenges as a founder, I will design and run a supportive coaching approach to help you overcome leadership and management obstacles. I hold an ACC ICF accreditation and conduct weekly founder individual and team coaching sessions at Aalto University. I am actively engaged in the Finnish startup ecosystem and teach startup simulation and leadership courses at Aalto University.
Qualifications
My credentials include: -Two Master’s degrees in Management -NLP certification -Executive Coaching certification -Integrated Resources Psychotherapy certification I also have hands-on startup experience, having worked in two startups as a service designer and business advisor.