For students at SSE and KTH interested in creating positive change through entrepreneurship, there is support and inspiration to be found in the Ideate program. The endeavor is aimed towards those interested in entrepreneurship that haven’t yet found the team or the business idea they want to work with. The program was started in 2021 by the startup incubator at the Stockholm School of Economics, SSE Business Lab. Following great initial results, the program is now run in collaboration with KTH Innovation with the goal of creating more teams made up of people from different backgrounds and educational programs.

With alumni companies like Voi Technology, Klarna, Airmee and Renewcell, both KTH Innovation and SSE Business Lab have long experience of fostering successful startup companies. With the Ideate initiative, both want to give students at SSE and KTH more tools and conditions to be able to build the sustainable startups of the future. Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation, thinks the program fills a clear need:

“To build strong teams, people from different backgrounds and with different skillsets are needed. This program is a great opportunity for those who have the ambition to make a difference but haven't found the right team or idea yet, and we hope it can inspire more people to take on society's challenges,” she says.

Experienced entrepreneurs and investors will contribute

A central part of the program is guest lectures by successful entrepreneurs, where they share their experiences and perspectives. With the help of Budbee founder Fredrik Hamilton and Summa Equity's Tim He, who previously sat on the logistics company’s board, the program wants to show what it can look like to build a company with the ambition to place sustainability at the very center.Both environmental and social sustainability have been important to Fredrik Hamilton while building Budbee, and he hopes to get more students to think in the same way:

“I feel very honored to be part of the program and hope I can inspire more entrepreneurs to think long-term,” he says.

That the program, thanks to the collaboration between the two top-ranked universities, has great potential to create long-term positive effects for Sweden's innovation ecosystem is something that SSE Business Lab CEO Julia Delin highlights:

“Sweden has a long history as an entrepreneurial country, not least thanks to companies that got their start at SSE Business Lab and KTH Innovation. This program, which brings together sustainability-interested students from several of the leading educational institutions in the country, has the potential to create ripple effects and strengthen Sweden’s international competitiveness,” she says.

In addition to Hamilton and He, PocketLaw's co-founder Kira Unger and Estrid’s co-founder Amanda Westerbom will contribute to the program. Kinnevik's Investment Director Tatiana Shalalvand also participates and will speak about how the students can get investors interested in their ideas.

Applications for the program are open until September 18, and the program starts September 29. Are you a current student at the Stockholm School of Economics or the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and interested in participating? Apply via SSE Business Lab's website!

About SSE Business Lab

SSE Business Lab is the startup incubator of the Stockholm School of Economics. The incubator is an integrated part of the School, working to encourage entrepreneurship among students, alumni and faculty. Through coaching, mentorship, workshops, and access to a first-class network of investors, SSE Business Lab helps startups develop their ideas, accelerate their growth, and create impact. The incubator provides access to a wide variety of partner offers from organizations like Microsoft for Startups, Scrive, PE Accounting, and Grosshandelssocieteten as part of Stockholms Borgerskap. Since its inception in 2001, SSE Business Lab has supported over 250 companies – among them well-known successes like Klarna, Budbee and Voi Technology. 

About KTH Innovation

KTH Innovation supports students, researchers and employees at KTH who want to develop an idea or create impact from their research. In the open program, more than 350 teams per year get support within areas like business development, financing, recruitment, agreements and patents. KTH Innovation also runs several other programs giving opportunities to get mentorship, launching on the international market, or getting ready for incubation. KTH Innovation’s model for innovation support, the KTH Innovation Readiness Level Model, is used by hundreds of organizations around the world, including Vinnova and Imperial College.