Stugan
Stugan is a Sweden-based non-profit that runs an annual eight-week summer accelerator for indie game developers at a cabin in Dalarna, providing free accommodation and mentorship from senior industry figures with no equity taken.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Stugan does
Stugan is a Sweden-based non-profit accelerator program for indie game developers, founded in 2014-2015 by Oskar Burman, Tommy Palm, and Jana Palm, with the first cohort running in the summer of 2015. Each year the organization selects roughly 15-26 developers organized into small teams of up to three people from a global applicant pool, housing them for approximately eight weeks at a large cabin between Falun and Borlänge in Dalarna, Sweden. The cabin accommodates up to 23 people and provides workspace, bedrooms, a dining area, and lake access, with program operations coordinated from a Stockholm mailing address.
The program does not develop proprietary technology. Its core product is an experiential, in-person residency combining free accommodation, mentorship from senior industry figures drawn from companies such as Unity, Paradox, Rovio, Mojang, King, and DICE, weekly published video content, and a public finale event with viewer voting. Participants retain full rights to their games; Stugan takes no equity stake. The model explicitly avoids commercial accelerator economics in favor of a no-equity, sponsorship-funded structure.
Stugan generates no revenue from participants and discloses no financials. It is funded entirely by industry sponsors and donors, with multi-year core partners including Coffee Stain Studios, Resolution Games, and Raw Fury, and a rotating set of additional company and individual sponsors each year. Marketing and application funnels run through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, industry press via Carve Communications, and word-of-mouth within the global indie game development community.
Stugan firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stugan
- Legal name
- Stugan
- Website
- https://stugan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Stugan is a Sweden-based non-profit that runs an annual eight-week summer accelerator for indie game developers at a cabin in Dalarna, providing free accommodation and mentorship from senior industry figures with no equity taken.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stugan industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Game Accelerator Program
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)
Keywords
Where Stugan is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Stugan business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Sponsorship and Donations: Stugan is a non-profit organization that operates through sponsorship funding from individuals and companies in the games industry. Selected participants receive free accommodation, and the program is supported by mentors who volunteer their time. No revenue is generated from participants; the organization is funded entirely by industry sponsors and backers.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Stugan product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stugan runs an annual eight-week summer accelerator program for indie game developers, held at a traditional Swedish cabin in the countryside between Falun and Borlänge. Each year, 15–26 individual developers or small teams (up to three people) are selected from a global applicant pool to live and work together for free, receiving mentorship from senior game industry figures, workspace, accommodation, and audience-building exposure via weekly published videos and a viewer-voted finale event. Stugan takes no equity and participants retain all rights to their games.
Product overview
Stugan offers a single core service: an annual non-profit accelerator program for indie game developers. The program runs for approximately 8 weeks each summer at a cabin in Falun, Sweden, providing participants with accommodation, mentorship from industry professionals, and a collaborative environment to develop their games. Participants retain all rights to their intellectual property. The program is not a software platform but rather an experiential program connecting aspiring developers with established games industry veterans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stugan Accelerator Program An annual eight-week summer non-profit accelerator program for indie game developers (individuals or teams of up to 3 people) from anywhere in the world. Selected developers receive free accommodation and workspace at a Swedish cabin, mentorship from senior game-industry figures, weekly published video content to build audience, and exposure via a viewer-voted finale event. Participants retain all rights to their games; Stugan takes no equity.
- Stugan 2016 Program The 2016 edition of the Stugan eight-week summer accelerator, held in Bjursas, Falun municipality, Sweden. The program accepted all platforms and game types and accepted 21 indie developers/teams from across the globe for the residency.
- Stugan 2017 Program The 2017 edition of the Stugan eight-week summer accelerator, accepting 26 developers across 15 teams from a global applicant pool of 53 countries. The cohort produced post-program launches including Semblance (Nyamakop), Tick Tock (Other Tales Interactive, which subsequently received funding from Coffee Stain Studios), and others.
- Stugan 2018 Program The 2018 edition of the Stugan eight-week summer accelerator, accepting 21 developers from 11 countries. Added high-profile individual sponsors including David Helgason (Unity founder), Susana Meza Graham (Paradox Interactive COO), and Patric Palm (Favro CEO), alongside existing multi-year sponsors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple participant games have achieved nominations at Independent Games Festival (IGF), SXSW, and IMGA awards
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Stugan
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stugan technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Stugan partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Rami Ismail (Vlambeer)coreMentor for 2016 and 2017 programs. Co-founder of Vlambeer, known for Nuclear Throne and Ridiculous Fishing. Provides mentorship on indie game development and publishing.
- Jens Bergensten (Minecraft/Mojang)coreLead developer of Minecraft at Mojang. Joined as mentor for 2016 program. One of the high-profile additions to mentor lineup.
- Peter Vesterbacka (Rovio)coreCMO of Rovio Entertainment, known as the Mighty Eagle for Angry Birds. Mentored in 2016 program.
- OculussupportingSponsor partner in 2017, providing VR-related mentorship and potentially hardware support.
- RoviosupportingOskar Burman, ex-General Manager of Rovio Stockholm, is Stugan founder. Company provides mentorship and support through industry connections.
- Shams Jorjani (Paradox)supportingVice President of business development at Paradox. Mentor for 2016 program.
- Clint Siu (_PRISM creator)supporting2015 Stugan participant who returned as mentor in 2016, sharing experience from his successful game launch.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stugan competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IndieCade: U.S.-based non-profit organization that runs festivals, showcases, and development programs for indie game creators. Closely comparable in mission (advancing indie games), structure (non-profit), and target audience (indie developers).
- Indie Fund: Non-profit funding collective that provides grants to indie game developers without taking equity. Operates a similar philanthropic, no-IP-claim model and shares the same target market of early-stage indie game teams.
Regional players
- GameBCN: Barcelona-based non-profit games industry hub offering events, mentorship, and community programs. Comparable as a regional games community organization supporting indie developers, though focused on the Iberian/Mediterranean market.
- Nordic Game Jam: Annual game jam held in Copenhagen focused on Nordic indie developers. Comparable as a regional Nordic event supporting indie game creation and community, though operating on a much shorter, hackathon-style model.
Broad incumbents
- ID@Xbox: Microsoft's self-publishing program for indie developers on Xbox and PC. Comparable as a platform for indie game development support and discovery, but with vastly larger scale, platform constraints, and a commercial rather than non-profit orientation.
- PlayStation Indies: Sony's indie game initiative on PlayStation platforms. Comparable as a curated indie developer support program, but owned by a major platform holder and not a non-profit.
Others
- International Game Developers Association (IGDA): Global non-profit membership organization advocating for game developers. Comparable as an industry-body support structure for the indie developer community, but focused on advocacy, networking, and education rather than direct incubation.
Emerging players
- A MAZE: Berlin-based indie games festival and arts program that supports experimental and indie game creators through showcases, awards, and residency-style programs. Comparable as a curated platform for indie games with European roots.
- Different Games: Non-profit initiative supporting independent game developers, particularly underrepresented creators, through events and community programs. Comparable as a mission-aligned indie games support organization.
- Indie MEGABOOTH: Non-profit collective that organizes shared indie game showcases at major industry events (PAX, GDC). Comparable in serving indie developers with visibility and event-driven exposure rather than funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stugan social profiles
Digital presenceStugan financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stugan leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Stugan funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stugan M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stugan
What does Stugan do?
Stugan runs an annual eight-week summer accelerator program for indie game developers, held at a traditional Swedish cabin in the countryside between Falun and Borlänge. Each year, 15–26 individual developers or small teams (up to three people) are selected from a global applicant pool to live and work together for free, receiving mentorship from senior game industry figures, workspace, accommodation, and audience-building exposure via weekly published videos and a viewer-voted finale event. Stugan takes no equity and participants retain all rights to their games.
Is Stugan a public or private company?
Stugan is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stugan founded?
Stugan was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Stugan based?
Stugan is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Stugan make money?
One revenue line is on record: sponsorship and Donations.
Who are Stugan's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IndieCade and Indie Fund. Regional players are GameBCN and Nordic Game Jam. Broad incumbents are ID@Xbox and PlayStation Indies. International Game Developers Association (IGDA) is listed as an others. Emerging players are A MAZE, Different Games and Indie MEGABOOTH.
Does Stugan have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stugan.
What industry is Stugan in?
Stugan's product category is Game Accelerator Program. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators, with a secondary code of BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 71151.