Venture Cup
Venture Cup is a Swedish non-profit founded in 1998 that runs the country's largest free entrepreneurship competitions (IDEA and STARTUP) and educational programs, helping aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs develop business ideas into operating companies through a proprietary submission platform and a 25+ year network of academic and financial partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Venture Cup does
Venture Cup is a Swedish non-profit organization founded in 1998 that operates Sweden's largest entrepreneurship competition, with the stated mission of helping aspiring entrepreneurs develop business ideas into operating companies. The organization runs two core competitions — IDEA, targeting entrepreneurs at the ideation stage, and STARTUP/VENTURECUP, targeting early-stage startups with verified, scalable business ideas across categories including Impact Maker, Game Changer, Beyond Academic, and Best Traction. Participation is free for all entrants, and submissions are processed through a proprietary digital competition platform (ideahunt.io) that accepts pitch decks of up to 20 slides, video pitches of up to 8 minutes, and written descriptions, with confidentiality controls for sensitive information. A structured judging process using screening and regional juries evaluates ideas on credibility, scalability, and quality.
The organization supplements its competitions with educational offerings, most notably a 7.5-credit business planning course ('Affärsplanering för tillväxtföretag') co-developed with Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, with additional lectures at Handelshskolan and Sahlgrenska Akademin, a public Pitch Deck Guide, and a Hall of Fame showcasing alumni companies. Its business model is non-commercial: Venture Cup is funded by financial and academic partners (SEB, McKinsey & Company, Chalmers, University of Gothenburg, Almi, Berghs School of Communication, and others), distributes approximately 1.3 million SEK annually in prize money, and operates through four regional offices (Stockholm HQ, Gothenburg, Malmö, plus a fourth regional presence) reaching most Swedish universities via a student ambassador program. Reach is strictly domestic to Sweden.
Venture Cup firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Venture Cup
- Legal name
- Venture Cup
- Website
- https://venturecup.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Venture Cup is a Swedish non-profit founded in 1998 that runs the country's largest free entrepreneurship competitions (IDEA and STARTUP) and educational programs, helping aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs develop business ideas into operating companies through a proprietary submission platform and a 25+ year network of academic and financial partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Venture Cup industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Competitions and Startup Support Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)
Keywords
Where Venture Cup is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Venture Cup business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Non-profit funding model: Venture Cup is a non-profit organization funded by financial partners and donations. Each year, 1.3 million SEK is donated to creative ideas with long-term sustainable growth and verified customer demand.
- Free competition participation: Participation in Venture Cup competitions (IDEA and STARTUP) is free for all entrepreneurs. The organization covers costs through partnerships and supporter contributions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Free competition participation for all entrepreneurs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Venture Cup product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Venture Cup is a Swedish non-profit that runs the country's largest entrepreneurship competitions (IDEA for early-stage ideas and STARTUP for growth-stage ventures) and a 7.5 higher education credit business planning course, supported by pro bono feedback from industry experts, investors, and academics. Participation in all competitions is free, and the organization distributes approximately 1.3 million SEK annually in prize funding to winning ideas with verified customer demand and sustainable growth potential.
Product overview
Venture Cup is Sweden's largest entrepreneurship competition organization offering a multi-product portfolio centered around its core competition programs (IDEA and STARTUP/VENTURECUP), supplemented by educational services (a 7.5 credit business planning course in partnership with Chalmers and University of Gothenburg), a Pitch Deck Guide, and a Hall of Fame showcasing alumni success. The organization connects entrepreneurs with industry experts, investors, and mentors to help develop business ideas into viable companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IDEA Competition Competition for early-stage business ideas, from initial concept to developed concepts. Participants submit via the ideahunt.io platform with pitch decks (max 20 slides), video pitches (max 8 minutes), and written descriptions, and receive feedback, marketing opportunities, and access to a professional network. Free to enter.
- STARTUP Competition (VENTURECUP) National competition for early-stage startups with verified and scalable business ideas and demonstrated growth potential. The competition includes four categories: Impact Maker, Game Changer, Beyond Academic, and Best Traction. Free to enter, with regional and national finals.
- Affarsplanering for tillvaxtforetag (Business Planning for Growth Companies Course) Educational course comprising 7.5 higher education credits (7.5 hp) covering business planning, pitching, and entrepreneurship methodology. Offered in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology, University of Gothenburg, and with lectures delivered at Handelshogskolan (Stockholm School of Economics). Lectures feature contributions from Almi (financing), BDO (accounting), Spiris (presentation technique), and AWA (intellectual property).
Quantifiable outcome
- 35,000+ entrepreneurs have competed since 1998
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Venture Cup
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Venture Cup technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Venture Cup partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- McKinsey & CompanycoreMcKinsey & Company initiated the founding of Venture Cup in 1998 in collaboration with Chalmers University, University of Gothenburg, and Innovationsbron. McKinsey provides ongoing strategic support and engagement through partner involvement (e.g., Partner Daniel Alsén serves as advisor).
- Chalmers University of TechnologycoreFounding partner and ongoing supporter. Chalmers collaborates on educational offerings including the 7.5 credit course 'Affärsplanering för tillväxtföretag' and provides access to lecturers and resources from Chalmers Ventures.
- University of GothenburgcoreFounding partner and ongoing supporter. Collaborates on educational course offerings and provides access to faculty and entrepreneurship resources.
- InnovationsbroncoreFounding partner in the 1998 establishment of Venture Cup as a collaboration between academia and business consulting.
- Berghs School of CommunicationflagshipCollaboration on a two-track training package for individuals and organizations developing ideas and decision-making skills. Jasper Nordling, Head of Berghs Studio and Co-Founder of Lirion, serves on the Venture Cup Board.
- Handelshögskolan (Stockholm School of Economics)corePartner in the educational course 'Affärsplanering för tillväxtföretag'. Course lectures are held at Handelshögskolan's premises in Stockholm.
- Sahlgrenska AkademinminorAcademic partner collaborating on the educational course offering, bringing healthcare and life science expertise to entrepreneurship education.
- United SpacesminorCoworking space provider offering flexible office solutions for over 1000 growing members. Venture Cup's Stockholm headquarters is located at United Spaces facilities.
- GetAcceptminorDigital sales process platform partner helping make sales processes more personal and efficient.
- Lime CRMminorCRM solution customized for business operations, providing smarter daily business management.
- SpirisminorPartner in the IDEA competition collaboration with Spiris to present Sweden's top 20 best business ideas. Provides presentation technique expertise for course lectures.
- BDOminorAccounting and consulting firm partner. BDO contributes to the Break Even Budget lecture in the business planning course and handles Venture Cup's supplier invoice processing.
- OddbirdminorLargest producer of wines liberated from alcohol in Scandinavia, supporting Venture Cup as a national partner.
- Ligula Hospitality GroupminorHotel operator with 45 hotels across Scandinavia and Germany, supporting Venture Cup as a national partner.
- AWA (AWA Group)minorIntellectual property consulting firm providing lecture on patent and trademark protection in the business planning course.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Venture Cup competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seedstars: Swiss-based global startup competition focused on emerging markets with regional events and prize-based competition model. Comparable to Venture Cup's structured competition-and-feedback approach.
- MassChallenge: Global zero-equity startup accelerator and competition that selects cohorts of early-stage startups. Operates a similar large-scale competition with multi-stakeholder partner model.
- Startup Weekend (Techstars): Global weekend entrepreneurship hackathon and competition format run under Techstars. Closest direct peer to Venture Cup given event-driven competition model targeting early-stage entrepreneurs with structured feedback and judging.
- Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneur support network selecting, mentoring, and accelerating scale-up founders. Comparable non-profit-style model with curated entrepreneur selection and corporate/university partner ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Innovate UK: UK government's innovation agency supporting business-led innovation with competitions, grants, and programs. Functional analog to the Swedish innovation ecosystem in which Venture Cup operates.
- Vinnova: Sweden's national innovation agency funding research and innovation. Operates broadly across the same Swedish entrepreneurship ecosystem as Venture Cup with grant-based programs.
Regional players
- Chalmers Ventures: Swedish university-linked investment and incubator arm based at Chalmers in Gothenburg. Founding partner of Venture Cup and operates overlapping startup-development programs in Sweden with investment focus.
- Almi: Swedish state-owned company providing financing and business development to early-stage entrepreneurs. Core partner of Venture Cup and overlaps on target audience but focuses on direct lending rather than competitions.
- Karolinska Institutet Innovations AB: Swedish university innovation office supporting life-science entrepreneurship at Karolinska Institutet. Regional peer operating similar programs for a specific vertical but anchored in Stockholm/Sweden.
Emerging players
- Antler: Global early-stage VC running cohort-based programs for idea and pre-seed stage founders. Comparable in targeting early-stage Swedish/European founders but uses equity-investment model rather than free competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Venture Cup social profiles
Digital presenceVenture Cup financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Venture Cup leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Venture Cup funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Venture Cup 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 Venture Cup
What does Venture Cup do?
Venture Cup is a Swedish non-profit that runs the country's largest entrepreneurship competitions (IDEA for early-stage ideas and STARTUP for growth-stage ventures) and a 7.5 higher education credit business planning course, supported by pro bono feedback from industry experts, investors, and academics. Participation in all competitions is free, and the organization distributes approximately 1.3 million SEK annually in prize funding to winning ideas with verified customer demand and sustainable growth potential.
Is Venture Cup a public or private company?
Venture Cup is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Venture Cup founded?
Venture Cup was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Venture Cup based?
Venture Cup is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Venture Cup make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Non-profit funding model is the primary driver. The others are free competition participation.
Who are Venture Cup's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seedstars, MassChallenge, Startup Weekend (Techstars) and Endeavor. Broad incumbents are Innovate UK and Vinnova. Regional players are Chalmers Ventures, Almi and Karolinska Institutet Innovations AB. Antler is listed as an emerging player.
Does Venture Cup have an API?
No public API is recorded for Venture Cup.
What industry is Venture Cup in?
Venture Cup's product category is Entrepreneurship Competitions and Startup Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAM, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs.