HHGS

What HHGS does

HHGS (Handelshögskolans i Göteborg Studentkår) is the official student union of the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Founded in 1926 and celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026, it operates as a non-profit, membership-based organization serving undergraduate and graduate students of the school. HHGS is the mother-organization of more than 20 student associations and committees and runs four annual career fairs, a job portal, and a portfolio of social, cultural, and sporting events. The union retains a paid staff of 42 and is headquartered at Vasagatan 1 in Gothenburg.

The organization's service portfolio includes a membership program, a job portal (hosted on the Orbi third-party platform) that connects students with major employers such as Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY, Grant Thornton, BDO, Volvo Cars, and If Försäkringar, four career fairs annually, an events calendar (powered by The Events Calendar WordPress plugin), and management of 20+ student associations including sports, performing arts, and career-focused groups. It also provides member discount programs with local partners (7:ans, Hedvig, Vasagrillen), a whistleblowing channel, a complaint submission system, and a student union car rental service. Technically, HHGS runs a standard WordPress-based website with no proprietary technology platform.

HHGS generates revenue through three streams: recurring annual membership fees from enrolled students, event ticketing (including balls, sports tournaments, surf trips, and festival collaborations), and the operations of seven wholly-owned commercial subsidiaries collectively branded as HandelsFöretagen (HHGS Holding, HHGS Nöjes, Handels Capital Management, HandelsJuristerna, HandelsConsulting, HandelsMarketing, and HandelsFinance). The union companies double as practical work-experience placements for hundreds of members each year. Go-to-market is community-led: students are onboarded through university channels, the website, peer referrals through associations, and on-campus presence. Corporate partners are recruited through a tiered partnership structure (Senior and Associate partners) and engaged via career fairs, the job portal, and campus events.

Name

HHGS

Legal name

Handelshögskolans i Göteborg Studentkår

Website

https://hhgs.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HHGS is the non-profit student union at the University of Gothenburg's School of Business, Economics and Law, providing membership services, a job portal, four annual career fairs, 20+ student associations, and seven wholly-owned union companies to enrolled business and law students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gothenburg (Göteborg)

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: HHGS generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees charged to students at the School of Business, Economics and Law. Membership provides access to all union services, events, committees, associations, the job portal, and partner discounts.
2. Event Ticketing: Revenue is generated through ticket sales for various events including the Way Out West festival collaboration, surf trips, balls (Bachelor's Ball, Master's Ball), sports tournaments, and other social events. Tickets are sold through the Orbi platform.
3. HandelsFöretagen (Union Companies): HHGS owns 100% of seven companies (listed as HHGS Holding, HHGS Nöjes, Handels Capital Management, HandelsJuristerna, HandelsConsulting, HandelsMarketing, HandelsFinance) that generate revenue and provide work-experience opportunities to hundreds of members. These commercial entities form part of the union's economic ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HHGS sells annual student union memberships that grant students at the School of Business, Economics and Law access to career fairs, an employer-hosted job portal, 20+ student associations and committees, seven wholly-owned union companies (Handelsföretagen) offering real consulting/finance/marketing/legal work experience, an events calendar of social and cultural activities, and exclusive partner discounts. Membership is the core paid offering; ticket sales for events (balls, sports tournaments, festival collaborations, trips) and professional services from the Handelsföretagen subsidiaries generate additional revenue.

Product overview

HHGS operates as a student union offering a portfolio of services including membership, events, career support, and student life amenities. The core offering consists of membership enrollment, a job portal featuring partner company postings, an events calendar with activities ranging from sports to cultural events, management of 20+ student associations, operation of seven wholly-owned union companies (Handelsföretagen), and four annual career fairs. Additional services include member discount programs, a complaints system, whistleblowing service, and student union car rental. The organization does not function as a technology product company but rather as a student services organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HandelsFöretagen: The group of seven wholly-owned union companies including HHGS Holding, HHGS Nöjes, Handels Capital Management, HandelsJuristerna, HandelsConsulting, HandelsMarketing, and HandelsFinance.

Products and services

• HHGS Membership Program Annual student union membership that grants students at the School of Business, Economics and Law access to career fairs, the partner-hosted job portal, 20+ student associations and committees, the seven Handelsföretagen union companies for work experience, social/cultural events, and exclusive partner discounts.
• Job Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 student associations supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered senior partner, associate partner and minor.

• Deloittesenior partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerDeloitte is listed as a Senior Partner of HHGS. As a major professional services firm (with 1,600 employees in Sweden), Deloitte participates in HHGS career fairs and recruits students through the HHGS job portal for roles in audit, consulting, tax, and advisory.
• Grant Thorntonsenior partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerGrant Thornton is listed as a Senior Partner of HHGS. The firm recruits HHGS students for tax consulting and audit roles and participates in career fairs and on-campus events.
• KPMGassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerKPMG is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. The firm actively recruits through the HHGS job portal (e.g., Junior Auditor positions in Stockholm, January 2027 start) and co-hosts events such as a football tournament with HHGS.
• EY (Ernst & Young)associate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerEY is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. EY recruits students through the HHGS job portal (e.g., Sustainability Coordinator Intern in Stockholm) and participates in career fairs and campus events.
• PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)associate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPwC is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. The firm actively recruits through the HHGS job portal and participates in career fairs and student events. PwC has promoted career opportunities in audit, sustainability, and advisory to HHGS members.
• BDOassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBDO is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. The firm recruits HHGS students for audit and IT audit positions in multiple Swedish cities (Stockholm, Göteborg, Linköping, Borås), with start dates ranging from 2026-2027.
• Volvo Carsassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerVolvo Cars is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. The company recruits through the HHGS job portal, including graduate programme positions at their Gothenburg headquarters.
• If Försäkringarassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerIf Försäkringar is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS. The insurance company recruits HHGS members for summer jobs, trainee programmes (e.g., Analyst & Actuary and Underwriting tracks starting August 2026), and full-time positions.
• Akaviaassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAkavia is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS, appearing alongside other major professional services firms on the partner logo wall.
• Finansförbundetassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFinansförbundet (the Swedish Financial Sector Union) is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS, appearing on the partner logo wall.
• WINTassociate partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerWINT is listed as an Associate Partner of HHGS on the partner logo wall.
• 7:ans (Restaurant)minorGTM or Marketing Partner7:ans restaurant offers HHGS members a 15% discount on the menu as a Special Offers Partner. This is a discount/referral partnership benefitting HHGS student members.
• Hedvig (Insurance)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHedvig offers HHGS members price matching on home insurance and the first two months free as a Special Offers Partner. This is a discount/referral partnership benefitting HHGS student members.
• VasagrillenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVasagrillen offers HHGS members a 15% discount every day at all times as a Special Offers Partner. Discount is accessed by showing the black Mecenat card.
• GADDEN (Handels IF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGADDEN (associated with Handels IF, the student sports association) partners with HHGS for campus events such as the Coffee with GADDEN social event, promoting student engagement and crew/committee recruitment.
• Way Out West FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHHGS partnered with the Way Out West music festival for a co-branded event (HHGS x Way Out West) on May 30, open to all students regardless of union membership. HHGS members received a special deal via the Orbi platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Akavia: Swedish professional association for graduates in economics, business, and law. Comparable as a Swedish membership organization serving the same demographic that HHGS serves and partnering with overlapping corporate employers.
• Sveriges Förenade Studentkårer (SFS): National confederation of Swedish student unions. Comparable as an umbrella membership organization representing student unions across Sweden's higher education institutions, providing advocacy and policy engagement.
• Finansförbundet: Swedish Financial Sector Union and existing HHGS Associate Partner. Comparable as a Swedish membership organization serving professionals in finance, with overlapping corporate partnerships and member benefit programs.

Direct peers

• Uppsala Studentkår: Major Swedish university student union serving Uppsala University students. Comparable as a Swedish, centuries-old campus-based student union with associations, corporate partnerships, and advocacy.
• Copenhagen Business School (CBS): Premier Nordic business school in Copenhagen with a comparable student association structure. Comparable as a Nordic business school serving economics, business, and law students with corporate recruitment and student-run subsidiaries.
• Chalmers Studentkår: The student union at Chalmers University of Technology, located in Gothenburg and serving a comparable Swedish university student body. Directly comparable as a Swedish, campus-based membership organization running associations, events, and corporate engagement.
• Lunds Universitets Studentkårer (LUS): Federation of student unions at Lund University. Comparable as a Swedish university-level student union federation running associations, events, and advocacy for a large student body.
• Linköpings Studentkår (LiU): Student union at Linköping University, a major Swedish university. Comparable as a Swedish university student union running associations, events, career services, and corporate partnerships.
• Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) Student Association: Student body at Sweden's other top business school in Stockholm. Directly comparable as a Swedish business school student union with corporate partnerships, career services, and association ecosystem.
• Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) Student Association: Student association at Norway's leading business school in Bergen. Comparable as a Nordic business school student union with strong corporate partnerships and a dense student association ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HHGSGBG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hhgsthestudentunion
• Instagraminstagram.com/h.h.g.s

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HHGS