KÅKÅ kverulantkatedralen

What KÅKÅ kverulantkatedralen does

KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen is a Norwegian nonprofit cultural organization headquartered in Stavanger, Rogaland, that operates a multi-program platform for public discourse on economics, society, and democracy. Its flagship product is KÅKÅnomics, a four-day economics festival running annually in October (10th edition confirmed for 19–24 October 2026) and self-described as the Nordic region's largest economics festival, featuring approximately 100 events, thousands of attendees, and an editorial-committee-led speaker roster that includes internationally recognized economists and Norwegian public figures such as Jens Stoltenberg, John List, César Hidalgo, and Daniela Gabor.

The organization's product portfolio extends beyond KÅKÅnomics to include the Wonderful World cultural festival, the Stavangerpanelet discussion panel, Demokratiprosjektet (a democracy and civic engagement initiative), and Idekonkurranse (an idea competition), supported by a content layer of recorded video, articles, and quizzes. Events are held in informal physical venues across Stavanger — bars, restaurants, intimate stages, and a moored ship (MS Sandnes) — chosen to make economic discourse accessible to a general audience. The core technology is a standard website and event ticketing platform; there are no proprietary AI, software, or data products.

Revenue is generated through two channels: consumer ticket sales (200 NOK per single event, 1,825 NOK for a 4-day festival pass, 800 NOK for a 2-day weekend pass, with student and senior discounts) and a broad base of roughly 20 corporate, financial, media, and public-sector sponsors (Equinor, Lyse, Sparebanken Norge, SpareBank-1 Sør-Norge, Deloitte, Dagens Næringsliv, NRK P2, Stavanger Kommune, Kulturdirektoratet, Fritt Ord, LO, among others). The organization employs approximately 5 people and is led by an editorial team headed by editor-in-chief and artistic director Jan Inge Reilstad, with Kristoffer Hatteland Endresen as editor and KÅKÅnomics festival director.

Name

KÅKÅ kverulantkatedralen

Legal name

KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen

Website

https://kknomics.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen is a Stavanger-based Norwegian nonprofit that organizes KÅKÅnomics, the Nordic region's largest economics festival, alongside a portfolio of cultural, civic, and panel-discussion programs serving the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economics Festival and Cultural Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Festival & Event Producers/Organizers (MPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Economics festival
• Cultural events
• Public discourse
• Panel discussions
• Civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Stavanger

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The organization generates revenue primarily through ticket sales for festival events and multi-day festival passes. Individual tickets are sold for regular events at 200 NOK (120 NOK for students/Aftenbladet Fordel), while 4-day festival passes cost 1,825 NOK (500 NOK for students, 1,200 NOK for seniors). Weekend passes are available at 800 NOK flat rate.
2. Sponsorship and Support: The festival is supported by numerous corporate and organizational sponsors including financial institutions (Sparebanken Norge, Rogaland Sparebank, Kraft Finans), energy companies (Equinor, Lyse), media outlets (NRK P2, Dagens Næringsliv), government bodies (Stavanger Kommune, Kulturdirektoratet), and other organizations. These supporters contribute to funding the festival operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen is a nonprofit cultural organization that organizes and curates multi-format public discourse events centered on economics and society. Its flagship offering is KÅKÅnomics, a four-day economics festival featuring approximately 100 events across informal venues in Stavanger, complemented by other programs including Wonderful World festival, Stavangerpanelet discussions, Demokratiprosjektet, and Idekonkurranse. Revenue is generated through per-event ticket sales (200 NOK regular, 120 NOK student/reduced) and multi-day festival passes (1,825 NOK 4-day, 800 NOK weekend), supplemented by corporate and institutional sponsorships.

Product overview

KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen is a cultural institution and festival organizer based in Stavanger, Norway. The organization operates as a multi-festival platform centered on public discourse, debate, and societal engagement. Its core offerings include KÅKÅnomics (an annual economics festival now in its tenth edition), Wonderful World (cultural festival), Stavangerpanelet (panel discussions), Demokratiprosjektet (democracy initiative), and Idekonkurranse (idea competition). Supporting content products include video recordings, quizzes, and articles. The portfolio is unified by KÅKÅ's mission to create inclusive disagreement communities where economics and societal issues become accessible to all, with events held in informal settings such as bars, venues, and intimate stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wonderful World: Festival organized by KÅKÅ Kverulantkatedralen
• Stavangerpanelet
• Demokratiprosjekt

Products and services

• KÅKÅnomics Nordic's largest economics festival, bringing together researchers, thinkers, business leaders, and engaged audiences for four days of conversations, debates, and new perspectives on society. Features approximately 100 events across informal venues (bars, intimate stages, a moored ship) in Stavanger.
• Wonderful World A cultural festival organized by KÅKÅ as part of its portfolio of cultural and educational event programming.
• Stavangerpanelet A panel discussion series hosted by KÅKÅ as part of its ongoing public discourse programming.
• Demokratiprosjektet A democracy project by KÅKÅ focused on civic engagement and democratic participation.
• Idekonkurranse An idea competition organized by KÅKÅ to encourage innovation and creative problem-solving.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• LyseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy company and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.
• DeloitteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional services firm and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.
• EquinorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy company and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.
• LO (Landsorganisasjonen i Norge)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian trade union confederation and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.
• NRK P2minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian public broadcaster's radio station and festival supporter/media partner listed on the KÅKÅ website.
• Dagens NæringslivminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian business newspaper and festival supporter/media partner listed on the KÅKÅ website. Editorial committee member Terje Erikstad serves as finance editor.
• Stavanger KommuneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStavanger municipality and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.
• UiS (University of Stavanger)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Stavanger is a core strategic partner. Professor Ola Kvaløy (Dean at Business School) and Professor Silje Haus-Reve serve on the editorial committee. The university supports the festival academically.
• KulturdirektoratetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNorwegian Arts Council directorate and festival supporter listed among sponsors on the KÅKÅ website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kulturhuset Stadsteatern: Stockholm's cultural center combining theater, debates, and society-focused programming. Comparable to KÅKÅ in offering multi-format public-discourse programming in a Nordic urban setting.
• European Forum Alpbach: An Austrian interdisciplinary forum combining science, economics, politics, and culture. Comparable in its broad intellectual agenda, multi-day conference-plus-festival format, and mix of academic and public audiences.
• Aspen Ideas Festival: A US ideas festival featuring prominent speakers on economics, policy, and society in an intimate festival format. Directly comparable to KÅKÅnomics in its curatorial approach of mixing high-profile speakers with engaged public audiences.
• Arendalsuka: Norway's largest annual political and society week held in Arendal. Directly comparable to KÅKÅnomics as a curated multi-day public-discourse event combining conferences, debates, and informal networking with strong sponsor and media partnerships.
• Folkemødet: Norway's 'People's Meeting' held annually in Bodø, focused on public debate and political discourse. Closely comparable in mission, format, and audience to KÅKÅnomics as a multi-day, multi-venue Norwegian discourse festival.
• Litteraturhuset: Oslo's 'House of Literature' hosts debates, talks, and cultural events year-round. Comparable to KÅKÅ in curating intellectual public discourse with a similar Norwegian cultural-mission focus, though more literature-oriented.

Broad incumbents

• TED Conferences: A globally recognized ideas-conference platform featuring curated talks on economics, technology, and society. Comparable in its curatorial IP and speaker-driven format, but operates at a vastly larger international scale.
• South by Southwest (SXSW): A large-scale US festival spanning technology, music, film, and culture with conference tracks and experiential programming. Comparable as a multi-track festival model with sponsorship and ticketing, though much larger and broader in scope.
• Hay Festival: A long-established global literary and ideas festival with events in multiple countries. Comparable to KÅKÅ as a multi-venue ideas festival, but operates at significantly greater scale and global footprint.

Emerging players

• Brain Bar: A Budapest-based 'future festival' focused on technology, economics, and society. Comparable to KÅKÅ as a curated ideas-and-economics event with international speakers and engaged audiences, though focused on a different geography and topic emphasis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/k%C3%A5k%C3%A5-kverulantkatedralen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KÅKÅ kverulantkatedralen