Røst

What Røst does

Røst (Talerskolen Røst) is a Danish nonprofit speech school (forening) founded in 2016 and headquartered in Copenhagen. Its stated mission is to give young people the courage to speak up, and it operates primarily in Denmark with growing Nordic reach into Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Greenland. The organization runs on a small core team of approximately 10 employees supported by an external bench of rhetorical consultants, voice coaches, debate trainers, and speech therapists.

Its core product is a layered service stack: short Oplæg presentations (1–2 hours), intensive Workshops (1–2 days), multi-session Forløb courses, and one-on-one Rådgivning coaching for individuals. Underpinning the paid services is a free content library (tips til din tale, øvelser, talearkiv, fagartikler) and a podcast, which together function as both a public-good mission deliverable and a top-of-funnel acquisition channel for paid engagements. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is built on classical rhetoric pedagogy delivered in person and through curated educational content.

The business model is a hybrid of three revenue streams: an annual membership at 200 kr/year (100 kr for under-30s) providing individual access; per-engagement pricing for workshops, courses, and presentations booked by schools, NGOs, and cultural institutions; and foundation grants, with Nordea-fonden as founding backer and Tuborgfondet funding organizational development in 2023. Customer segments split between individual young members, educational institutions (folk high schools, gymnasiums), and cultural/civic organizations (Det Kongelige Teater, Institut for Menneskerettigheder, Danske Folkehøjskoler, Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke). In 2024 the organization spun out of its joint governance with Ungdomsbureauet and Vallekilde Højskole into an independent association.

Name

Røst

Legal name

Foreningen Talerskolen Røst

Website

https://xn--rst-0na.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Røst (Talerskolen Røst) is a Copenhagen-based Danish nonprofit speech school founded in 2016 that delivers rhetoric workshops, courses, and coaching to young people across Denmark and the Nordics, funded by individual memberships and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Speaking Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Debate Academies & Speech Coaching Centers (EDAMAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD), Teacher/Coach Training & Curriculum for Speech & Debate (EDAMAOAL)

Keywords

• Public speaking training
• Rhetoric education
• Speech workshops
• Youth communication
• Communication coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Medlemskab (Membership): Annual membership fees of 200 kr per year (100 kr for members under 30). Members receive access to events, the annual general meeting, and in some cases commemorative items. Any surplus is reinvested in the mission of giving young people the courage to speak.
2. Workshop og forløb (Workshops and courses): Røst is booked by organizations, schools, and cultural institutions for presentations, workshops, and longer training programmes. Pricing is negotiated per engagement based on the format and duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Røst (Talerskolen Røst) is a Danish nonprofit speech school that delivers rhetoric and public speaking training to young people through bookable presentations (Oplæg), one-to-two-day workshops, multi-session courses (Forløb), and individual speaker advisory (Rådgivning). The organization complements its training services with a free digital teaching platform that hosts speech tips, exercises, a speech archive with rhetorical analyses, and academic articles on rhetoric.

Product overview

Røst is a speech school (talerskole) that operates as a unified educational platform offering rhetoric and public speaking training. The core offerings consist of four service tiers: Oplæg (presentations), Workshop, Forløb (courses), and Rådgivning (advisory services) for booking. These are complemented by a digital teaching platform featuring educational resources including Tips til din tale (speech tips), Øvelser (exercises), Talearkiv (speech archive), and Fagartikler (academic articles). The organization operates as an association (forening) and primarily targets young people aged 13-30, though all are welcome. Services are delivered in Denmark and across the Nordic countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oplæg (Presentations) Short presentations (typically one to two hours) introducing selected rhetorical tools and techniques that participants can use immediately when speaking in front of others. Bookable by organizations, schools, and cultural institutions.
• Workshop One-to-two-day intensive workshops using creative exercises and inspirational presentations to equip participants with a range of rhetorical tools for acting in the oral space. Bookable by organizations, schools, and cultural institutions.
• Forløb (Multi-session Courses) Extended multi-session training courses for groups, with meetings spread over time and individual work between sessions, allowing in-depth work with the rhetorical toolkit and finding one's own voice. Bookable by organizations, schools, and cultural institutions.
• Rådgivning (Speaker Advisory) Individual rhetorical counseling and training for speakers appearing at smaller or larger events, helping them become familiar with their manuscript, their own voice, and managing any nervousness.
• Medlemskab (Membership) Annual membership in Foreningen Talerskolen Røst, priced at 200 kr per year (100 kr for members under 30). Members support the nonprofit mission and gain access to events, the annual general meeting, and in some cases commemorative items such as the 10th-anniversary poster.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of young people trained since 2016, spanning Denmark and the broader Nordic region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, foundational and minor.

• Det Kongelige TeatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration to create speaking platforms for young people at professional theatre venues, including 'Røst på Gamle Scene' and 'Røst i Operaen'. Young speakers from across Denmark and the Nordic region perform at these prestigious cultural venues.
• GlyptoteketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations with Mino Ung and Glyptoteket to host events with young speakers in the museum's grand hall, combining art with youth voices.
• Vallekilde HøjskolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner and ongoing close collaborator. Vallekilde Højskole co-developed Røst with Ungdomsbureauet from 2020-2022 and continues as a key partner. Several folk high schools serve as close collaboration partners.
• UngdomsbureauetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey project partner from early stages, continuing after KØS. Co-developed new formats from 2020-2022. Contributed focus on democracy, civic participation, and platform-building for young voices.
• KØS / MAPS – Museum of Art in Public SpacesfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal initiator and host of Røst Festival 2017-2019 at KØS in Køge. The museum conceived the idea for Røst in 2015 and partnered with Vallekilde Højskole, securing Nordea-fonden funding to launch the project.
• Mino UngcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration to create speaking platforms specifically for minority youth across Denmark, with joint events held at Glyptoteket and other venues.
• Institut for MenneskerettighedercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programme with Det Kongelige Teater in 2025 seeking ten young people to speak about human rights in Aarhus, Odense, and Copenhagen, combining youth voice training with human rights advocacy.
• Kulturmødet MorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual presence at Kulturmødet Mors, bringing young Nordic speakers to the festival's stages and contributing to 'kulturens folketale' (the people's story of culture) alongside festival guests.
• Ungdommens FolkemødecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform for young speakers to take the floor at Denmark's youth-focused political discussion events, creating speaking opportunities on established democratic stages.
• Roskilde FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual presence at Roskilde Festival, placing young speakers on festival stages to address social and political topics, including climate activism and youth representation.
• Fridays for FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with climate movement for speaking opportunities and rhetorical training for young climate activists.
• SUMH (Landsforeningen for Unge Med Handicap)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to include young people with disabilities as speakers in Røst programmes and events.
• Røde Kors UngdomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the youth wing of the Danish Red Cross for speaking opportunities and youth civic engagement.
• LGBT+ DanmarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for events and speaking platforms supporting LGBTQ+ youth voices.
• KFUM-SpejderneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization partner with ongoing collaboration for speaking and rhetorical training.
• Aarhus KommuneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner collaborating on youth speaking programmes, including joint human rights speaking programme.
• Nordic PioneersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordic collaboration bringing together young voices across the Nordic countries.
• Egmont HøjskolenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFolk high school that regularly hosts Røst sessions and provides speaking opportunities for its students.
• FOS (kunstner)foundationalOthersArtist FOS created the iconic Røst speech podium ('Form is teasing language') specially for Røst in 2016. The colorful podium, used at all events and festivals, symbolizes the bold taking of space.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toastmasters International: Global nonprofit operating a network of public speaking and leadership clubs. Closest broad incumbent to Røst, with overlapping curriculum (speech structure, delivery, feedback loops) but serving adult members through a club-based, member-led model rather than youth-focused institutional workshops.
• Dale Carnegie Training: Established global training provider of public speaking and communications courses to professionals and organizations. Comparable as a paid rhetoric/communications training service, but targets working adults and corporate buyers rather than youth, and operates a much broader portfolio.
• TED-Ed: TED's educational arm producing animated lessons and student-facing public speaking/original-ted-talk programs. Overlaps with Røst's mission of equipping young people to communicate ideas, but delivers via free digital content rather than in-person institutional workshops.

Direct peers

• The Moth: Nonprofit storytelling platform hosting live spoken-word events and educational programs. Shares Røst's focus on the spoken word, the primacy of authentic voice, and an events-plus-education hybrid model. Differs by emphasizing personal narrative over classical rhetoric.
• National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA): US nonprofit that supports middle school, high school, and college speech and debate through curriculum, tournaments, and honor society. Most direct comparable model to Røst: youth-centric, nonprofit, rhetoric + debate training delivered through schools — but operates at far larger scale and in a different geography.

Regional players

• European Debating Association: Regional umbrella organizing European debating competitions and training. Comparable as a youth-facing European debate/rhetoric ecosystem player, but competition-centric rather than training-as-a-service, and broader rather than Denmark-specific.
• Folkehøjskoler (Danish Folk High Schools): Danish residential folk high schools (e.g., Vallekilde, Egmont — both Røst partners) offer residential rhetoric, oral communication, and personal development courses to young adults. Regional peer in rhetoric education delivery to the same demographic, with longer-format residential courses versus Røst's workshop model.
• Uppstart Denmark / Swedish debate associations: Nordic youth debate and rhetoric associations (e.g., Sveriges Debattförbund) operating in Sweden and adjacent markets. Comparable as youth public-speaking clubs and training providers in the same regional context as Røst, but club/competition-based rather than workshop/institutional delivery.

Emerging players

• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit focused on youth civic participation and action civics programs in schools and universities. Mission-aligned peer of Røst in cultivating youth voice and democratic engagement, but delivers classroom-based action civics rather than classical rhetorical training.

Others

• Ungdomsbureauet: Danish nonprofit focused on youth participation and democratic engagement; co-developed Røst from 2020-2022. Mission-aligned ecosystem partner and historic parent, not a direct competitor — included as an adjacent player whose trajectory shapes Røst's civic-engagement positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/roesttalerskole
• Instagraminstagram.com/roesttalerskole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Røst