What Start Ntnu does

Start NTNU is a student-driven non-profit organization founded on March 15, 1999, and based at FRAM on the campus of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. Its stated mission is to serve as the first line of student innovation at NTNU, organizing events, competitions, workshops, and lectures that connect curious students across all study programs with entrepreneurship opportunities. The organization operates through a board (Styret) and a portfolio of project groups including Start PR, Start Gründerjakten, Start GrEn, Start Code, Start X, Start NGA, and Start IT, which collectively run NTNU's largest innovation and coding competitions. It currently has 46 active members, all NTNU students, recruited twice yearly in August and January.

The organization is part of the Start Norge umbrella, which federates approximately 14 local student innovation chapters across Norway, and it co-operates with adjacent ecosystem actors including Spark* NTNU, Entreprenørskolen, Boost Henne, and Gründerbrakka. There is no proprietary technology product; the platform is a community-and-events operation supplemented by the Startskuddet podcast on Spotify. The core internal offerings are a mentor program, an alumni network, and internal courses for member development.

Its business model is sponsorship- and partnership-driven rather than transactional. Start NTNU does not charge student members and discloses no product pricing. Revenue is generated through corporate partnerships in which companies pay for talent access, workshop and lecture participation, and brand visibility at events. Because financials are not disclosed, organizational funding is effectively opaque; the entity is structurally non-profit and volunteer-led, with no equity, funding rounds, or external investors indicated.

Name

Start Ntnu

Legal name

Start NTNU

Website

https://startntnu.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Start NTNU is a student-driven non-profit founded in 1999 at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. It organizes innovation and coding competitions, workshops, and mentorship programs for 46 active student members across all NTNU study programs, funded by corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Entrepreneurship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Training Delivery Services (Onsite/Virtual Instruction, Workshops, Coaching) (BPAEANAN)

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship programs
• Innovation events
• Entrepreneurship competitions
• University innovation hub
• Student mentor programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Trondheim

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Partnership and sponsorship revenue: Non-profit organization that operates through partnerships with businesses and organizations. Companies collaborate with Start NTNU for talent recruitment, knowledge exchange, and access to innovative students. Revenue appears to come from partnership arrangements rather than direct product/service sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Start NTNU is a student-driven nonprofit organization at NTNU in Trondheim that organizes innovation and entrepreneurship events, competitions, and workshops for students across all study programs. It runs project groups (such as Start Gründerjakten, Start Code, Start GrEn, Start X, Start IT, Start NGA, and Start PR) that organize NTNU's largest innovation and code competitions, and offers a mentor program, an alumni network, and the Startskuddet podcast. It also provides a knowledge-exchange forum through which partner companies engage with students for talent recruitment and collaboration.

Product overview

Start NTNU is a student-driven non-profit organization focused on innovation and entrepreneurship at NTNU. The organization offers a unified platform combining events (Arrangementer), project groups (Prosjektgrupper), mentorship, and alumni networking. Their core offerings include organizing NTNU's largest innovation competitions like Gründerjakten and code competitions through dedicated project groups, the Startskuddet podcast on innovation topics, an internal mentor program, and an alumni network. The organization serves as a gateway for students to explore entrepreneurship through collaborative events and networking opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Start PR: Project group within Start NTNU focused on public relations activities
• Start Gründerjakten
• Start GrEn
• Start Code
• Start X
• Start NGA
• Start IT

Products and services

• Arrangementer (Events)
• Prosjektgrupper (Project Groups)
• Startskuddet Podcast
• Mentorprogram (Mentor Program)
• Alumni-nettverk (Alumni Network)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 years of operation since 1999
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Start NorgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 1999Start Norge serves as the umbrella organization for Start NTNU, with approximately 14 local chapters across Norway. This partnership connects Start NTNU to a national network of student innovation organizations, enabling knowledge sharing, collaboration on national initiatives, and shared resources for student entrepreneurship development.
• Spark* NTNUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration with Spark* NTNU, another key player in the NTNU innovation ecosystem. Both organizations work together to strengthen Trondheim's position as a leading innovation environment and bridge connections between students, research communities, and industry.
• EntreprenørskolenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Entreprenørskolen (The Entrepreneurship School) to provide educational opportunities in entrepreneurship for students. Partnership contributes to the comprehensive entrepreneurial education ecosystem at NTNU.
• Boost HennemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in the Trondheim innovation ecosystem. Collaboration helps connect students with additional resources and programs for developing entrepreneurial skills and ideas.
• GründerbrakkamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the local startup support infrastructure. Works together with Start NTNU to provide students with access to startup resources, mentorship, and community within the Trondheim entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• NTNUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStart NTNU is embedded within NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) as a student organization. The university provides institutional support and access to facilities like FRAM, positioning Start NTNU as a key part of NTNU's innovation and entrepreneurship strategy.
• Business PartnersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompanies collaborate with Start NTNU to gain unique access to tomorrow's talent and innovative minds. Partners engage through workshops, lectures, and events, providing knowledge exchange opportunities while profiling their companies to potential future employees and collaborators.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Start NHH: Norwegian School of Economics chapter of Start Norge, focused on student entrepreneurship and innovation events; structurally identical to Start NTNU but based at a business school.
• Gründerbrakka: Trondheim-based startup community and infrastructure provider partnered with Start NTNU; comparable focus on supporting early-stage student entrepreneurs and connecting them to resources.
• Spark* NTNU: Sibling student innovation organization at NTNU operating in the same Trondheim campus ecosystem with overlapping entrepreneurship programming and shared corporate partnerships. Directly comparable mission and audience.
• Start UiO: The University of Oslo chapter of the Start Norge network, operating with the same student entrepreneurship mandate, structure, and partnership model at Norway's largest university.

Broad incumbents

• Enactus: Global student-led organization supporting entrepreneurial projects with social impact across 30+ countries. Operates at a vastly larger scale but addresses the same student entrepreneurship and innovation development niche.
• Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide: Global nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education programs to students from primary school through university; comparable educational mission but younger audience and broader geographic reach.
• Entreprenørskolen: The Entrepreneurship School at NTNU providing formal entrepreneurship education; a partner of Start NTNU but with a more academic, credit-bearing program orientation serving the same student audience.

Emerging players

• Student Entrepreneurship Network (STEN): International community for student entrepreneurs offering networking and resources; comparable in mission but addresses a broader international student audience rather than a single university.

Regional players

• Boost Henne: Trondheim-based innovation program supporting student entrepreneurs; a strategic partner of Start NTNU with overlapping target audience and complementary programming in the same regional ecosystem.
• CASE (Cambridge Association of Student Entrepreneurs): University-based student entrepreneurship society at Cambridge with model similar to Start NTNU — organizing competitions, speaker events, and mentorship — but operating in a UK ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start-ntnu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Start Ntnu