Experienced entrepreneurs meet breakthrough research – meet KTH’s new Venture Builders
A new cohort of Venture Builders is now joining Pioneer, a program designed to bring together two worlds that rarely meet this early: cutting-edge research and hands-on entrepreneurial experience.
Pioneer is run by KTH Innovation and KTH Ventures. The ambition is to shorten the path from research to company by combining deep technical expertise with commercial experience from day one.
“We have selected our most promising research-based teams and are pairing them with experienced entrepreneurs. The goal is to increase the pace of company building,” says Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation and CEO of KTH Ventures.
Clear results
The program, which launched last year, is already delivering results. Through the initiative, spinout Linpha recruited Fredrik Härenstam as CEO and co-founder, and has since raised capital from KTH Ventures. The company develops photonic data communication and quantum communication technologies, areas expected to be central to next-generation data centers, AI, and secure communication.
Building together
The setup stands out in a Swedish context. Rather than only supporting researchers in commercialization, experienced entrepreneurs join at a very early stage and build companies alongside the research teams. This model is more common in leading international deep tech ecosystems but has so far seen limited adoption in Sweden.
“KTH is really buzzing right now. The combination of strong research and a clear focus on company creation means ideas can move into the real world faster,” says Jenny Holmström.
The research teams, still in stealth, are developing solutions in areas including transport, medtech, radioactive waste management, quantum technology, and advanced AI.
Over 200 applicants
More than 200 Venture Builders applied for this year’s ten spots. Together, they bring experience from building and scaling companies internationally, including fundraising, strategic partnerships, and IPOs.
The initiative reflects a broader shift where leading universities are taking a more active role in company building, particularly in deep tech, where capital intensity, complexity, and time to market place higher demands on execution.
“I’m really excited to be part of the program. It’s a unique opportunity to work hands-on with breakthrough ideas at an early stage and help build companies with both commercial strength and long-term impact,” adds Nina Bake.
Meet our new Venture Builders
Cristoffer Harlos
Cristoffer Harlos has over a decade of experience building and scaling operations-intensive, technology-driven businesses. He co-founded Veat, a vertically integrated foodtech platform, and previously led international expansion across multiple continents at the vertical farming company Infarm. Earlier, as part of the founding team at Migreat, he launched its marketplace for diaspora communities across major European cities.
Marcus Petersson
Marcus Petersson focuses on translating life-science innovation into real-world impact. His background spans R&D, clinical strategy, and early-stage company building, with publications in Nature, patented biologics, and experience leading cross-functional teams in global health settings. He holds a PhD from DTU and was a visiting researcher at Harvard.
Emanuel Björne
Emanuel Björne is a biotech executive with over 20 years of leadership experience across company building, business development, and corporate strategy. He served as CEO of Hansa Biopharma, building the company from inception through capital raises, team formation, and clinical proof-of-concept, leading to a therapy approved in 2020, and later led Corporate & Business Development, establishing strategic partnerships with gene therapy leaders including Sarepta, AskBio, and Genethon.
Sebastian Holtze
Sebastian Holtze is a commercial leader and company builder with experience in scaling businesses and driving growth. He co-founded MOHV, helping grow the company from launch to a 20+ branch franchise network before exiting, and later served as Chief Commercial Officer at Bygghemma.se, part of BHG Group. He now runs Grubstake, advising companies on commercial strategy, go-to-market, and growth, while combining angel investments with advisory and board roles across scale-ups.
Jenny Holmström
Jenny Holmström is a commercial leader and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across startups, corporates, and global organizations. She co-founded and led Coupleness from zero to international launch, and has held roles at UNHCR, Elonroad, E.ON, and Scania, working across both early-stage ventures and complex, established environments. She has been recognized as one of Sweden’s Top 10 Best Marketers by LinkedIn and included among Apple Visionary Women.
Yasemin Heper Mårtensson
Yasemin Heper Mårtensson has 20+ years of international experience on both an operational and strategic level from the automotive, telecom and industrial industries, ranging from family-owned entrepreneurial companies to global high-tech corporations. Most recently she was interim CTO at CTEK, leading a 70-person engineering team.
Carl Gandeborn
Carl Gandeborn brings 15+ years of experience in developing early-stage ventures in AI/Machine Learning, health-tech, renewable energy, and telecom. He is the founder of NewINSIKT, and was a core team member and investor in Crowdsoft Technologies AB’s IPO. Today, he is advising and mentoring deep-tech and other startups in commercialization, strategy and team development.
Nina Bake
Nina Bake is an operator, entrepreneur, and company builder with more than 20 years of experience in medtech, health innovation, and growth companies. Across roles as CEO, co-founder, intrapreneur, and board member, she has led businesses from concept and product development to commercial launch and European scale-up. Most recently, she was responsible for portfolio governance and value creation across 16 subsidiaries, driving performance, profitability, and capital discipline.
Therese Sundell
Therese Sundell is a life science leader with a strong track record of translating scientific innovation into commercial success. She brings broad experience across marketing, branding, regulatory strategy, quality assurance, market access, and early-stage financing, and is known for building and leading high-performing cross-functional teams through hands-on, results-driven leadership across IVD, medtech, and research tools.
Rami Ballout
Rami Ballout is an entrepreneur, operator and investor with experience spanning venture building, consulting, and startup coaching. He has founded, and are currently investing, at 3BL in early-stage AI startups. He previously founded the management consulting agency Dyve, where he also served as Chairman. His background includes experience at Antler, B3 Consulting Group, Nordea, and EY, combining hands-on startup execution with deep expertise in transformation, strategy, and commercialization.