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KTH joins forces with leading universities connecting top entrpreneurial students

Oxford, ETH and KTH campus buildings
Oxford, ETH and KTH are three of the founding hubs behind the initiative.
Published Jan 28, 2026

KTH Innovation, together with leading European universities, is launching a new founder program for Europe’s most promising student entrepreneurs. Through Relativity Collective, top students from KTH, ETH, Aalto, Oxford, TUM, and CDTM who want to start and scale companies are given the opportunity to build strong networks early in their entrepreneurial journey.

Lisa Ericsson
Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation highlights the importance of strong networks.

“There is an enormous amount of entrepreneurial talent in Europe, but the problem is that most people build their first networks very locally. We want to give our top students the critical networks that allow them to think big from the very beginning,” says Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation.

Supported by leading entrepreneurs

The initiative is backed by leading entrepreneurs, including KTH alum Alfred Wahlforss, founder of the AI company Listen Labs, which recently raised SEK 633 million. Already as a student, he was active in entrepreneurial circles and also founded his first company, Bemlo. He says:

“The right network is the foundation for everything. Relativity Collective is a fantastic opportunity for driven students to find each other, build strong teams, and create companies that can scale globally.”

Among the entrepreneurs behind Relativity Collective are also Hanno Renner, co-founder of the German HR company Personio, valued at SEK 75 billion, and Paulina Grnarova, founder and CEO of the Swiss AI company DeepJudge, which recently raised SEK 350 million. Tanmoy Bari, founder of the Swedish energy company Greenely, which has recently expanded internationally, also supports the initiative.

Apply now

Relativity Collective is aimed at a carefully selected group of students who have the ambition to start a company within the next 12–18 months. The first cohort will meet in March 2026 for a three-day program during which participants build international networks, explore potential co-founder relationships, and become part of a long-term European founder collective. Travel and accommodation are covered by the program.

“The ambition is to contribute to more tech companies that can attract international capital and scale globally while being based in Europe,” says Lisa Ericsson.

Application to the program is open until 14 February 2026, and the first group of participants will gather on 11–13 March.

About Relativity Collective

  • A pan-European founder program for students from KTH, Oxford, ETH, Aalto, TUM, and CDTM. More European universities are expected to join the initiative in the coming months.
  • The program is an initiative of Rise Europe, a network bringing together 18 leading innovation hubs from 14 European countries. KTH Innovation is one of the members.
  • Open to students and PhD students at participating and partner universities in Europe who have the ambition to start a company within 12–18 months
  • First cohort: 11–13 March 2026
  • Travel and accommodation included
  • Apply by 14 February
Page responsible:innovation@kth.se
Belongs to: About KTH
Last changed: Jan 28, 2026