KTH Innovation Brighter Program

Meet the world

Test your startup project on the global market in the KTH Innovation Brighter Program!

About the program

Join KTH Innovation in one of the world's leading innovation hubs! Learn about international business culture, build your network and get inspired.

The Brighter program gives you the knowledge and network you need when it's time to enter a new market, now or in five years.

Do you want to launch your startup on the global market in the future? Do you want to get inspired and learn from experts in some of the world's leading innovation ecosystems? Then you should apply to the Brighter program!

Good to know

The program includes: Preparatory workshops, followed by a one-week program in Silicon Valley, US during week 49, or Munich, Germany, during week 45.

Cost: The program is free of charge. KTH Innovation pays for accommodation for two members from each team. You pay for your own flight tickets.

Application criteria: KTH students, researchers or employees with early-stage start-up or research commercialization projects and the ambition to build a company that could scale internationally are welcome to apply. Application is also open to students and employees at universities cooperating with KTH within the Innovation Offices structure.

After the program: After the program, you will have learned more about what it takes to launch on a global market. You will have grown your network, and developed your pitch and communication.

Ecosystems 2023

Munich

The Brighter program returns to Munich for the third time. Germany is Europe's largest economy, and Munich is an important industrial city where several of the major German companies have their headquarters.

The program includes workshops in local business culture, networking, visits to selected organizations in the ecosystem as well as pitching opportunities and the opportunity to connect with local founders and investors.

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a global center for high technology and innovation. KTH Innovation has visited the area regularly since 2012, and has an extensive network in the region.

Brighter program participants

Two women do a high five in front of a screen showing confetti

Many successful startups have taken their first steps on the global market in the Brighter program. Through meetings with local experts, investors, and contact with a new ecosystem, they have gained inspiration and motivation to take their ideas to the next level.

In the picture: Ellure winning a pitch competition in New York 2019.

The teams in the 2023 Brighter program

Meet the alumni of the Brighter Program

Greenely

"We got incredibly useful information from the external meetings. For me personally, it was important and interesting to be able to spend time with other talented entrepreneurs and to open my eyes to an international perspective, but also to feel the atmosphere and experience the entire startup environment over there."

- Tanmoy Bari, founder of Greenely . Greenely joined the program in Silicon Valley in 2014. It is now one of Sweden's fastest-growing energy companies.

ImagiLabs

"We loved visiting organizations around the city, meeting with founders, and having conversations with the others in the program. We tend to get stuck in our own problems, so it was great to hear what the others were struggling with, doing well or are doing better than us. It was a great boost for our personal motivation!"

- Dora Palfi, founder of ImagiLabs . Participated in the Brighter program in 2018. Their app has been highlighted in Apple's keynotes and has been installed by 150k+ coders in 99 countries.

iPercept

"The Brighter program helped us understand what it takes to enter the German market so that we could set a realistic timeline and strategy. We also learned several practical aspects, which together with the network we got helped us get to where we are today when we have our first customers in Germany."

- Károly Szipka, KTH researcher and founder of IPercept . Participated in the Brighter Program in Munich 2019. Today, their solution is used by the leading industrial companies in Sweden and Europe.