Unicorn Factories & Switch Pitch

​Our first Nordic Founders event of 2026 is built around one idea:

​Founders should understand the systems that judge them... and be able to judge back.

​Two segments. One power shift.

​> Unicorn Factories

​> Switch Pitch

​Unicorn Factories: How Accelerators Really Pick Winners

​Most founders never get the real story.

​They see the logos.
They hear the hype.
They submit the application.
And then… silence.

​This session is about what actually happens behind closed doors at accelerators and startup programs and how decisions are really made.

​On January 26th, three of the most influential people shaping the Nordic startup pipeline will break down how accelerators actually work:

​Karin Ruiz (CEO, STING)

​Lisa Ericsson (CEO, KTH Innovation)

​Isabel Keulen (CEO, SSE Business Lab)

​You’ll learn:

• ​How accelerators really decide who gets in and who doesn’t

• ​The signals they spot immediately in founders who go on to build category-defining companies

• ​The most common reasons strong ideas still get rejected

• ​How to choose the right accelerator (and when not to apply at all)

• ​What makes an application stand out and what kills it

• ​How they assess founders once you’re inside the program

​This is for founders who want leverage, not validation.
Who care about trajectory, not vibes.
And who want to understand the game before they play it.

​There is good money and there is bad money.
And clout, fund size, or brand alone don’t make you the right partner.

That’s exactly why we’re running Switch Pitch.

​
Instead of founders pitching investors, investors pitch to a jury of founders.

Not to answer “who is the best VC?”
That question is subjective.

But to answer something much more useful:
Which investor would be the strongest partner for a founder building right now?

This is not a popularity contest...

We spent a lot of time designing the judging framework so this is actually valuable, for founders and for investors.

How it works:
> Each VC is scored across 5 equally weighted dimensions
> Founder jurors ask questions and score independently
> The audience will have a chance to vote too for the 'People's Choice'

One winner announced.

We’re doing this to help founders clearly see how different VCs really are, so they stop wasting time pitching the wrong investors and start choosing partners that actually fit their business, ambition, and stage.

​🗓️ 26 January 2026
📍 Epicenter