Founders House - Stockholm and Helsinki Hubs
Founders House in Stockholm and Helsinki offering 24/7 workspace, VC access, events and elite startup community support.
About
Founders House is a selective, equity-free co‑working and community program for ambitious tech founders. It launched in Stockholm (Sweden) in 2025 and expanded to Helsinki (Finland) in early 2026. Both locations offer 24/7 workspace, mentoring, events and peer networking to a small cohort of elite startups at no cost. The Stockholm hub (co-founded by Elis Hodzic and Bror Nordström) has already supported over 80 startups in its first year, hosting dozens of events and hackathons. The new Helsinki branch (co‑founded by Camilla Komulainen and Johannes Korpela) occupies the top floor of Alvar Aalto’s Sähkötalo building in central Helsinki. It will house up to 15 founding teams and is backed by Nordic VCs, Slush, Wave Ventures and city ecosystem partners.
History
Founded by entrepreneurs, Founders House Stockholm began as an informal space in early 2025 and officially launched in June 2025. It was created by Elis Hodzic and Bror Nordström to support “the next generation of unicorn founders” in Sweden’s AI and tech ecosystem. In late 2025 it was formalized as a non-profit organization with a year of funding from Swedish investors (e.g. Sophia Bendz of Cherry Ventures, Ted Persson and Sandra Malmberg of EQT Ventures). The mission of the Stockholm hub is to curate a community of highly ambitious founders who “push each other to move faster and think bigger”. It seeks to produce European technology companies capable of competing globally, without taking any equity from its members.
Founders House Helsinki launched on 26 February 2026. It was co-founded by Camilla Komulainen (ex-Slush) and Johannes Korpela (former CEO of Wave Ventures). Inspired by the Stockholm “founder factory,” it aims to unite Finland’s top 0.1% tech founders under one roof. The Helsinki branch explicitly positions itself as a hub that will drive GDP-level impact through globally significant startups. Like its Swedish counterpart, Helsinki’s model provides an equity-free work environment and access to mentors and investors, enabling founders to focus on building companies.
Both locations offer co‑working and community services to a small, hand-picked cohort of startup founders. Accepted members become “residents” with 24/7 access to office space, high-speed internet and shared amenities. All resources (desks, conference rooms, printing, etc.) are provided free of charge, and Founders House takes no equity from member companies. The focus is on curation: only experienced, high-potential founders are admitted (for Helsinki, a LinkedIn post notes “the 0.1% most ambitious founders in Finland”). Membership is not time-limited in the usual way – teams can stay as long as they meet participation criteria – but new “application periods” are held for private offices and new cohorts.
In addition to workspace, Founders House runs a packed events and mentoring program. Members enjoy priority access to workshops, guest lectures, and networking events with entrepreneurs and investors. For example, the Stockholm hub hosted over 50 events (hackathons, speaker sessions, dinners) in its first year. It regularly invites top founders (e.g. Spotify’s Daniel Ek, Voi’s Niklas Zennström, EQT’s Sophia Bendz) and local innovation leaders for intimate Q&A sessions. Such events foster peer learning and inspiration: Marianne Vikkula (Wolt) has praised Founders House for surrounding founders with ambitious peers to “grow faster and stronger”.
Founders House also offers support resources: curated introductions to venture capital, accelerator programs, startup service credits, and media exposure. For instance, members reported receiving startup credits and being featured in press releases (e.g. Solace Care’s launch press release explicitly calls Founders House “Stockholm’s leading hub for ambitious AI startups”). Both hubs host hackathons (Stockholm ran 9 hackathons in 2025) and may partner with local developer communities (Stockholm collaborated with KTH AI Society and international hackathon networks)
Location
Stockholm: The Stockholm hub is located at Luntmakargatan 34 in central Stockholm(see comparison table below). This is a multi-story office building near Odenplan/T-Hötorget. The space is designed for startups, expect open office areas, meeting rooms, and communal lounges. Access is 24/7 for residents. The hub is modest in physical size (fits a few dozen founders), reflecting its curated nature.
Helsinki: The Helsinki branch occupies the top floor of Sähkötalo, an iconic Alvar Aalto–designed building at Kampinkuja 2 in the Kamppi district. Sähkötalo was built in the 1970s as Helsinki’s power company headquarters.
Investors and Ecosystem partners
Both hubs enjoy strong backing. Stockholm’s launch was funded by Swedish VCs: Cherry Ventures (Sophia Bendz) and EQT Ventures (Ted Persson & Sandra Malmberg). It also collaborates with local tech actors (e.g. the KTH AI Society). Helsinki’s branch is backed by a coalition: national startup competition Slush, Komulainen’s Wave Ventures, VC firm Lifeline Ventures, and public partners (Business Finland’s Business Helsinki, Sitra, City of Helsinki). This reflects Finland’s government support for deep tech. Industry leaders have also endorsed the concept: Wolt’s Marianne Vikkula and Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen praised Founders House for fostering a tight-knit growth environment. In sum, Stockholm leans on private Nordic VC networks, while Helsinki combines VC with major startup institution (Slush) and civic sponsorship.
Events and Community Activities
Community building is central. In its first year Founders House Stockholm hosted 50+ major events. These ranged from informal dinners and after-work gatherings to structured hackathons and pitch sessions. For example, in late 2025 it co‑hosted a weekend “Nordic Hack” with KTH and HackEurope, involving teams from Stockholm, Paris and Dublin over 30 hours (prize fund ~€250k). Other highlights included AMA-style talks with founders like Spotify’s Daniel Ek, startup tours, and even fun activities (one post mentions ping-pong and pre-made dinners in the lounge). The tone is high-energy and communal: one recap joked of “lukewarm coffee, sleeping in weird places, and a lot of laughs”.
How to apply
Founders House operates on an open-call basis. Stockholm and Helsinki each announce application rounds (via their websites or social media) inviting startup teams to apply. The criteria are strict: typically teams must have a strong founding group, a scalable tech product or vision, and ambition to go global. Each application cycle selects a limited cohort from many applicants.