Shape the future as a commercial co-founder in a research-based pre-startup

This opportunity is for entrepreneurs and industry experts who are curious about joining an early-stage research venture and helping build the next generation of innovative companies.

Open Entrepreneurship (OE) Co-Founder Run gives you the chance to get involved from the earliest stages, where your experience, ideas, and network can help shape both the venture and the founding team. The role typically begins as a flexible, non-salaried commitment with the potential to grow alongside the company.

The current campaign runs from 8 October to 8 November 2026 and you can find all the participating pre-startups’ one-pagers below. If you do not find a match here, you can sign up on our notify list for future campaigns by sending an email to info@open-entrepreneurship.com.

Follow Open Entrepreneurship on LinkedIn for updates and announcements.

Want to learn more? Join our online information meeting

We invite you to join our online information meeting for commercial co-founders on 29 October 2026 at 12:00–13:00. You will learn more about our Co-founder run and the matching process.

Sign up for the online meeting by sending an email to info@open-entrepreneurship.com.

What we expect from you as a co-founder candidate

1. You can work from the local university office/the startup office 7 hours/week, as part of the team (some cases may specify higher expectations in their one-pagers).

2. However, we do not expect you to invest in the case.

3. You will enter a 2–3-month trial period, if you then mutually agree on a good match, you can then start formalizing with a co-founder agreement negotiation, earning ownership based on contribution (sweat equity).

Important note
This is not a traditional job opening. There is no predefined, salaried role. As a co-founder, you will join at an early stage, where building the venture and securing initial funding are core parts of the journey.

Some teams are also seeking a technical co-founder

While OE Co-Founder Run primarily focuses on matching research-based pre-startups with commercial co-founders, some research-based pre-startups occasionally seek technical co-founders. If you would like to hear more, please contact info@open-entrepreneurship.com.

Important dates for co-founders autumn 2026

See list of important dates related to co-founders.

 

Participating pre-startups in Co-founder run autumn 2026

Pre-startups

The Astronaut Way

Astronaut training for leadership teams

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Digital and impact | INT: Open for international talent

Terrella

Your day, seen from space

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Case Matched

Digital and impact

Spasic

Single-chip satellite power monitoring

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech

Silent Consensus

Shaping the future of smart energy coordination

Kgs. Lyngby and Roskilde and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Energy | INT: Open for international talent

ReMoo

Rethinking food proteins without animals

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Foodtech

RelDatum

Making oncological mri repeatable

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Diagnostics | INT: Open for international talent

Relay

Trustworthy on-premises AI for regulated organisations

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Digital and impact | INT: Open for international talent

PoreSense

Next generation chemical sensors

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech

PHAIGE

AI-driven phage discovery for industry

Copenhagen and INT

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma | INT: Open for international talent

OptoMechanics Pro

Enhancing the efficiency in assembling optical systems

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech | INT: Open for international talent

NoveltyGraph

Stop burning energy on bad code!

Roskilde and Rødovre | RUC

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Digital and impact

NordMags

Advanced magnetics for efficient power conversion

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech | INT: Open for international talent

Nordic Neural Technologies (NNT)

Surpressing pain signals with magnetic stimulation

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Healthtech | INT: Open for international talent

Nervapax

Neuromodulation for cluster headache prevention

Copenhagen and INT

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Healthtech | INT: Open for international talent

Molarix

Accelerate pharma development with machine learning

Copenhagen and Budapest and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma | INT: Open for international talent

MecMode

Ultrafast laser frequency conversion

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech | INT: Open for international talent

KYRA Robotics ApS

Water-landing drones for autonomous inspection and environmental monitoring in hard-to-reach areas

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech | INT: Open for international talent

Kovaro

The risk management platform that gets wind projects financed, insured and sold

Roskilde and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Energy | INT: Open for international talent

Injekta PV

Building Germany’s first decentralized thermal storage through power-to-heat

Copenhagen and Stuttgart and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Energy | INT: Open for international talent

Gaius Therapeutics

New small molecule drug lead for epilepsy

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma

Fluxion

Measuring organoid metabolism in real time

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Healthtech

FIBERNEX

Advanced porous materials and coatings for energy and industrial applications

Copenhagen and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Energy | INT: Open for international talent

FARIS

Smarter imaging for pancreatic cancer risk

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Diagnostics | INT: Open for international talent

ExoPlus

Unlocking oral delivery of challenging medicines

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma | INT: Open for international talent

ENSOY

Circular flavour systems: closed-loop valorisation of soy byproducts

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Foodtech

DK Dots

Ultrabright probes for more biological information

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Diagnostics | INT: Open for international talent

DaNex Energy ApS

We make energy projects win grid capacity

Sønderborg | SDU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Energy

CERAFLOW

Recovering water and value from industrial waste streams

Kgs. Lyngby and INT | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Deeptech | INT: Open for international talent

BioCreatine

For cleaner and safer dietary supplements

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Foodtech

Biocell Automation ApS

Automated 3D cell culture monitoring to accelerate drug research

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma

AURIENT

Multisensory support for hearing loss

Kgs. Lyngby | DTU

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Healthtech

ACIDION

Saving cells from acid when blood flow stops

Copenhagen and INT | UCPH

One-pager

Apply as co-founder

Biopharma | INT: Open for international talent
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More information and FAQ

If you need more information, you are welcome to reach out to us – or perhaps you can find the answer in the FAQ.

Reach out to one of us in the Co-founder run team:

Jens Friholm
DTU Skylab, DTU
M: +45 9392 8242
E: jefrih@dtu.dk

Otto Bjerg Hausgaard
The Kitchen, AU
M: +45 2559 0657
E: obh@au.dk

Neta Kela
KU Lighthouse
M: +45 3166 6120
E: neta@adm.ku.dk

Nynne Budtz Christiansen
Open Entrepreneurship
M: +45 9351 8975
E: nmch@dtu.dk

Previous Co-founder runs

For your inspiration, we have listed previously participating pre-startups here

 

Would you like to join Co-founder Run as a research-based pre-startup?

For research-based pre-startups, finding the right commercial co-founder can be the key to turning research into a successful venture.

Open Entrepreneurship’s Co-founder Run connects researchers with potential co-founders, entrepreneurs, and industry experts early in the startup journey, creating the foundation for strong teams and successful companies.

We are currently closed for applications. The next round opens early 2027. Sign up by info@open-entrepreneurship.com if you want to be notified when the next application round for pre-startups opens.

Your pre-startup must meet the two following criteria

  1. Be affiliated with a Danish university hub, university programme, and/or Danish science park, and must have a business developer or equivalent committed to supporting the team throughout the Co-founder run.
  2. Have reached a sufficient level of maturity to benefit from co-founder matching. This means that you have a clear project scope, some initial validation, and are ready to actively involve a co-founder in core activities.

If you need more information, you are welcome to reach out to us at info@open-entrepreneurship.com or to any of the Co-Founder Tun team members below – or perhaps you can find the answer in the FAQ.

Important dates for pre-startups autumn 2026