Entrepreneurs in Residence

Do you want to be part of building tomorrow’s companies? Seize the opportunity and apply to LEAD’s trainee program, where you’ll get the chance to work with ideas that have the potential to become successful companies, receive coaching from experienced business coaches, and gather tools to become a sharp entrepreneur.

About the trainee program

Entrepreneurs in Residence is a well-established trainee program developed by the business incubator LEAD, offering you an opportunity to grow both personally and as an entrepreneur. As an Entrepreneur in Residence at LEAD, you’ll be paired with another individual, working together on a clear mission—to transform new ideas or technologies into startup companies. The pairs are designed to complement each other through different skills and experiences, aiming to recruit 1-2 pairs for the program.

As part of the program, you’ll receive coaching and support from experienced business coaches at LEAD, which is a key component of your entrepreneurial education. The goal of the trainee program is to create conditions for participants to kickstart their development and become top-notch entrepreneurs and future key figures in startup companies. This is achieved through education, training, and coaching in business development, project management, and business acumen within real-life cases. You’ll receive paid education while experiencing real entrepreneurship but completely risk-free.

The application period for Entrepreneurs in Residence 2024 is now closed.

As an Entrepreneur in Residence, you will get to

  • Develop a diverse skill set with tools and methodologies in business development.
  • Evaluate the business potential of cases and technologies stemming from research and/or companies in the region.
  • Individual coaching in areas such as leadership, self-leadership, and personal development.
  • Opportunity to lead real-life cases with the potential to become successful companies.
  • Collaborate in an environment alongside other entrepreneurs and be part of a startup community.
  • Opportunity to position yourself as a key individual/co-founder in a startup company.

Your tasks

Initially, as a pair, you’ll be assigned several cases and technologies stemming from research and/or companies in the region. These cases vary in nature but all relate to technology, new innovations, and sustainability. Your task, together with your partner in the pair, will be to identify potential markets, test hypotheses, verify business ideas, and develop possible business models—essentially, the initial steps on a journey towards establishing a company. This involves:

  • Market validation
  • Value chain mapping
  • Networking
  • Interviews with key stakeholders
  • Validation of potential business plans
  • Development of workflows, among other tasks.

Your profile

We believe that applicants should be attentive, reliable, possess strong social skills, and enjoy working closely with another individual. You likely have an analytical mindset, work in a structured manner, and prioritize high-quality work. Furthermore, you’re probably someone who thrives on challenges and is not afraid to go the extra mile to achieve your goals. During the program, you’ll delve into new innovations and technologies, so we highly value curiosity and problem-solving skills in candidates.

To fit well in the program, we believe you have a keen interest in business development and innovations or are motivated by creating value and benefits for both customers and society at large. Hence, we think that applicants have a desire or ambition to eventually lead or become a key figure in a startup company.

Requirement: English. You can express yourself fluently in English, both verbally and in writing.

Desirable: A desire or ambition to eventually lead or be part of a startup company.

The majority of the program will involve working in pairs, so we aim to match individuals with complementary strengths and skills. Therefore, you can apply to the program even if you don’t identify with all the mentioned qualities.

Program start

The program commences in early September each year, and the application period runs from December to February. 

The application period for Entrepreneurs in Residence 2024 is now closed.

Questions about the program

Åsa Glavich

Business Coach – HR and team development

asa.glavich@lead.se

0738-05 69 70

Questions about the recruitment

Viktoria Ringebrant

Rekryteringsansvarig

viktoria@unitalent.se

013-282750

What is it like to be an Entrepreneur in Residence?

Maja & Victor

What exactly do you as an Entrepreneur in Residence at LEAD? We asked Maja Lindberg and Victor Borén who have worked as trainees at LEAD in 2019 (video in Swedish).

Right now, Sally Winter and Frida Wygler are in the trainee program. We invited them to LEAD’s podcast StartupTalks to delve deeper into what Entrepreneurs in Residence entails, what motivated Sally and Frida to apply to the program, and how it serves as a stepping stone to their future careers.

The podcast is in Swedish.

Examples of cases at LEAD

Here, you’ll find some of the exciting cases that entrepreneurs at LEAD have worked on during the trainee program and what can happen after the program concludes. Seize the opportunity to become the driving key figure in an innovative tech startup!

Cellfion

With a promising football career and a background in business management studies, Liam Hardey applied for the 2020 trainee program. Since the conclusion of the program, he's been leading the innovative company, Cellfion. Cellfion enables new energy applications through its development of a bio-based membrane. It serves as a component for various aspects of clean energy technology and is utilized in large-scale energy storage.

MicroDri

Victor Borén began his journey at LEAD as an Entrepreneur in Residence in 2019. Victor found an idea he and his colleague Marcus Tornberg were passionate about, and together they developed the idea into the company MicroDri. MicroDri develops a flexible, efficient, and environmentally friendly microwave solution for large-scale timber drying, promoting a global accelerated transition to fossil-free timber production.

The application period for Entrepreneurs in Residence 2024 is now closed.