Where students become entrepreneurs

We met two recent graduates who have taken the leap from studies to full-time entrepreneurship, as well as two students currently working on an AI project together with a start-up in Gründergarasjen.

Leila Mozaffari leveraged her experience in the insurance industry and her education in data science at OsloMet to develop an AI-based platform for car damage assessment. Her system uses images and 360-degree videos to identify both external and internal damage to vehicles.

The platform can also automatically order replacement parts and provide a comprehensive evaluation of a car’s condition.

“I have over ten years of experience in insurance from my home country, and I combined that with what I had learned about data analysis and AI at OsloMet. The idea is to help repair shops, insurance companies, and private car owners get a quick and accurate evaluation of car damage”, Leila explains.

She received NOK 1 million in funding from Innovation Norway to develop the platform, enabling her to work full-time on the project. Despite the challenges, she finds the process rewarding:

“Building a prototype takes time, and I’m currently working alone on the development. But the support from Gründergarasjen and my mentors has been invaluable.”

Leila recently completed her data science specialisation as part of the Master’s Programme in Applied Data and Information Technology, where she took a course in Interdisciplinary Innovation and Complex Problems. She now works at Gründergarasjen with Stud-ENT funding from Innovation Norway.

From bachelor’s student to full-time entrepreneur

Henrik Rædergård recently completed his bachelor’s degree in information technology at OsloMet and is now a full-time entrepreneur with the start-up Kleda. The platform helps users find clothing inspiration and reduces returns by recommending the correct sizes.

“We see that many online retailers, such as Zalando and Boozt, have high return rates because customers order multiple sizes and return what doesn’t fit. Our goal is to make online shopping more sustainable by providing better tools for choosing the right size”, Henrik explains.

Henrik and his team at Kleda received NOK 1 million in funding from Innovation Norway, in addition to NOK 800,000 in private investment. They are currently developing a recommendation engine and a sizing guide to deliver a more personalised and efficient shopping experience.

Gründergarasjen provides an environment with other technical founders who we can collaborate with and learn from. It is inspiring and invaluable for Kleda’s development. – Henrik Rædergård

Henrik Rædergård is the full-time founder of the startup Kleda, which aims to help customers find inspiration for clothing and reduce returns by recommending the right sizes. Photo: Olav-Johan Øye

The entrepreneurial environment at OsloMet

Gründergarasjen currently has 24 start-ups working from the incubator. And just like Leila’s and Henrik’s start-ups, over half of the members have received the Stud-ENT funding from Innovation Norway.

Eleven new companies have recently started their memberships in Gründergarasjen – most of them taking the leap directly from studies to becoming full-time entrepreneurs.

“This makes Gründergarasjen the environment in Norway with the highest ratio of recently graduated founders, and OsloMet is a true gravitational point for entrepreneurship”, says Ranveig Strøm, director of Gründergarasjen.

Book corporate travel with conversational AI

Exchange students Filip Klimed and Matyas Broucek are working on a project with the start-up Travelin.AI, based at Gründergarasjen, through a project course they have at OsloMet. They are developing conversational AI for corporate travel – a system designed to simplify booking flights, hotels, and other services through natural language processing (NLP).

“This is something we’ve never worked on before, and it’s exciting to gain practical experience with AI in a real-world project. It gives us a taste of what it is like to work in the industry”, says Filip.
Matyas adds that the collaboration with Travelin.AI has been highly educational:

“We’re developing a prototype that will first be tested internally before potentially being launched to customers. It’s motivating to know that our work could have real-world applications.”

Filip Klimes, Matyas Broucek and Tomas Are Haave at Gründergarasjen

Students Filip Klimes and Matyas Broucek are helping to develop conversation-based AI. Here with Tomas Are Haavet, from Travelin.AI, on the right. Photo: Olav-Johan Øye Photo: Olav-Johan Øye

Student projects create entrepreneurs

The collaboration between Gründergarasjen and OsloMet’s academic community provides engineering and computer science students with a unique opportunity to work on start-up projects, build networks, and explore entrepreneurship as a career path.

As an example, through project courses at the Faculty of Technology, Art, and Design (TKD), students gain hands-on experience of solving real challenges for start-ups. These projects offer valuable insights into working in small, dynamic teams developing innovative solutions and products.

“We’ve been collaborating with Gründergarasjen for four or five years, and the project courses have grown from a handful of students to between 80 and 100 students per semester”, says Associate Professor Tulpesh Patel, one of the key figures behind the collaboration.

From students to entrepreneurs

Ranveig Strøm, who is Director of Gründergarasjen, highlights the importance of giving students a platform to explore entrepreneurship:

“By getting matched with start-ups at Gründergarasjen as part of the project courses, students get a soft introduction to the entrepreneurial world while gaining practical experience with real projects.”

In addition to applying their technical knowledge, students learn about the unique challenges that start-ups face, such as securing funding, landing their first customers, and developing prototypes.

Ranveig Strøm sees more former students returning to Gründergarasjen as entrepreneurs, bringing new students into their teams:

“They serve as role models and show that it’s possible to create something of your own.”

The project courses are great examples of how connecting studies to the entrepreneurial environment contributes to an ecosystem for entrepreneurship that surrounds the university. When previous students serve as role models to those who come after, the ecosystem is strengthened further.

Real projects with real impact

All projects in collaboration with Gründergarasjen are tied to real assignments from start-ups, offering students a hands-on experience that sets them apart from traditional academic projects.

“Everything we do is real – these are not simulations or games. These are real companies with real challenges”, says Strøm.

By working with tech-based companies in fields ranging from cybersecurity to health technology, students gain valuable insights and skills that prepare them for entering into the workforce.

Portrait of Ranveig Strøm, Freyja Jørgensen, Magnus Svendsen and Tulpesh Patel at Gründergarasjen

Building careers and competence

Ranveig Strøm emphasises that working with start-ups not only develops technical skills but also builds competencies that can be crucial for future career choices.

“There is always some degree of risk in choosing entrepreneurship, but the learning experience can open doors to jobs you wouldn’t otherwise have access to”, she explains.

For many students, getting hands-on experience motivates them to explore entrepreneurship as a career path – and for some, it becomes the foundation for their own successful ventures.

“It is about creating a value chain where we don’t produce just consultants but also entrepreneurs who can create jobs and develop innovative solutions for the future”, Strøm concludes.

A selection process with purpose

Gründergarasjen carefully selects the companies in the incubator through a rigorous interview process.

According to Ranveig Strøm, they assess the potential of the start-up and its team, the strategic relevance of the companies to the incubator, OsloMet, and other partners, as well as their potential to thrive in the dynamic entrepreneurial environment being cultivated.

“We need to believe in the companies we select, and they should feel like they’re part of a community with others who are driven to achieve something great”, she says.

Supporting entrepreneurship with Innovation Norway

Strøm highlights the importance of Innovation Norway’s Stud-ENT funding programme (ansatt.oslmet.no), which provides up to NOK 1 million to selected student entrepreneurs.

This initiative has been a key factor in fostering both new entrepreneurs and a culture for entrepreneurship within the academic environments.

“The Stud-ENT funding is fantastic and enables recent graduates to continue as entrepreneurs after higher education. There is growing interest in starting a business directly after studies, and we are seeing great progress here in Oslo”, she adds.

Through Gründergarasjen, OsloMet is nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, offering a unique platform where students can turn their innovative ideas into reality and contribute to a more sustainable and entrepreneurial future.