As a venture studio, we specialize in the green energy space, focusing on championing transformative concepts and ideas in enhancing grid stability, integrating renewable energy, and driving sustainability through advanced solutions like Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS). Our initiatives also include retrofitting buildings, developing smart home technologies, expanding EV infrastructure, and upskilling the workforce.

Through leveraging our support framework, and cutting-edge solutions, we empower founders and businesses on their mission to revolutionize the landscape of health and well-being, championing ideas and developing them into success stories.

See detailed description of key areas & opportunities below

Ideal Co-Founder Profile (one of the following):

• Subject matter/industry experts
• Past entrepreneurs (succesful or failed) who are interested in our Zebra approach and see the value of partnering with KRING
• Management consultants preferably with entrepreneurial/operational experience
• Operators in high-growth startups/scale-ups

Preferable experience:

• Building and leading teams from scratch
• +7 years of work experience
• Preferably with passion and deep understanding (e.g. through personal experience) for subject area (e.g. health) or functional area (e.g. operations)

Mindset and Values:

• Entrepreneurial instincts: risk-taker, proactive and hands-on
• Openness and reflectiveness to learn and change perspective when needed; high comfort with ambiguity
• 0 to 1 mindset
• Structured thinking
• Committed to Zebra/path to profitability journey
• Founder mentality with skin in the game

We follow our KRING Speedbooting™ Venture Building Model for everything we do. From market validation till launch

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KRING is an institutional co-founder with 18 years of experience building digital ventures. Our venture building approach and core USPs mitigate the most common causes of failures for start-ups:

Product/market fit and GTM strategy

• We de-risk the venture significantly through methodology and idea validation. Our structured Speedbooting ® methodology with pretotyping enables validation of business models and GTM strategies

Network and Partnerships

• We bring resources and expertise as well as access to corporate partners. KRINGs valuable network of corporates and advisors allows for improved business model and go-to-market strategy, innovation, and execution

Team and HR

• We help fill team gaps (co-founders, early employees).

Fundraising

• We do multi-round financing so you can focus on operating. As co-founder and investor, we support fundraising efforts through an extensive network of investors and our own fund

In addition, we de-risk your personal finances:

• We cover incubation costs of experimentation/venture building team (non-convertible loan)
• You earn a start-up salary (in line with market)
• You keep a substantial part of your cap table (depending on stage, IP, etc.)

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Jane Kudsk, Co-Founder in Triba Health

I'm looking forward to have a team around me and no longer be a solo-entrepreneur together with all the strong capabilities of KRING and the support to build something really big and meaningful. See interview with Jane here (in danish)

Tina Randrup, Co-Founder in Welldium

I always wanted to start something, but, you can almost say, did not have the guts to do it. Therefore, it is really nice to have a partner in it, especially in the early days. I joined last year, and before I came onboard there was the Welldium idea, there was a homepage with no practitioners, but with a few brands already. As soon as I joined, we started to onboard the practitioners. So, I came into the idea which I really believed in and KRING helped to pitch it to the co-founders and allow us to take that idea and make it our own. I think we both really believe in it and in that way it was ‘made for us’. KRING did the start, and now we are growing the seed from there.

So in the beginning it was me and the KRING team, you could say, so it almost felt I had a real team already even though I was a solo co-founder.

Peter Ladegaard, Co-Founder in Flextribe

One of the advantages of being a Co-Founder in KRING, in my opinion, is the easily accessible and large investor network. Secondly is that you have a "backend" office with good advice and support which isn't always so easy to find while building your own startup. See interview with Peter here (in danish)

Michael Lauritzen, Co-Founder in TestaViva

KRING have been a sparring partner for us and helped us with our strategy and go-to market. Most importantly we've gained access to their large network within the financial sector which we've used and has led us to our contract with Arbejdernes Landsbank. See the interview with Michael here (in danish)

See all our Founders and CEO's at our Team page

You join as EIR for 3-6 months (depending on how early you join in Think Big or Validation stage) - typically it will be at a time when we already are pretty comfortable with the problem/ pain points to solve, and are still defining or early stages of validating of a specific solution hypothesis to address the problem. Here you will:

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• Work in 2-week sprints with the internal Venture Studio team
• Validation of solution hypothesis (feasibility, viability, desirability)
• Define MVP and show early traction with the market
• Meet gate criteria to get Investment Committee approval to incorporate company and get pre-seed funding for the next 12 months
• Help bring on board other 1-2 EIRs (if you are the first one) - will be the Co-founding dream team once company is spun off

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Upon spinout (incorporation of company) you become a co-founder with equity stake alongside KRING.

EIR phase and early Pre-seed is full-time, in-person (hybrid) out of Copenhagen. As company grows, depending on needs of company, C-level team and board decide what makes sense regarding location

You earn a start-up salary (in line with market) and upon incorporation with pre-seed investment: You earn the right to a portion of 50% of the equity, split between 2 or 3 co-founders, so 16-25% equity for you (standard 4-year vesting with one year cliff)

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• In-house:
  • We focus on building primarily in-house with our cross-functional venture building teams through our Speedbooting™ methodology and hire the right co-founders to take ideas forward alongside KRING
• External partnerships:
  • Corporate players where C-level and decision makers are committed to building new services or products either for their own employees or customers
  • Existing early-stage ideas/ventures (typically before any external investment) when we find clear synergies between KRING and existing venture to accelerate product-market fit and founders see the value of bringing an institutional co-founder like KRING to run the venture via Speedbooting™ methodology (in exchange of 30-50% of the cap table)
  • University spin-outs

We are currently exploring opportunities within energy and with our corporate co-creation partners, and are looking for experts / Entrepreneurs-in-Residence/ Co-founders, check them out and apply here

Are you a Corporate?

Reach out to Managing Director, Jacob Madsen, at [email protected] or via our contact form

Enhancing grid stability and integrating renewable energy through Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and demand response platforms. These technologies manage real-time energy supply and demand.

Opportunity:
Enhancing grid stability and integrating renewable energy through Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and demand response platforms. These technologies manage real-time energy supply and demand. By leveraging advanced technology, VPPs can aggregate distributed energy resources (DERs) and operate them as a single power plant, enhancing grid reliability and flexibility.

Potential solution:
Demand Response Systems: Implement platforms that incentivize consumers to adjust energy usage during peak periods, ensuring grid stability.

• Aggregated VPPs: Develop platforms that aggregate DERs to function as a unified power plant, optimizing energy distribution and reliability for SMEs.
• AI-Driven Load Balancing: Use AI to forecast and balance grid demand in real-time, minimizing the risk of outages and enhancing operational efficiency.

”Virtual power plants (VPPs)provide shopping centers, manufacturing companies, office buildings, public institutions and other large buildings with digitally controlled energy consumption, enabling them to adapt to the grid by flexibly varying electricity consumption up and down according to the grid.

Offering energy solutions on a subscription basis, providing flexibility and cost-efficiency for consumers without the need for heavy upfront investments.

Opportunity: Offer energy solutions on a subscription basis, providing flexibility and cost-efficiency for consumers without the need for heavy upfront investments.

Potential Solutions:

• Subscription-Based Energy Services: Develop platforms that offer energy management services, including monitoring, optimization, and maintenance, on a subscription basis.
• Bundled Energy Solutions: Create bundled services that include energy generation, storage, and management, providing comprehensive solutions for consumers.
• Flexible Financing Options: Implement financing solutions that enable consumers to adopt energy-efficient technologies without high upfront costs.

Co-Creation Potential: Collaborate with energy service providers or financial institutions to develop EaaS platforms.

Retrofitting Homes and Buildings: Retrofitting homes with advanced technologies and materials to significantly reduce energy consumption, enhance sustainability, and improve overall living conditions.

Opportunity:
Retrofitting homes with advanced technologies and materials can significantly reduce energy consumption, enhance sustainability, and improve overall living conditions The global market size for energy retrofitting is estimated at 1089 billion DKK , with the non-residential segment accounting for 71%.

Potential solution:

• Eco-Friendly Insulation Materials: Promote sustainable, high-performance insulation materials.
• Develop a specific marketplace for connecting, e.g. insulations installers with homeowners.
• Creating innovative financing options and utilize government subsidies to make it more affordable.
• Integrated Renewable Energy Systems: Combining Solar, energy storage, and smart home energy management.
  

30% of the global final energy consumption is due to the operation of buildings. Thus, realising energy savings by prioritising the renovation of existing buildings is essential.

Approximately 90% of the European building stock that will exist in 2050 has already been built. Thus, it is vital to realise the potential for energy efficiency in our current buildings.

Developing and integrating smart home and building solutions, including Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) and Building Automation Systems (BAS), to optimize energy usage and enhance user experience.

Opportunity: The market for smart home and building solutions, including Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) and Building Automation Systems (BAS), is poised for growth. HEMS is valued at $4.7B with a 13.9% growth rate, while BAS is a larger market at $88.4B, growing at 12.0%.

Potential Solutions:

• AI-Driven Energy Optimization: Developing systems that use AI to optimize energy usage, enhance user engagement, and integrate seamlessly with other smart devices.
• Predictive Maintenance: Leveraging AI and machine learning to predict and prevent system failures, ensuring efficient building management.
• Enhanced User Interfaces: Developing user-friendly interfaces that engage users and provide actionable insights into energy usage.

Co-Creation Potential: KRING can form strategic partnerships with smart home device manufacturers, utility companies, and sustainability experts to develop comprehensive energy management solutions that improve energy efficiency and user experience in both residential and commercial buildings.

Expanding the EV charging infrastructure market and developing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, enabling electric vehicles to supply power back to the grid and supporting grid stability.

Opportunity: The EV charging infrastructure market, valued at $45.9B with a growth rate of 23.1%, presents substantial opportunities for innovation and expansion. Additionally, V2G technology, which enables electric vehicles to supply power back to the grid, offers dynamic storage solutions that enhance grid stability during peak times.

Potential solutions:

• • Develop smart integrated charging networks that optimize energy use and reduce costs using AI and IoT.
  • Fast Charging Stations: Create ultra-fast charging solutions that significantly reduce charging times.
  • V2G Integration:Develop platforms that facilitate the bidirectional flow of electricity between EVs and the grid.
  • Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborating with governments and private companies to expand charging infrastructure in both urban and rural areas.

Developing innovative platforms and programs to upskill and train energy traders, installers, and other workforce members to support the growing needs in grid services and energy management sectors.

Opportunity: Given the significant challenges faced by energy companies in attracting and retaining skilled labor, there is a critical need for solutions that address the workforce gap in the energy sector. This opportunity space focuses on developing innovative platforms and programs to upskill and train energy traders, installers, and other workforce members.

Potential solution: Digital Training Platform

Become the labor supply and productivity engine driving the energy transition by combining education, technology and operational excellence.

How? Recruit and train young tradespeople and craftsmen in hybrid academies. Other B2B customers can also take advantage of the digitised installation services. The highly skilled staff are outfitted with cutting-edge technology to provide high-quality installations.

48% of Danish Energy companies feel that the labour shortage is limiting their activities.

45.000 employees are needed in the green energy if the Danish climate goals are to be realized.

Developing platforms and services that enable community-based renewable energy projects within the built environment, including shared solar installations and local energy cooperatives.

Opportunity: Develop platforms and services that enable community-based renewable energy projects, including shared solar installations and local energy cooperatives.

Potential solution: Community Platforms

• Community Solar Platforms: Facilitate the development and management of shared solar projects for neighbourhoods and communities.
• Local Energy Cooperatives: Platforms enabling local communities to create and manage their own renewable energy sources.
• Decentralised Energy Management: Tools for managing community-based energy resources efficiently using AI and IoT.

”Denmark faces a major transition, where local energy solutions are central”

Most of the time, we're looking for

• A CEO / innovation officer/ champion & decision maker that wants to explore new strategic areas of growth, new customer experiences, or market positions and wants to build and test a new service/product fast and agile in just a few months, with little internal human resources (yet high internal commitment and decision making)
• An HR/ CEO that wants to offer tailor solutions/ innovative benefits for employees and be a Great place to work, improve productivity etc… and wants to co-create a health benefit solution with us
• A R&D team that has some exciting tech/ R&D/IP but not strategic for company to pursue so open to let go of IP and put into a separate project that can have own feet
• University Innovation office who wants to turbocharge tech innovations and talent from university that needs strong commercial backbone to bring to commercialization

High impact low touch
It requires a minimum of resources from our corporate partners to engage but allows them to discover and exploit high impact opportunities

New growth opportunities
Venture building with KRING allows you to quickly explore new strategic areas of growth, new customer experiences, or market positions

We have skin in the game
We have the funds to co-invest early in the venture creation, which aligns us on the same goals and incentives as you

Accelerate new ideas fast
Our average time from validation to MVP is 3 months, and we use our extensive network and talented co-founders to accelerate growth
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We are very excited to work with KRING on acceleration of some of our high potential university startups and early-stage teams. The combination of DTU startups’ Deep Tech knowledge and KRINGs extensive Speedbooting framework, commercialization capability, corporate network and impact funding will enable some of our high potential projects to materialize as valuable impact ventures faster than otherwise possible

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KRING's speed-booting approach, process, and tools possess a unique capability that I haven't seen anywhere else. With the customer at the center and a high level of speed and execution power, we create some unique customer solutions. Therefore, at Nordea, we are particularly pleased to collaborate in co-creating several new customer-centered solutions with KRING.

Watch video interview with Lars here, and with business area owner, Kristian Bloch here

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I have collaborated closely with KRING and personally experienced the effectiveness of KRING's Co-creation model in the creation of a new customer-centered business model and platform-based company established in partnership with PKA Pension and Ørsted. It is highly recommended.

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We have had a good and close collaboration with KRING for many years. We sit on the board with KRING and have ongoing discussions about the development of new business platforms. KRING is adept at identifying new opportunities, and their values such as responsibility, along with their strong focus on individual people and sustainability agenda, also align well with us as a bank. I can wholeheartedly recommend KRING as a business partner, and at AL-Bank, we look forward to continued fruitful collaboration in the future.

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We have previously worked with KRING, and it is natural for us to become an investor in KRING's new impact fund, having closely followed the development and results. We strongly believe in their robust sustainability focus, the people behind the fund, and their unique 'Speedbooting' approach to creating tomorrow's winning companies.

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See all our testimonials here

• Start with an alignment meeting to define high level scope, assign champion/ decision maker/ steering committee/ working team/ high level terms
• 2 – 3 days sprint workshop with working team and champion to engage, acquaint, agree on plan and focus etc. Terms for engagement agreed.
• Execution of 2 – 6 months of idea generation - idea validation - MVP . Team from KRING drives and supports key activities, alongside corporate internal team champion/ working team.
• Pre-seed investment decision (mostly KRING, corporate has limited equity ownership if any)

Send us a message here or write Managing Director, Jacob Madsen, at [email protected]