Connect Sverige, one of Sweden's leading startup accelerators with a network of more than 11,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and partners, integrated Pitchago into its flagship Springboard® program to solve a key challenge: how to efficiently assess, coach, and prepare startups for investment at scale.
Connect Sverige is a prominent national accelerator organization that bridges the gap between startups and investors, helping to accelerate the growth of innovative companies across Sweden. With a mission to foster entrepreneurship and economic development, Connect Sverige connects early-stage ventures with investors, mentors, and resources through their prestigious Springboard® program.
The Connect network is powered by approximately 11,000 pro-bono contributors — many of whom are seasoned entrepreneurs themselves — who volunteer their time to support Sweden's next generation of innovators.
Swedish companies helped to reach success since 1999
Collectively raised by companies pitching through Connect's network since 2022
Impressive success rate placing Connect at the top of global accelerator benchmarks
SEK (c.$520K) per company on average
Global research on accelerators shows that successful programs share a common DNA: structured, data-driven assessments, intensive mentorship, clear milestones, and rigorous progress tracking. At the same time, accelerator graduates globally see roughly 40–50% follow-on funding rates, with top-tier programs clustering at the high end of that range.
By introducing Pitchago, Connect Sverige built a data-driven foundation for the Springboard® program — improving mentor efficiency, accelerating founder development, and enabling better alignment between startups, coaches, and investors.
As Connect Sverige's network grew, they faced mounting challenges that mirror what global accelerator research identifies as systemic pain points. To stay at the top of the curve, Connect needed a modern, data-driven system to match its world-class network.
Traditional evaluation processes were time-consuming and subjective, making it difficult to quickly identify the most promising startups or efficiently allocate mentor resources.
Coaches and mentors spent valuable session time diagnosing issues rather than delivering high-impact strategic guidance. They lacked the context needed to dive deep immediately.
Founders needed structured support when working independently, but had no clear framework to maintain momentum between mentoring meetings.
Each Springboard cohort brought together companies from diverse industries and maturity levels. Without standardized baselines, it was challenging to understand where each startup stood, identify strengths and weaknesses quickly, determine investment readiness, and tailor support effectively.
Connect Sverige implemented Pitchago as the foundational assessment and development platform for all Springboard participants — transforming their entire coaching process and aligning it with what evidence says top accelerators do best.
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Felicia Hedström
Growth Capital, ConnectSverige
"Pitchago gave me a great overview of each company — where they were in their journey, what they were working on, and what they needed to focus on. It also offered the founders something to lean on when they weren't in mentoring sessions — a structured way to keep moving forward and stay aligned with their goals."
Each startup completes a Pitchago self-assessment, generating a 360° overview of its business across key dimensions: venture maturity stage, investment readiness level, strengths (green flags) and gaps (red flags), and prioritized focus areas for growth.
Program managers and mentors access a data-rich dashboard to identify each startup's specific needs instantly, personalize coaching based on real data, and track progress over time and across cohorts.
Between sessions, founders complete guided "Level-Up Wizards" — targeted exercises designed to strengthen areas like market validation, financial planning and forecasting, team development and leadership, investor readiness and pitch refinement, and business model optimization.
Mentors can track startup progress, adjust coaching strategies, and provide timely feedback — creating an always-on support system that keeps founders aligned and accountable.
By integrating Pitchago into the Springboard program, Connect Sverige achieved measurable improvements across multiple levels.
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Data-driven readiness and smarter coaching now fuel one of Sweden's most successful accelerator networks.
Manolo Obaya
Investor Relations & Business Development at Connect Sverige
"The Pitchago Portal has transformed our coaching process, enabling us to deliver more precise and impactful guidance to our startups. It has been instrumental in helping us ensure that each venture is truly ready for investment and growth."
Most accelerator programs face the same core challenges:
Pitchago solves these challenges by providing a scalable, data-driven system that:
Connect Sverige continues to leverage Pitchago as an integral part of the Springboard experience. The platform not only streamlines the assessment and coaching process but also empowers founders to take ownership of their growth journey — from idea to investment.
As global accelerator research shows, programs that are structured, data-driven and mentor-led consistently outperform the rest in follow-on funding, survival and exits. With Pitchago, Connect Sverige has locked those success factors into the core of its operations.
Together, Connect Sverige and Pitchago are helping Swedish startups become more investor-ready, more strategic, and more scalable than ever.
Thorgeir Einarsson
CEO and Founder of Pitchago
