A few weeks ago, we invited Jørgen - an attorney and our partner from Lassen Ricard law firm, and Morten - an accountant and our partner from Grant Thornton accounting firm, to give student entrepreneurs from ITU advice on corporate structure, tax planning, and legal do's and don'ts. Morten and Jørgen are experts in their fields and proud partners of ITU NextGen — offering free advice and sparring sessions to startups in our hub 🚀
For those of you who couldn't attend - we'd love to share some of the insights (2/2).
⚖️ Key Takeaways from Jørgen's presentation: Legal Do’s & Don’ts
1. Cover Your Back
- Watch out for conflicts with past employers: loyalty clauses, non-compete, and IP ownership.
- Ensure sideline jobs (bijobs) don’t violate your contract.
2. Get Your Corporate Structure Right 🧑💻
- Avoid sole proprietorships — they expose you to personal liability.
- Choose a limited liability company (ApS) — protect your assets.
3. Secure Your Ownership
- Draft a Shareholders Agreement covering:
- Decision-making powers
- Share transfers
- Dispute resolution
- Don’t promise ownership without legal formalities — tax and employment laws matter!
4. Protect Your IP & Trade Secrets
- Use IP assignment clauses — ensure your business owns the IP, not individual employees.
- Sign NDAs when necessary — but don’t overdo it.
5. Handle Employees Correctly 🤝
- Clearly distinguish employees vs. consultants — employment law applies to staff.
- Provide formal contracts for all workers.
6. Be Disciplined in Fundraising
- Don’t chase quick, inflated valuations.
- Use Convertible Promissory Notes for friends & family investors.
- Understand key terms: pre-money valuation, liquidation preferences, and anti-dilution clauses.
7. Think Global 🌎
- Consider international growth: direct sales, licensing, commercial agents, and joint ventures.
🧐 Interested in learning more? Don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]
A few weeks ago, we invited Morten - an accountant and our partner from Grant Thornton accounting firm, and Jørgen - an attorney and our partner from Lassen Ricard law firm, to give student entrepreneurs from ITU advice on corporate structure, tax planning, and legal do's and don'ts. Morten and Jørgen are experts in their fields and proud partners of ITU NextGen — offering free advice and sparring sessions to startups in our hub 🚀
For those of you who couldn't attend - we'd love to share some of the insights (1/2).
💼 Key takeaways from Morten's presentation: Corporate Structure & Tax Advice
1. Plan Your Corporate Structure Early
- Reduce risk & add value by structuring your business from the start
- Consider using a holding company to protect your personal finances
2. Why Use a Holding Company?
-Selling shares directly = personal capital gains tax 💸
- Selling through a holding company = no personal tax until you withdraw money
3.Protect Your Intellectual Property (IP)
- Separate your IP company from your sales company — reduces liability and protects your assets
4. Stock Options Done Right
- Pre-investment: Use a holding structure for founders & key staff
- Post-investment: Use LL7p tax rules — stock options tied to the company’s valuation
5. Master Your Finances - Stay on top of:
📚 Bookkeeping
📊 Annual reports
💸 VAT & corporate taxes
🧾 Payroll & income taxes
6. Know the New Rules (2025 Onwards)
- Scientific startups (biotech, hardware) → higher R&D deductions (up to 120% by 2028)
- Non-scientific startups (software) → no more 100% deduction for own development costs
7. Optimise Tax Timing 🕒
Software startups: From 2025, you’ll depreciate development costs over time — plan ahead for earlier taxes
🧐 Interested in learning more? Don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]
🚀 WHAT IS ITU NEXTGEN? 🌟
✨ ITU NextGen is the Innovation and Startup Hub at the IT University of Copenhagen. We offer activities for all students to get inspired and develop skills within innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship 💡 We also support students with the ambition to start their own business 🚀
You can engage in our activities on many levels:
👣 Dip your toes by joining talks and workshops
🛠️ Get hands-on through hackathons and explorative programs
🔥 Go all-in by joining our startup program
The choice is yours!
At ITU NextGen we want to support collaboration, creativity, and innovation 💬🤝
✉️ Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions at [email protected]
🚨 Final call to join EXPLORE: IDEA LAB
Got an idea you can’t stop thinking about?
Or just curious to try entrepreneurship in practice?
👉 Spend one day turning ideas into real-world experiments
👉 Work in teams, test fast, get real feedback
👉 Leave with clarity on what’s worth pursuing
🗓 April 29 | 13:00–19:30
📍 CSE, Porcelænshaven 26
Apply before Sunday the 26th of April.
Learn more and sign up trough the link in our bio 🔗
You no longer build a startup sequentially. You orchestrate it.
AI has changed the order of operations for building a startup. In this hands-on session, we'll show you how to stop working sequentially and start running your startup like a system. We'll focus on ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.
What we'll cover:
The evolution of startup building - and what's changed
Prompting that actually drives decisions
Your Ideal Customer Profile as a living AI asset
From prompt to agent workflow - live
What you'll leave with: A working AI asset built around your own startup idea. Something you'll use on Monday.
When: 14 April, 15:00-17:30
Where: 2F13 (DR building)
SIGN UP - link in bio 🔗
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of showcasing 17 of our startups on stage at Demo & Drinks 🌟
Some of these teams have been part of our community since before ITU NextGen was even a thing, while others joined our startup hub just a few months ago. What they all share is an impressive level of passion, ambition, and willingness to put in the work.
We know how much time and effort went into preparing these pitches and short talks, and it was so inspiring to see how far they’ve come.
More than 70 people joined to support and celebrate the startups, thank you for showing up! We’re incredibly grateful for the ITU NextGen community we’ve built over the past almost two years 🫶
ITU (@itucph ) students, you’re just the best!
Also shoutout to @scrollbaritu for helping out! 🌟
Curious about taking a startup beyond Denmark?
Join us for a cosy community breakfast and a talk on how founders can scale internationally. Learn about the challenges, opportunities, and key considerations when expanding into new markets. Whether you’re building a startup or simply curious about global growth, this session will offer valuable insights.
Our guest speaker, Lasse Dam Jørgensen, is Program Manager at Founders Growth Club, where he works to support Danish founders in growing and scaling their businesses.
8:30-9:00 Breakfast & socialising�
9:00-10:00 Inspirational talk & dialog
When: 24 March
Where: ScrollBar
Signup required - link in our bio
What time is it? Time for a proper celebration of your fellow students!!! 🥂
Come get inspired, meet the builders of ITU startups, and see how an idea can become a way to make a difference.
Interested in how to make a startup as an ITU student? Or maybe you'd just like to support your fellow students and get free beer and pizza?
YOU are invited! Bring a friend and remember to sign up! (link in our bio)
🌸 Happy (slightly delayed) International Women’s Day to all of you! We hope you all had a wonderful Sunday celebrating 💪
At ITU NextGen, we kicked things off a little early. Last Thursday, we gathered over 100 people for a celebration with talks from talented, hard working and extremely cool female founders, leaders, and experts who shared insights from their career journeys.
We've been dreaming of hosting an event celebrating women in IT, tech and entrepreneurship since the very beginning of ITU NextGen, as this is a topic very close to our hearts, so as you can imagine we're extremely happy, proud, and grateful for the experience and the support we've got.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined and helped make it such a wonderful day!
A special thank you to @cafeanalog for sponsoring coffee, Annika from @scrollbaritu for DJ'ing, to @cathrinenorvold for being the most badass host, to @itucph for supporting us throughout the whole process and to all of the amazing and inspiring speakers. We couldn't have done this without you! 💖
How is AI actually used in space today and what does it look like to build a space tech startup in practice?
At Gravity Club, you’ll meet startups working with Space & AI and hear how they use space data to build real products and businesses here on Earth. You’ll get an inside look at how satellite data and AI are turned into practical solutions and why working with space doesn’t have to be as complex as it sounds.
This edition celebrates AI for Space, with real examples and perspectives from people laying down the ground work.
Where: ScrollBar
When: 19 March, 15:00-18:00
Sign up now! - link in our bio
#lifeatitu #itustudent
What do playfulness and creativity have to offer in an AI-shaped future?
In this workshop, we explore how playful methods can help break default thinking, generate stronger ideas, and develop more original perspectives.
You will work with playfulness and creativity as serious tools for navigating complexity and building human-centred skills in a world shaped by AI and automation.
Join us for two hours of strategic play and creative exploration!
When: Tuesday, 17 March, 16:15–18:15, followed by a light dinner
Where: 2F12 (DR building)
Sign up now! - link in our bio!
#itustudent #lifeatitu #itustudent #lifeatitu #itunextgenitunextgen
Are you interested in entrepreneurship and innovation? Do you want to meet and connect with students from other universities? Join the EXPLORE program and get the opportunity to:
🔍Discover your entrepreneurial skills: EXPLORE is a collaboration between CBS, DTU, KU, ITU and AAU that offers students a taste of entrepreneurship and innovation. The program consists of 5 activities over the course of 2 months that enable students to find their next idea and practice entrepreneurial methods.
🤝Connect with other students: EXPLORE provides an opportunity to meet and connect with other students from different universities. You can discover the entrepreneurial ecosystem and learn from your peers.
💡Explore university innovation hubs: EXPLORE helps you understand more about university innovation hubs and how to get involved in future offerings.
Sounds interesting? Sign up for EXPLORE and take the first step towards your entrepreneurial journey! 🫧
Learn more and sign up via the link in our bio before March 8th 23:59 🔗👆
@tuborgfondet , @otto_moensteds_fond@csenews , @kulighthouse , @dtuskylab , @itunextgen , @aauinnovatecph@cbscph , @university_of_copenhagen , @dtudk , @itucph , @aaucph
