SSE Business Lab's first cohort of startup founders for 2026. Photo: Juliana Wolf Garcindo

Among the new startups is Eggsplain, a company that reflects how the European AI debate is increasingly tied to security and digital sovereignty. Eggsplain develops adaptable AI solutions for organizations where sensitive information, regulatory requirements, and local control are essential—areas where European actors are increasingly seeking alternatives to global tech giants. 

Mia offers a stark contrast, a personal AI matchmaker designed to help people find lasting relationships. The company is founded by a well-known matchmaker from the reality TV program Married at First Sight. The ambition is to make high-quality matchmaking scalable and accessible to a broader audience. 

The batch also shows how AI is moving into everyday services. Elyra, founded by former students from the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, is building the next generation of booking systems, where AI handles customer dialogue in real time. 

"Three trends define where AI is heading in 2026, and we see all three in our cohort: voice AI capable of handling complex situations in real time, sovereign AI operating in regulated environments, and AI integrated into deeply personal decisions such as relationships. We see AI evolving from a tool into a counterpart," says Isabel Keulen, CEO of SSE Business Lab and SSE Ventures. 

Experienced founders 

The cohort also includes startups applying AI to interior design, workflow quality assurance, and studio-quality imagery for fashion and e-commerce brands. 

The founders bring experience from firms such as Bain and McKinsey; tech giant Apple; music platform SoundCloud; and AI company Sana, alongside students from SSE and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. 

"The fact that the same environment attracts founders building sovereign AI, creative tools, and consumer-facing services says a great deal about where SSE Business Lab and Stockholm’s startup ecosystem stands today," says Mattias Miksche, member of the SSE Ventures investment committee. 

Taken together, the cohort reflects an ecosystem where AI is rapidly expanding into new parts of society. For a country long known for punching above its weight in technology, this development represents a continuation of a familiar pattern—albeit in a new form.