SMIL is where startups move forward fast, together
On May 28, 2026, Aarhus’ startup festival SMIL returns.
Built to move startups forward fast, SMIL brings founders, investors, and operators together in smaller, curated, interactive sessions.
Real conversations. Practical progress. And a lot of fun.
It’s Aarhus on turbo: close, collaborative, talent dense and built on trust.
See you in
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Who you will meet at SMIL’26 ↓
The people shaping the day
Kresten Krab Thorup
Co-founder of Berserk and CS PhD, xNeXT, xTrifork & xHumio
Jupe Arala
General Partner at Vendep Capital
AJ Tennant
Founder & Investor, Tenacity Capital
Louise Ferslev
Investor
Dominika Wilinska
Startup Aarhus
Søren Munk Hansen
Partner at Highbridge Law Firm
Otto Bjerg Hausgaard
Startup Aarhus
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Jacob Lilholm
CEO of Formalize
Katja Meyer
Startup Advisor at Kitchen
Magnus Stagsted
Partner at People Ventures
Alexander Tolstrup
Danish Tech Startups
Marcel Mirzaei-Fard & Henrik Moltke
Hosts of Prompt (DR)
Louise Bech Junge
Startup Ecosystem Builder
Anders Cederholm Nielsen
CEO of Arturel.com
Roxy Dat
Founder at FailForward
Mette Hoberg Tønnesen
Startup Aarhus
Mathias Brink Lorenz
Managing Partner at Delphinus Venture Capital
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Christian Bjørnskov
Professor at Aarhus University
Jacob Lilholm
CEO of Formalize
Mette Hoberg Tønnesen
Startup Aarhus
Kresten Krab Thorup
Co-founder of Berserk and CS PhD, xNeXT, xTrifork & xHumio
Alexander Tolstrup
Danish Tech Startups
Christian Bjørnskov
Professor at Aarhus University
Anders Cederholm Nielsen
CEO of Arturel.com
Louise Bech Junge
Startup Ecosystem Builder
Mathias Brink Lorenz
Managing Partner at Delphinus Venture Capital
AJ Tennant
Founder & Investor, Tenacity Capital
Louise Ferslev
Investor
Roxy Dat
Founder at FailForward
Jupe Arala
General Partner at Vendep Capital
Søren Munk Hansen
Partner at Highbridge Law Firm
Dominika Wilinska
Startup Aarhus
Magnus Stagsted
Partner at People Ventures
Katja Meyer
Startup Advisor at Kitchen
Otto Bjerg Hausgaard
Startup Aarhus
Marcel Mirzaei-Fard & Henrik Moltke
Hosts of Prompt (DR)
Tickets
SMIL is curated by design to create better rooms and better outcomes.
Please choose the ticket category that matches who you are role. If a ticket is purchased in the wrong category, it will be retracted.
If a category is sold out, buying another ticket type will not grant access to that track.
Program ↓
How SMIL works:
All sessions are curated, interactive and practical.
You choose two sessions, one in each round.
Time
Session
Speaker
Venue
Track
11:30-12:30
Check-in
12.45-13.10
Kick-off
13:30-14:30
Round 1 - Choose one
Expanding beyond founder-led sales
AJ Tennant
A-House
The Hustle
Some startups scale past $100M. Others stall at $5M. Why?
The answer is rarely the product - it’s the go-to-market: hiring, leadership, customer focus, and team alignment.
AJ Tennant shares what works, and tests it live with real startup sales pitches on stage.
How sound fucks up your nervous system
Anders Cederholm
Palmehaven
The Reset
Noise is the new sleep.
Fifteen years ago, we barely understood the importance of sleep. Today, it is a key health metric and a full industry. Sound and noise are at a similar turning point. The World Health Organization calls noise pollution the second largest public health crisis.
At SMIL, I will share insights from years of research and simple ways you can bring more silence into your everyday life to support your mental health.
Prompt Live: Are we funding our own exit?
Kresten Krab Thorup & Marcel Mirzaei-Fard & Henrik Moltke
Radar
Let's talk tech
Are we funding our own exit? Technology, capital and policy are increasingly intertwined.
This session unpacks how those forces shape where companies grow, who controls them, and what that means long term.
Face to face with an investor: Straight answers, no filter
TBA
Outside
The Money
Turning failure into innovation #FailForward
Anders Søndergaard
TBA
The Reset
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
14:30-15:30
Break & Networking
15:30-16:30
Round 2 - Choose one
Why founders stay happy (against the odds)
Christian Bjørnskov
A-House Lounge
The Reset
Building a company means constant pressure, financial uncertainty, high expectations, and people depending on you, yet many founders still experience happiness and meaning.
In this session, Christian Bjørnskov explores the science behind it, including research with Nicolai J. Foss, and invites you to reflect on what truly drives happiness, meaning, and how we navigate pressure in our own lives.
Unicorn Academy (invite-only)
Jakob Lilholm
Drivhuset
The Money
Unicorn Academy brings together the next generation of unicorn builders with founders and leaders who have already scaled companies to global success.
In this special 1-hour closed-door session, Danish startup founders will gain firsthand insights through open conversation and Q&A on the realities of scaling, from fundraising and leadership to international expansion.
Term sheet battle: Inside the deal
Magnus Stagsted & Søren Munk Hansen
A-House
The Money
Step inside a real term sheet negotiation. A founder, a VC, and a lawyer unpack what actually happens when a deal is on the line. No slides. No theory. Just the dynamics behind the clauses that shape outcomes.
From product pitch to problem fit: Win over the buyers
Kristian Tølbøl Rasmussen
Palmehaven
The Hustle
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
16:30-17:30
Break & Side-events
17:30-20:30
Dinner & Fun
20:30-23:00
Afterparty
Side events ↓
Be a partner
Let’s team up and create something, SMIL is better with you on board!
Help shape SMIL
Your voice, your impact! SMIL isn’t just an event; it’s a shared experience. Wanna be a part of it?
Be a volunteer
Get behind the scenes, meet awesome people, and help bring SMIL to life.
Partners SMIL’26 ↓
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Community partners SMIL’26 ↓
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Last↓time we had a blast
Watch a quick 1-minute video - or just join us at SMIL’26.