With 280 participants, 28 masterclasses and an average participation rating of 4.7 out of 5, the ESSE growth program has completed three years of intensive learning. Now Aggrator is developing ESSE 4.0 for 2027, with new opportunities for both entrepreneurs and established businesses.
In October, Aggrator concluded the third year of the ESSE growth program. Through 2026, ESSE participants have worked on everything from capital raising, team development, and AI-based product development to intellectual property rights, sales, internationalization, risk management, and investor pitches.
This year’s masterclasses have been led by experts and business leaders from, among others, Yara Growth Ventures, Sandwater, Antler, Bekk, NxTech, Dehns, BI, Spring Agency, Beyond Strategy Consulting, EY, Sweco, NMBU, Ardoq and Pinecone Ventures, as well as Aggrator’s own business developers.
After three years, one experience is particularly clear: The value of ESSE lies not only in the skills that participants acquire, but also in the meetings between entrepreneurs and established businesses and industry.
Several of the masterclass leaders have, on their own initiative, followed up on their contact with entrepreneurs through coffee meetings, advice, and further guidance. At the same time, an increasing number of people from established companies have participated in the program.
What is the ESSE growth program?
ESSE is Agregator’s practical mini-MBA for entrepreneurs and business builders who want to strengthen their business skills and develop profitable, scalable businesses.
The program combines academic knowledge and the sharing of experiences from business leaders, investors, and experts with practical work addressing the participants’ own challenges.
Instead of traditional lectures, participants will actively work on their own business development, discuss issues with others, and receive concrete feedback from the masterclass leaders and Aggrator’s business developers and mentors.
ESSE is structured as a modular growth program with full-day masterclasses, so that participants can choose topics based on the company's development phase and needs.
The program is supplemented with short webinars in the series «In short», Where experts, investors and business leaders share experiences relevant to upcoming masterclasses.
ESSE 2027: New opportunities for entrepreneurs and established businesses
Drawing on the experiences from the first three years, Aggrator is now working on developing ESSE 4.0 for 2027.
The ambition is to involve more established companies and industry partners in the program, so that entrepreneurs and business developers can learn from each other to a greater extent, exchange experiences and explore opportunities for collaboration.
For entrepreneurs, this means opportunities to build networks and learn from people with extensive experience in the business world. For established companies, it opens up new insights and connections with companies that are developing tomorrow's solutions.
A huge thank you to all the masterclass leaders, participants, and mentors who have contributed to making ESSE the program it is today. And not least to Akershus County Council, which through its support has made the initiative possible.
We look forward to building on the experiences and welcome both new and returning participants in 2027!
Would you like to participate or contribute to ESSE 2027? The program is currently under development, and we would like to hear from you. Contact Aggrator to learn more about the opportunities. Project Manager: Vilde Wettergreen vilde.wettergreen@aggrator.com