Not pitch prep. Not pilots. A 90-day program where new companies work directly with their future customers — testing their solution in real projects, building documented proof, and coming out the other side with real value.
GSDHub is a collective initiative of the Urban Hub of Hubs — a pan-European network of built environment innovation communities spanning Helsinki, Copenhagen, Málaga, Stavanger, Munich, Tallinn, and beyond. The concept took root in the Finnish AECO community, where KIRAHub provided the initial home and institutional foundation for the program.
New companies with proven solutions spend years trapped in a cycle of endless pilots that never convert to contracts. A corporate innovation lead runs a test, writes an internal report, and moves on. No one hears about it. No one benefits from it. The new company starts the same conversation with the next company from scratch.
At the same time, construction companies, cities, and building owners are sitting on innovation budgets they can't deploy — because they can't afford to be the first to take a risk on an unproven vendor.
This is pilot hell. And it is among the biggest reasons the AECO sector cannot scale good solutions.
"The industry only trusts what the industry has already tested. GSDHub builds that trust — systematically, with documented evidence, across multiple implementations simultaneously."
GSDHub is not an accelerator in the traditional sense. We take no equity. We don't run demo days for investors. We don't prepare pitch decks.
We run a structured 90-day execution program where each new company's future customers are also their guides — a panel of four industry companies who are there to help them test the solution in live project environments, document what happens, and share the results openly with the industry.
When a company exits GSDHub, they don't have a better pitch. They have documented proof that their solution works across four independent implementations. And four industry partners who are contractually committed to telling their peers about it.
Every company is tested in live project environments — not sandboxes, not simulations. Four industry partners deploy the solution simultaneously, in different contexts, so the evidence is broad and credible.
Every outcome is documented using a standardised framework. Results are published and publicly available. Any building owner or investor can read exactly what was tested and what happened.
Industry partners don't just test — they agree to promote companies that perform well to their peers. The network effect is built into the program, not left to chance.
GSDHub is for new companies that have found their first customer and proven their solution works — but can't break through to the second, third, and fourth customer because no one wants to be first.
You don't need more pitch practice. You need four industry companies stress-testing your solution in real projects and telling their peers it works.
Your company already employs people to find and test new solutions. They spend their days running pilots that produce internal reports nobody reads.
GSDHub takes that existing activity, structures it alongside three other companies doing the same thing, and produces documented, publicly available proof that benefits the whole industry — not just your internal file system.
Early access to pre-vetted solutions aligned to your procurement pipeline. Industry recognition as an active innovation participant. A public record usable in ESG reporting, procurement documentation, and client communications.
Cities and municipalities are among the largest procurers of built environment solutions — and among the most risk-averse. GSDHub gives you a structured mechanism to test new solutions in real projects, share the results with peer cities, and build the evidence base that makes scaling possible.
GSDHub works with cities as both execution partners and node hosts — supporting cohort programs in your city and connecting your procurement pipeline to a pan-European network of tested solutions.
Node hosts connect into the full Urban Hub Europe network, giving your city institutional visibility across a pan-European innovation ecosystem.
GSDHub graduation events are open to investors — as observers. You watch how a CEO handles their actual customers. You see how the solution performs under real project conditions. You hear what four independent industry companies say about it publicly, on the record.
Companies that graduate from GSDHub have done something most investment candidates haven't: they've proven their solution works across multiple independent customer contexts, with documented evidence.
You don't get a pitch. You get four simultaneous real-world implementations, documented by industry professionals, published for anyone to read.
GSDHub is not for idea-stage companies. It is for new companies that have already proven their solution works and are ready to prove it scales.
GSDHub runs cohort by cohort across a network of European city nodes. Each node recruits local industry execution partners, sources local co-funding, and hosts the in-person orientation and graduation events. The program, the standards, and the Implementation Reports are identical across all nodes.
Every cohort must include at least two industry execution partners from outside the host city's national market. This is not optional — it is what makes GSDHub genuinely pan-European rather than a local program with a pan-European name.
The founding node. KIRAHub operates directly. Industry partners include Granlund, Sweco, ATCEVIS, and the Finnish Construction Confederation. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences is the academic partner.
Copenhagen joins as a co-founding node, a co-architect of the pan-European program. Anchored by the Danish building owners ecosystem and connected to the Urban Hub Europe network through Bloxhub and ConTech Lab.
GSDHub is a collective initiative of the Urban Hub of Hubs — a pan-European network of built environment innovation communities. The concept took root in the Finnish AECO community, where KIRAHub provided the initial institutional foundation.
Urban Hub Europe provides pan-European endorsement across a network of hubs spanning Helsinki, Copenhagen, Málaga, Stavanger, Munich, Tallinn, and beyond — giving GSDHub institutional credibility that no single national body can provide.
The global industry event that pioneered technology engagement in the construction sector — the founding context from which GSDHub was built.
No. GSDHub takes zero equity from any company that goes through the program. The entry fee is €1,000. That is the extent of the financial relationship.
You receive a full written report documenting exactly what was tested, what worked, what didn't, and what would need to change. You are eligible to re-apply to a future cohort with documented improvements. A solution that doesn't pass is as valuable to the industry as one that does — because it gives the industry an honest answer.
No. The program is primarily virtual. The only two in-person requirements are the opening session and the graduation event at the host node city — typically a day each. Beyond that, everything runs remotely.
Each cohort recruits industry execution partners based on the solutions entering that cohort. Partners are companies with active procurement mandates and designated innovation leads — people whose job it is to find and test new solutions. They are matched to entering companies based on fit, not availability.
GSDHub is focused on the AECO sector — Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations. This includes construction technology, building operations, digital infrastructure, smart cities applications, and adjacent built environment solutions. PropTech is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Put it in context: a ticket to a major industry conference costs roughly the same. The difference is what you get on the other side of it.
The free program model exists because most programs are grant-funded, which means they're accountable to participation numbers, not your outcomes. GSDHub is not grant-funded and not accountable to participant counts. We're accountable to deal outcomes, and the fee is what keeps that model honest.
The €1,000 also functions as a mutual commitment. When you pay to join something, you show up differently. On our side, accepting a fee-paying company means we're making a formal commitment back: the execution partner panel, the deployment environment, the industry introductions. It makes the relationship contractual, not charitable.
A single pilot that converts to a contract because of GSDHub's documented implementation proof will return that €1,000 many times over. You're not paying for workshops. You're paying for something that makes your next customer conversation fundamentally easier.
Traditional accelerators prepare new companies to pitch to investors. GSDHub prepares new companies to execute for customers. We don't run demo days. We don't take equity. We don't coach pitch decks. We get new companies into real project environments with real industry partners and produce documented evidence of what happens.
Complete the form and we'll review your application within five business days. We respond to every application — accepted or not.
Not ready to apply? Register your interest and we will notify you when the next cohort opens.
Cohort 1 · Helsinki
Applications for Cohort 2 (Copenhagen) opening soon. Register now to be first in line.We respond to every application. No equity taken at any stage.
We review every application within five business days and will respond either way. You'll hear from us at the email address you provided.