How do you get started as an independent professional in the cultural sector? How do you grow your project? And where can you connect with others who are on the same path?

With Kick Start, KULTURENS has developed an educational program designed to help new and green cultural entrepreneurs take the first steps towards a more sustainable work life in the cultural sector.

Kick Start was open to anyone looking to establish themselves as a cultural entrepreneur – whether they had a new idea, a project in development, or a small start-up. Participants were introduced to the core elements of building a cultural enterprise: from basic operations and management to practical tools for navigating everyday challenges.

The program spanned several modules in both Copenhagen and Aarhus in 2024–2025. Some of the brightest minds of the cultural sector taught skills in budgeting, operations, business development, marketing, core storytelling, idea realization, and managing life as an independent cultural professional. Each class created a strong learning environment focused on practice, experience-sharing, and development.

Kick Start was about much more than education - with this project we put community at the center. Through the program, the cultural entrepreneurs got to meet others like themselves. People who had similar ambitions, doubts and opportunities. During Kick Start, the participants worked together, sharing knowledge and experiences, to solve the unavoidable issues that arise in all creative processes. Many of the participants have continued as small, ongoing networks. Kick Start made space for ideas, uncertainty, and courage.