How Vienna’s Startup Ecosystem Works Together for International Visibility

Think of Vienna, and you think of a dreamy holiday destination full of culture, art, parks and gardens. Which is to say: people often forget that the Austrian capital is home to nearly 2 million and is, in addition to one of the world’s most livable cities, a rapidly rising startup hub.

It’s added three unicorns (BitPanda, GoStudent and TTTech) within the last three years and is a hotspot for the life sciences, additive manufacturing and creative industries. And because it offers one of the densest startup funding and support networks in Europe, Vienna attracts many international startups hoping to take a crazy idea and grow it into something global.

Shine together, shine brighter

But in a world where business headlines are dominated by megacities, how can a startup ecosystem like Vienna’s make itself known? Enter ViennaUP, the decentralized startup festival hosted not by one organization, but by the whole community working together. Initiated by the Vienna Business Agency with a program populated by over 35 local and international partner organizations, the festival represents a join effort to shine brighter by shining together.

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Meet key players all at once

Now in its third year (the second “in real life”, due to the pandemic), ViennaUP is a nine-day-long startup extravaganza taking place from May 30 – June 7, 2023. Like other major startup festivals, there will be pitching sessions, hackathons, conferences, matchmaking and plenty of chances to network and chat – over 50 separate events in total, most of which offer free tickets.

Here are just a few event highlights from a truly packed program:

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Get to know the Austrian capital

Uniquely, festival events are hosted at locations all across the city. From palaces and famous museums to ultramodern co-working spaces, visitors will explore all corners of this business city and get a taste for its professional life.

But to facilitate meetings across industry bubbles, the ViennaUP Homebase – a central outdoor meeting spot next – features nightly networking with free samples of Viennese wine, beer and delicacies. And for those looking for a daytime spot to work or meet, four famous, downtown cafes are offering free coffee, tea or soft drink at special ViennaUP Café Spaces.

If you’re a startup looking for business opportunities, ViennaUP is a one-stop-shop to meet the most important entrepreneurs, experts and investors in Austria – and the wider CEE region.

Learn more and get tickets at the festival website: viennaup.com

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