What AustrianStartups does

AustrianStartups is a Vienna-based non-profit community engagement platform (founded 2013, 11–50 employees) that serves as the central convening organization for Austria's startup ecosystem. The organization's core product is a Hivebrite-powered online community platform connecting startup founders at all stages, investors and business angels, educational institutions, and policy makers, with tiered memberships (Supporters from €120/year), an opportunities/jobs board, and an events calendar including the annual AustrianStartups Summit and Investor Office Hours.

The platform is complemented by a portfolio of programs and content products: the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (a one-year cohort for 70+ early-stage founders), Youth Entrepreneurship Week (targeting student founders), the Startup World Cup Austria partnership, the Future Weekly Podcast, the Startup Pulse Newsletter, and a news section. The organization also operates as a research and policy advocacy body, publishing the Austrian Startup Monitor (an annual data study of the ecosystem) and the Austrian Startup Agenda (42 policy recommendations), and is actively campaigning on the EU Inc. open letter initiative with coalition partners including Speedinvest, WU Entrepreneurship Center, and invest.austria.

AustrianStartups is led by CEO Hannah Wundsam and Board Chairman Markus Raunig, with co-founders Daniel Cronin, Christoph Jeschke, and Patrick Manhardt. The revenue model is built on annual membership subscriptions and corporate partner sponsorships; revenue is not publicly disclosed and there is no venture funding. Strategic priorities are anchored in three pillars: community building (memberships, events, content), ecosystem data and research (Startup Monitor, Startup Landscape via Dealroom), and policy advocacy at both the national (Austrian Startup Agenda) and supranational (EU Inc.) levels.

Name

AustrianStartups

Legal name

AustrianStartups

Website

https://austrianstartups.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AustrianStartups is a Vienna-based non-profit operating a Hivebrite-powered community platform for Austria's startup ecosystem, connecting founders, investors, educators, and policy makers through memberships, events, research, and policy advocacy including the Austrian Startup Agenda and EU Inc. campaign.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Ecosystem Community & Advocacy

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup ecosystem support
• Community engagement platform
• Policy advocacy services
• Founder networking programs
• Entrepreneurship education

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to community platform, deals, and exclusive benefits. Supporters membership priced from €120/year.
2. Partner Sponsorships: Corporate partnerships and sponsorship arrangements with organizations supporting the Austrian startup ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AustrianStartups operates a Hivebrite-powered community engagement platform that connects Austrian startup founders, investors, and ecosystem participants through tiered memberships, events, and exclusive partner deals. It runs a portfolio of programs including the one-year Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, the AustrianStartups Summit, Investor Office Hours, and Youth Entrepreneurship Week. The organization also produces research and policy outputs such as the Startup Monitor, the Startup Agenda (42 policy recommendations), and the EU Inc. Open Letter advocacy initiative.

Product overview

AustrianStartups operates as a comprehensive community engagement platform for Austria's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The core offering is a Hivebrite-powered community platform (austrianstartups.com) that connects founders, investors, and ecosystem participants. This platform is supported by a portfolio of programs and content products including the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (a one-year founders cohort), the Future Weekly Podcast (German-language startup content), and the Startup Pulse Newsletter. Research initiatives include the Startup Monitor (data insights) and Startup Agenda (policy recommendations). Membership tiers provide exclusive benefits including partner deals, while the EU Inc. Open Letter represents a major advocacy initiative. The organization also facilitates events through the AustrianStartups Summit and Investor Office Hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Entrepreneurial Leadership Program: A one-year founders program for early-stage startups
• Startup World Cup
• Youth Entrepreneurship Week
• Startup Pulse Newsletter
• Future Weekly Podcast

Products and services

• AustrianStartups Community Platform A Hivebrite-powered community engagement platform for Austrian entrepreneurs that enables connection, collaboration, event discovery, and resource sharing among startup founders, investors, and ecosystem participants.
• Founder Memberships Tiered annual membership options specifically designed for startup founders, providing exclusive benefits, partner deals, and access to founder-only programming on the community platform.
• AustrianStartups Supporters Membership & Deals Annual supporter membership subscription from €120/year providing access to exclusive partner deals, discounts, and community benefits for individuals supporting the Austrian startup ecosystem.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) A one-year cohort-based founders program that enables collaboration, learning, and peer support among 70+ ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs in the Austrian startup ecosystem.
• AustrianStartups Summit 2026 Annual flagship conference convening founders, investors, and ecosystem partners for networking, content sessions, and deal-making within the Austrian startup ecosystem.
• Investor Office Hours Structured one-to-one meeting program connecting selected startup founders with active investors (VCs and business angels) for deal-flow conversations and fundraising support.
• Events Platform Online events listing platform featuring the AustrianStartups Summit, Investor Office Hours, and other community networking opportunities for the Austrian startup ecosystem.
• Opportunities & Jobs Board Job board and opportunities section connecting Austrian startups with talent and providing visibility for career opportunities within the Austrian startup ecosystem.
• Startup Monitor Annual research initiative providing data-driven insights and statistics about the Austrian startup ecosystem, including trends in funding, revenue (e.g., ~42% of Austrian startup revenue generated abroad), and sector composition.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Startup World CupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Global startup competition partnership bringing international pitch competition to Austrian entrepreneurs. Provides visibility and networking opportunities for Austrian startups on global stage.
• Youth Entrepreneurship WeekcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Entrepreneurship week program promoting youth entrepreneurship across Austria, engaging educational institutions and young founders.
• EU Inc. Coalition PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of organizations including Speedinvest, TTTech, SENAT DER WIRTSCHAFT, invest.austria, ScaleUp Association, WU Entrepreneurship Center, and individual business angels advocating for EU Inc. legislation.
• invest.austria (Austrian Association for Private Capital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian private capital association collaborating on policy advocacy for startup-friendly regulations and EU Inc. initiative.
• WU Entrepreneurship CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVienna University of Economics academic partner providing research support and co-signing EU Inc. advocacy efforts.
• HivebritecoreTechnology or IntegrationCommunity engagement platform provider powering AustrianStartups' online membership platform, event management, and member networking features.
• RoundtableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing educational content on fundraising topics including investor pooling and pre-first round guidance for Austrian startup community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• German Startups Association (Bundesverband Deutsche Startups): Germany's national startup association, the most direct peer in the DACH region. Compares to AustrianStartups in structure: policy advocacy, ecosystem research, events, and membership-based community for founders and investors. Differs only in market size and geography.
• Startup Norway: Norwegian national startup ecosystem organization. Directly comparable as a country-level community platform running founder programs, policy advocacy, investor events, and ecosystem reports — the same playbook AustrianStartups follows in Austria.
• Startup Genome: Global startup research and ecosystem mapping organization. Compares to AustrianStartups through its Startup Genome Reports methodology and ecosystem advisory work, though it operates globally rather than being anchored to a single country.
• European Startup Network: Pan-European coalition of national startup associations. Directly comparable through its policy advocacy (EU Inc. adjacent) and member network of national associations, including those with similar structures to AustrianStartups.

Broad incumbents

• Slush: Major European startup conference and ecosystem organization headquartered in Helsinki. Comparable through its flagship founder/investor event, ecosystem brand, and global expansion ambitions. Larger scale and broader international footprint than AustrianStartups.
• Tech Nation (UK): UK's national scaleup and founder support organization (wound down as a government body but brand continues). Comparable through its national ecosystem mandate, founder programs, policy advocacy, and research reports — the template AustrianStartups mirrors at smaller scale.

Emerging players

• F6S: Global founder community and deal-sharing platform. Comparable to AustrianStartups through its community-led GTM, member benefits (deals), and content/news offering, but operates globally rather than anchored to Austria.
• Dealroom.co: European startup and investor intelligence platform already partnered with AustrianStartups via the Startup Landscape product. Comparable through its data/research layer on the Austrian ecosystem; a potential commercialization partner or competitor for the Startup Monitor.

Regional players

• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris. Adjacent peer through its founder program, investor network, and ecosystem convening role across Europe. Operates a physical infrastructure model rather than AustrianStartups' digital-first community approach.
• Founders Forum: Invite-only community and events group for European tech founders and investors. Adjacent peer through its curated community model, investor programming, and policy engagement, but serves a higher-tier international audience rather than an Austrian mass-market community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/austrianstartup
• Facebookfacebook.com/austrianstartups
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/austrianstartups

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AustrianStartups