Students' Innovation Centre

What Students' Innovation Centre does

Students' Innovation Centre, operating under the brand [sic!], is a Vienna-based registered association (Verein, ZVR 631167551) founded in 2016 as the city's first student-led hub for sustainability and entrepreneurship. The organization provides free one-on-one project consulting to Vienna university students developing ecological-social business ideas, operates a monthly Students' Innovation Meetup at Impact Hub Vienna, and hosts the annual [sic!]onnect networking event for sustainable startups, which reached its 10th edition in 2026. Since 2017, the organization claims to have supported over 100 project teams across verticals including urban farming, circular economy, clean tech, food, mobility, fashion, well-being, media, social impact, and energy. From 2016 to 2022, [sic!] also organized ClimateLaunchpad Austria, the Austrian leg of the world's largest green business ideas competition, before transitioning operational ownership of the competition to Thinkubator in 2023 while remaining a partner.

The organization's service portfolio is structured around five core offerings: free project consulting ([Projektberatung](#)), the [sic!]onnect annual event, monthly Students' Innovation Meetups, the archived ClimateLaunchpad program, and voluntary team membership. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization operates a bilingual (German/English) website at sic-vienna.at supported by commodity third-party tools (MailChimp for newsletters, Google Analytics, reCAPTCHA, embedded social media). The architecture is fundamentally human-mediated: ~14 volunteer student team members, organized into leadership (deputy chair, treasurer, staff manager), events, partnerships, member recruitment, and social media functions, deliver services directly to student founders.

The business model is non-commercial: the association's articles explicitly state that society funds are used exclusively and directly for the stated purpose, with no profit motive and no political or religious objectives. All consulting, events, and membership are offered free of charge. Operating costs and activities are sustained through in-kind support from institutional partners, including co-located office space at BOKU Base (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna) and event venues at ÖBB Open Innovation Factory and Impact Hub Vienna, plus listed sponsorship/endorsement from Wirtschaftsagentur Wien, Erste Group, Ökobusiness Wien, TPA, and Thinkubator. Customer segments are exclusively students and early-stage student founders in Vienna pursuing ecological-social ventures, with three partner universities serving as primary distribution channels.

Name

Students' Innovation Centre

Legal name

[sic!] – students' innovation centre

Website

https://sic-vienna.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Students' Innovation Centre ([sic!]) is a Vienna-based, student-led non-profit association founded in 2016 that provides free project consulting, annual [sic!]onnect networking events, and monthly meetups to university students developing ecological-social business ideas, having supported over 100 teams across sustainability verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student-Led Non-Profit Innovation Support

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ), Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM)

Keywords

• Student project consulting
• Sustainability entrepreneurship
• Social innovation support
• Student networking events
• Ecological project advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. No commercial revenue streams: Students' Innovation Centre is a non-profit registered association (ZVR: 631167551). The association's purpose is the creation of conditions for ecologically and socially sustainable projects, initiatives, and enterprises — particularly by students. Society funds are used exclusively and directly for the stated purpose. The association's activities are not profit-oriented and pursue no political or religious objectives. The organization is supported by partner organizations (Wirtschaftsagentur Wien, Erste Group, Ökobusiness Wien, ÖBB Open Innovation, Thinkubator, BOKU Base, TPA) but no commercial revenue model is described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Students' Innovation Centre ([sic!]) is a Vienna-based non-profit student association that offers free project consulting for ecological and social student projects, alongside recurring community events such as the annual [sic!]onnect conference and the monthly Students' Innovation Meetup. It also runs a volunteer/membership program that connects students with advisors, partners, and peer project teams.

Product overview

Students' Innovation Centre ([sic!]) is Vienna's first student-led hub for sustainability and entrepreneurship since 2016. It operates as a non-profit association providing a portfolio of services including free one-on-one project consulting, flagship networking events ([sic!]onnect annual conference, monthly Students' Innovation Meetups), and team membership opportunities. From 2016 to 2022, it also organized ClimateLaunchpad Austria, the world's largest green business ideas competition. The organization supports over 100 ecological-social project teams with a focus on students and impact-driven startups. It is not a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Consulting (Projektberatung) Pro-bono advisory service that helps student project teams working on ecological or social initiatives develop their ideas, with delivery through volunteer advisors associated with Students' Innovation Centre. Intended for university students leading such projects.
• [sic!]onnect Annual Event Annual networking and community event organized by the association as its flagship gathering for students, advisors, and partner organizations in the ecological-social innovation space.
• Students' Innovation Meetup Monthly meetup that provides a regular touchpoint for the student community, featuring talks, workshops, or peer exchange focused on ecological-social innovation projects.
• Team Membership Membership in the Students' Innovation Centre association, enabling active student contributors to participate in the organization's governance, project consulting, and event programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ teams supported since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ÖBB Open InnovationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026ÖBB Open Innovation is a key partner that hosted [sic!]onnect 2026 (10th anniversary edition) at the ÖBB Open Innovation Factory, Nordbahnstraße 36, 1020 Vienna. ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) provides its Open Innovation Factory as an event venue and is a strategic infrastructure partner. The partnership is ongoing, evidenced by the co-branded event.
• ThinkubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Thinkubator has organized ClimateLaunchpad Austria since 2023 (previously organized by [sic!] from 2016-2022). [sic!] continues as a partner in the competition. Thinkubator.earth is the successor organizer of the green business ideas competition in Austria. This is a deep programmatic partnership around the ClimateLaunchpad initiative.
• Wirtschaftsagentur WiencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWirtschaftsagentur Wien (Vienna Business Agency) is listed as a supporting partner of [sic!]. The organization provides funding and support to innovative businesses in Vienna and is a key institutional backer of the student innovation hub. Listed in the 'mit Unterstützung von' (supported by) section of the website.
• Erste GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerErste Group, one of Austria's largest financial institutions, is listed as a supporting partner. As a major Austrian bank with a sustainability focus, Erste Group supports the student innovation community, likely through sponsorship and access to its network.
• Ökobusiness WienminorGTM or Marketing PartnerÖkobusiness Wien is a program that supports Viennese businesses in transitioning to ecological sustainability. Listed as a supporting partner, it likely provides expertise and connections within Vienna's sustainable business ecosystem.
• BOKU BasecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBOKU Base is the startup and innovation hub of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU). [sic!] operates from BOKU Base, Ilse Wallentin Haus (2nd floor), Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna. BOKU Base provides physical office space and institutional backing, positioning [sic!] within the university ecosystem.
• TPAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTPA (TPA Group) is an Austrian auditing and consulting firm listed as a supporting partner. Likely provides pro-bono expertise in accounting, tax, or business consulting to supported teams.
• Impact Hub ViennaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerImpact Hub Vienna hosts the monthly Students' Innovation Meetup, providing venue and co-branding. Impact Hub is a global network of innovation spaces and a natural partner for student entrepreneurship events in Vienna.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Enactus: Global student-led organization that supports university teams running social entrepreneurship projects through competitions, mentorship, and a global network. Highly comparable as a student-driven community supporting impact ventures, with a similar volunteer-led structure.
• Startup Live: European student and early-stage startup competition and accelerator program. Comparable as a competition/community platform that helps student founders validate ideas and connect with mentors, serving a similar audience in the DACH region.
• ClimateLaunchpad: World's largest green business ideas competition organized globally by Climate-KIC. [sic!] organized Austrian pre-selections from 2016-2022, making it a direct operational peer in running cleantech/green startup competitions and supporting early-stage sustainability founders.
• Impact Hub Vienna: Global network of impact-focused innovation spaces with a Vienna location that co-hosts the monthly Students' Innovation Meetup. Directly comparable as a community hub for impact entrepreneurs in Vienna, operating a similar membership/events/support model for early-stage ventures.
• Thinkubator: Austrian green entrepreneurship hub that took over ClimateLaunchpad Austria from [sic!] in 2023. Highly comparable mission focused on green business ideas and a working partnership with [sic!] on the same competition.

Emerging players

• NESsT: Non-profit that supports social enterprises in Central/Eastern Europe with consulting and funding. Partial overlap with [sic!]'s consulting-and-support model for ecological-social ventures, though focused on later-stage enterprises rather than pre-launch student ideas.

Others

• BOKU Base: The startup and innovation hub of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), which hosts [sic!] in its physical office. Acts as the institutional infrastructure partner providing workspace, university access, and ecosystem credibility.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka Austria: Global leader in social entrepreneurship support with an Austrian presence. Operates at a much larger scale than [sic!] but addresses overlapping need: identifying and supporting founders of social/ecological ventures through fellowship programs and networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Students' Innovation Centre