What Next-Incubator does

Next-Incubator is the sustainability-focused innovation hub and think-tank of Energie Steiermark, Austria's regional energy utility serving roughly 600,000 customers. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Graz, the organization operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary that connects climate-relevant startups, research institutes, municipalities, and corporate units of its parent with funding, expertise, and pilot-deployment opportunities. It explicitly aligns every supported project to seven UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13) and coordinates Austria's largest green-energy innovation lab, GreenEnergyLab.

The hub's offering is structured around four service lines — Startup Project Support (scouting and operational collaboration with climate startups), Research & Development (co-leading the Josef Ressel Zentrum für Plattformen und Digitale Ökosysteme with FH CAMPUS 02 and participating in FFG-, CDG-, and Klima- und Energiefonds-funded consortia), Idea Management (internal sustainability ideation for Energie Steiermark employees), and Grant Management (funding opportunity monitoring and administration). It currently stewards a portfolio of roughly 45 projects spanning hyperlocal weather intelligence (Wematics), spatial thermal planning (CoSpatial-Heat), hydrogen and battery storage (JOHANN, FlexModul, 2nd Life Batteries), EV charging (BOVLABS, HeyCharge, Car2Flex, Amplicity), building optimization (Enerbrain, ioAirFlow), energy-community platforms (energiedigital, Crowd Energy), and renewable-energy trading (Powerledger).

Commercially, Next-Incubator does not sell a software product or charge disclosed fees; its economics depend on intra-group allocations from Energie Steiermark combined with non-dilutive public R&D funding routed through Austrian and EU programs. Distribution is event- and community-driven (open innovation calls such as Wärmewende 2.0, the Sustainability Inside annual conference, Next-Skill webinar series, and two branded podcasts). Go-to-market is regional (Styria and Austria), and customer concentration is structurally high given the parent-subsidiary relationship, with named end-customers (Wematics, energiedigital pilot, JOHANN pilot, Enerbrain building deployments) functioning as portfolio participants rather than paying enterprise clients.

Name

Next-Incubator

Legal name

next-incubator der Energie Steiermark

Website

https://next-incubator.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Next-Incubator is the sustainability innovation hub of Austrian energy utility Energie Steiermark, founded in 2017 and based in Graz. It supports climate startups, research institutes, and municipalities through four service lines — startup scouting, R&D, idea management, and grant administration — across a portfolio of roughly 45 sustainability projects in Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Sustainability innovation consulting
• Startup incubation services
• Renewable energy research
• Cleantech project management
• Grant funding advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Innovation Hub Services: Next-Incubator provides innovation support services to startups, companies, municipalities, and research institutions. Services include startup scouting, project management, technical expertise, operational collaboration, funding management, and idea management. Revenue is generated through project collaborations and consulting engagements facilitated by the parent company Energie Steiermark.
2. Research and Development Projects: The organization participates in funded R&D projects through national and EU programs (FFG, Climate and Energy Fund, BMWET). Funding covers research collaborations with academic and industry partners on sustainable energy innovations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Next-Incubator operates as a sustainability-focused innovation hub and think-tank, supporting startups, companies, municipalities, and research institutions with projects in renewable energy, storage, energy efficiency, and mobility. It delivers four service lines: Startup Project Support (scouting and operational collaboration), Research and Development (including leadership of the Green Energy Lab and co-leadership of the Josef Ressel Zentrum), Idea Management (sustainability sensitization programs), and Grant Management (monitoring and processing of EU, national, and regional funding opportunities).

Product overview

Next-Incubator is an innovation hub for sustainability, founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Energie Steiermark, operating as an independent Think Tank that supports sustainable and visionary projects with expertise and network access. It is not a single software product but a multi-service innovation platform that combines four core service lines — Startup Project Support, Research & Development (including the Green Energy Lab and Josef Ressel Zentrum), Idea Management, and Grant Management — with an extensive portfolio of ~45 funded/invested projects and two branded podcast series. The project portfolio spans hyperlocal weather intelligence (Wematics), spatial thermal planning (CoSpatial-Heat), hydrogen and battery storage (JOHANN/Elements Energy, FlexModul, 2nd Life Batteries, EVO.Batt, Speicher.Zukunft), EV charging solutions (BOVLABS, HeyCharge, Car2Flex, amplicity), energy efficiency and building optimization (Enerbrain, ioAirFlow), energy community platforms (energiedigital, Crowd Energy, EnergyFamily), renewable energy trading (Powerledger), mobility incentives (Ummadum, DroneSense), and sustainability programs (Sustainability Change Maker, Zero Waste Office, Low Waste Messestand, Inklusive Events). The hub also produces branded content through its 'What's next' and 'Zorn & Zuversicht' podcasts and organizes the annual Sustainability Inside conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• What's next: Podcast series about sustainable innovations and ideas needed by the world
• Zorn & Zuversicht

Products and services

• Startup Project Support Incubator support program for startups and innovators with climate-positive ideas. Includes startup scouting, project management, technical expertise, and operational collaboration across sustainable energy, mobility, storage, and digitalization. For early-stage climate-tech startups.
• Research and Development (F&E) Strategic R&D support for renewable energy expansion and climate goals. Includes leading the Green Energy Lab and co-leading the Josef Ressel Zentrum research center. For research institutions, energy companies, and project consortia.
• Idea Management Structured program to sensitize employees for sustainability and generate green innovation ideas, supporting businesses and individuals in driving sustainable transformation. For corporate teams and training programs.
• Grant Management Monitoring and active processing of funding opportunities (EU, national, regional), serving as an information hub to accelerate R&D, qualification, and investment projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency. For startups, companies, and public-sector applicants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Emissions reduced by 80% in 2020-2021 through internal climate actions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Energie SteiermarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergie Steiermark is the parent company of Next-Incubator. Founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Energie Steiermark, the innovation hub serves as the think-tank of the energy company. Next-Incubator provides access to the parent's customer network (~600,000 customers), infrastructure, and industry expertise, while contributing innovation capabilities and startup ecosystem access.
• FH CAMPUS 02coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext-Incubator partners with FH CAMPUS 02 through the Josef Ressel Zentrum for Platforms and Digital Ecosystems, hosted at the Department Marketing & Sales. The collaboration focuses on research into digital platforms and ecosystems, combining academic research with industry application.
• Raiffeisen Landesbank SteiermarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in the Josef Ressel Zentrum collaboration. Raiffeisen contributes to research on digital platforms and ecosystems with a focus on banking and financial services perspectives.
• K1 GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in the Josef Ressel Zentrum collaboration, contributing expertise and resources to research on digital platforms and ecosystems.
• AEE INTEC (AEE - Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in multiple projects including CoSpatial Heat (spatial heat planning for Gleisdorf region) and ThermaFLEX (district heating flexibility). Contributes expertise in sustainable technologies and renewable energy systems.
• Joanneum ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to multiple projects including Climate Lifestylecheck (CO2 footprint calculation tool) and #mobility2050 (future mobility visualization). Provides scientific expertise and methodology.
• Climate-KICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean climate innovation network partner. Climate-KIC supports climate action through innovation and supports Next-Incubator's sustainability initiatives and project development.
• TU GrazmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in projects including UserGRIDs (digital energy services for TU Graz campus innovation district). Contributes academic expertise in energy systems and digital technologies.
• GreenEnergyLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext-Incubator plays a leading role in GreenEnergyLab, described as Austria's largest innovation laboratory for green energy technologies. The platform coordinates research and development across multiple sustainable energy projects.
• Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie und Tourismus (BMWET)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment funding partner for the Josef Ressel Zentrum and other R&D projects. Provides public funding support for sustainable energy innovation initiatives.
• Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft (CDG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch funding organization supporting the Josef Ressel Zentrum collaboration. Provides Christian Doppler Research Association funding for applied research.
• WEIZplus (EnergieZukunft WEIZplus)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional energy future initiative, serving as consortium lead for CoSpatial Heat project in the Gleisdorf region. Contributes local expertise and stakeholder networks.
• GreenTech AustriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian cleantech network partner providing access to green technology ecosystem and industry connections.
• Circular Economy Forum (CEFA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner network for circular economy expertise and collaboration, supporting Next-Incubator's sustainability initiatives.
• Austrian Innovation ForumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInnovation network partner providing access to Austrian innovation ecosystem and cross-industry collaboration opportunities.
• WematicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup partner developing hyperlocal weather intelligence for renewable energy systems. Next-Incubator supports validation of use cases and scaling within the Energie Steiermark group.
• klima.metrixmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup partner providing CO2 footprint calculation software. Next-Incubator piloted the solution and used it to achieve CO2-neutral operations by end of 2022.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greentown Labs: Greentown Labs is the largest cleantech startup incubator in the United States. Closely comparable mission (accelerating climate and energy startups) and model (corporate-sponsored incubator with prototyping lab), though at much larger scale.
• EIT InnoEnergy: EIT InnoEnergy is Europe's sustainable energy accelerator, supporting and investing in cleantech startups from seed to scale. Highly comparable to Next-Incubator in mission (clean energy innovation) and model (corporate-backed accelerator), though operating pan-European with deeper capital.
• EIT Climate-KIC: EIT Climate-KIC is the EU's main climate innovation accelerator, running programs, education, and investments across Europe. It is a direct peer — and an active Next-Incubator partner — competing for the same pool of European sustainability startups.
• Impact Hub Vienna: Impact Hub Vienna is a leading Austrian incubator and innovation community focused on social and environmental entrepreneurship. Directly comparable as an Austrian-headquartered sustainability-focused incubator serving early-stage ventures.

Broad incumbents

• Energie Steiermark (parent): Energie Steiermark is the parent utility of Next-Incubator. While not a competitor, it is the closest structural comparable: a regional Austrian energy utility (~600,000 customers) running innovation programs internally — useful for benchmarking parent-level capacity.
• EnBW Innovation Hub: EnBW Innovation runs a corporate innovation function for German utility EnBW, scouting and piloting energy-transition startups. Comparable as a utility-backed innovation platform, though part of a much larger incumbent utility.

Emerging players

• Climate Foundry: Climate Foundry is a mission-driven venture accelerator supporting climate tech founders. Comparable as an emerging, niche-focused climate accelerator with similar target audience, though operating in different geographies.

Regional players

• Pioneers Innovate: Pioneers is an Austrian-founded tech and impact innovation platform running events and startup programs. Comparable as a regional ecosystem builder in Austria, though less specialized in energy/climate verticals.
• INiTS Universal Incubator: INiTS is Vienna's university-linked high-tech startup incubator, also active across Austria. Comparable as a regional startup support organization, though more focused on academic spinouts than on energy/sustainability themes.

Others

• GreenTech Austria: GreenTech Austria is the Austrian cleantech industry network connecting startups, corporates, and investors. Comparable as an ecosystem/network partner (and active Next-Incubator collaborator) rather than a direct accelerator competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyFVBJzD4cqVgcwCWP9cwGQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-incubator
• Instagraminstagram.com/zorn_und_zuversicht
• Facebookfacebook.com/NEXT.Incubator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Next-Incubator