Events are designed and hosted by partner organisations from the local and international startup community, providing an accessible, authentic, diverse experience for new visitors and return attendees alike. Participants will open their minds to new inventions, debate the hottest topics, and network with like-minded individuals, all against the backdrop of the extraordinarily diverse and constantly surprising Viennese startup scene.
Last year at a glance Uniting trailblazers from around the world, ViennaUP has become a fixture of the international startup community, proven by last year’s resounding success.
- 10,000+ participants from 96 countries
- 50+ events
- 35 local and international program partners
- 27 locations in 12 Viennese districts
- 98% would recommend ViennaUP to others
What to expect in 2024
A unique, interconnected experience, starting in person and expanding digitally, ViennaUP 2024 focuses on six programme tracks, each thoughtfully designed to provide participants with exciting opportunities to develop, network, pitch, and invest.
Find Investors
Pitch your big idea, network with investors and hear from entrepreneurs and experts from super-successful enterprises.
Impact The Future
This is all about people, planet and profit. Meet and exchange with other purpose-driven startups and investors.
Discover New Tech
If tech gets you fired up, consider these events and explore what local and international innovators have been up to within the last year.
Skill Up & Scale Up
Workshops and coachings for founders and innovators who want to learn in order to grow.
Experience Culture & Technology
Dive into events and workshops that are all about the interplay of arts, digital tech, and business.
Invest Brilliantly
Events for those looking for brilliant startup ideas, valuable personal connections, incredible teams and promising opportunities.
Not only will ViennaUP meet participants with a seven-day programme of workshops, conferences, pitch sessions, and networking opportunities – this year’s festival will be complemented by a series of exciting side events produced by trusted collaborators.
A festival to make your own
ViennaUP has something for all those interested in making the right connections and learning more about the startup ecosystem here in the Austrian capital. A core principle from its earliest days, the festival’s boutique approach ensures that participants can shape their festival experience to perfectly fit their interests. By picking and choosing the most relevant events, they get to maximize their learnings and build connections that are sure to take them to the next level. What’s more, ViennaUP’s decentralized model enables participants to truly get to know Vienna by taking them all around the city.
The ViennaUP Homebase at Karlsplatz is the central meeting point for all festival participants, providing a space for all to meet, sample local food and drinks, and generally bask in summery Vienna vibes. While the Homebase is open to all festival goers every afternoon and evening of the festival, special events, tours and musical performances will round out the experience. Check out the full line-up on viennaup.com or sign up for the newsletter to learn more.
Participants will also be welcomed in the ViennaUP Café Spaces. These are traditional and contemporary cafes in Vienna where those with festival wristbands can enjoy a free coffee, tea or soft drink—Café Schwarzenberg, trude & tochter, and Schönbergers. Festival goers can use this opportunity to meet up with others, get some work done or just soak up Viennese vibes.
The ViennaUP Coffee House Sessions are returning in 2024 as a decentralized event, giving entrepreneurs a chance to get advice, pitch their startups, and expose their ideas to potential multipliers. Attendees can apply to participate to these small-group meetings with top investors, experts and ecosystem enablers at the ViennaUP Café Spaces.
In Vienna, women spark the innovation boom
A hot-spot for female-lead businesses, Vienna truly walks the walk when it comes to inclusion and gender equality. Featuring an ever-expanding service offer designed specifically for women, the city provides countless networking, coaching, and funding opportunities. This year, ViennaUP aims to create more space for female entrepreneurs, as well as those interested in supporting and investing in their ventures, to connect, exchange ideas, and do business. A notable highlight, the Lead Today. Shape Tomorrow. conference will bring together female founders across industries for a day filled with learnings. Other programme points one should not miss include WEconomy – Diversity Leaders Circle, Find your female co-founder, and the mentoring era.
A greener future, the Viennese way
Well on its way to becoming climate-neutral by 2040, Vienna’s approach to environmental responsibility is a special one—by focusing on social equity, active participation, and creativity, it aims to build a greener future, for everyone. Joining the Impact The Future programme track will allow this year’s ViennaUP participants to explore latest innovations in sustainability, get answers for burning questions from leading experts, and learn all about the intersection between impact and profit. The Impact Days, Smart City Summit, INSIDEOUT Summit, and AI for Good: Leveraging AI for Environmental and Social Progress are just a few of the highlights no-one should miss.
How to attend
ViennaUP is created by the community, for the community—beyond the exciting diversity this brings to the festival, it also means that there is no golden ticket that gives you access to all events—each one of them is ticketed separately. Join the fun by checking out the programme page for all relevant information, and registering for the events and workshops that spark your interest. Signing up for the majority of festival happenings is free, while others may require a paid registration or application. In both cases, tickets go quickly!
ViennaUP 2023 through the eyes of…
Gabriele Tazberger | Head of Startup Services, Vienna Business Agency
With its vibrant and inclusive atmosphere, its strong community focus, and excitement for impactful ideas & founders, ViennaUP showcases Vienna’s appeal to the international startup community. We couldn’t be happier that innovation enthusiasts choose to come back year after year—for the valuable insights, for the meaningful connections, and to experience the business location first-hand.
Hee Yung Ryoo, founder of Croft.ai | South Korea
Participating in ViennaUP’23 was an incredibly rewarding experience for my startup. The organisers of the event offered me dedicated support, allowed me to network with industry professionals, gain valuable advice and make new connections. Additionally, I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the EU market through engaging in discussions with local experts, shaping my business strategy and paving the way for expansion.
ViennaUP 2024
The Startup Festival
03. – 09.06.2024
More information about the festival is available at www.viennaup.com or contact: Naomi Hunt | Project Lead for Communications hunt@wirtschaftsagentur.at
