- AustrianStartups Summit 2026 will become the meeting point for Austria’s startup ecosystem in Vienna on October 15th
- This year’s No Risk, No Fun(ds) theme explores entrepreneurial risk and innovation
- Founders, investors, and policymakers will discuss AI, financing, scaling, exits, and internationalization
- The programme features keynotes, panels, masterclasses, startup pitches, investor matchmaking, and networking
The AustrianStartups Summit 2026 sets out to bring founders, investors and ecosystem leaders together in Vienna to examine what it takes to embrace entrepreneurial risk on October 15th, with this year’s edition putting entrepreneurial risk at the centre of the conversation. Held at Ottakringer Brauerei under the motto ‘No Risk, No Fun(ds),’ the event will explore why taking risks remains essential to innovation, who is willing to take them, and what Austria can do to create an environment where more people are prepared to build companies.
Organized by AustrianStartups, the Summit will bring together founders, investors, technology professionals, policymakers, and other members of Austria’s startup ecosystem for a full day of keynotes, panels, fireside chats, workshops, and networking. The event is part of AustrianStartups’ wider mission to connect entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem organizations while supporting innovative entrepreneurship across the country.
Exploring the Reality Behind Entrepreneurial Risk
The Summit’s central theme reflects a broader question facing Austria’s startup ecosystem: how can the country create an environment where experimentation, failure, and ambitious growth are treated as necessary parts of entrepreneurship? Rather than presenting risk simply as a financial calculation, the programme will look at the personal, organizational and societal dimensions of building a company.
- Fedor Holz will open the Summit with his keynote Going All In, drawing on his experience as a former world number-one poker player as well as his current work as an investor and entrepreneur. Other speakers will bring perspectives from building companies, investing in startups, developing new products and navigating the uncertainty that comes with rapid growth.
- Marcus Ihlenfeld, who left his position as Head of Marketing at Opel to co-found children’s bicycle company woom, will discuss taking entrepreneurial risks more than once, including his subsequent venture poptop.
- Nadina Ruedl of Die Pflanzerei will meanwhile share the less visible side of startup building, including the 112 production partners that turned her down before she found a company willing to produce her plant-based versions of Austrian classics.
How AI Is Changing the Risk Calculation
Artificial intelligence will provide another perspective on entrepreneurial risk, as new technologies are changing both the opportunities available to startups and the way companies are built.
- Daniel Keinrath, co-founder of Vienna-based AI startup fonio.ai, will join the panel AI Changes the Rules of Taking Risks to examine how AI is influencing decision-making and the risk calculations facing young companies.
- The investor perspective will feature prominently throughout the programme, with Markus Lang of Speedinvest appearing on the EY Scaleup Panel and Johann ‘Hansi’ Hansmann taking part in the fireside chat Exits & Angels. Mr Hansmann, one of Austria’s best-known business angels, has invested in more than 100 startups, including companies such as Runtastic, Shpock, mySugr, durchblicker, Busuu, and Tractive.
- Further discussions will bring together founders and executives including Kilian Kaminski of refurbed, Lisa Smith of Prewave, Tobias Homberger of myClubs, Johannes Ferner of fiskaly, and Denise Hirner of UpNano.
Together, these sessions will approach risk from different stages of company building, from founding and product development to investment, scaling and international growth.
From Financing to Internationalization
Alongside the main stage, the Summit will feature a series of masterclasses addressing some of the practical issues founders encounter as their companies develop.
- Schönherr will lead Termsheet Decoded.
- AWS will explore financing options beyond equity in Scaling Beyond Equity.
- Minted will examine funding programmes, regulation and the changing funding landscape in Changing Winds.
- Advantage Austria will meanwhile focus on international growth through Born Global Mindset – Building Companies That Scale Beyond Borders.
These sessions will complement the broader programme by moving from discussions about entrepreneurial mindset toward practical questions around financing, legal structures, funding and international expansion.
Politics will also feature in the programme, with State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner, whose responsibilities include energy, startups and tourism, and State Secretary Alexander Pröll joining the discussions. Their participation adds a public-policy perspective to the Summit’s broader conversation about the conditions needed for entrepreneurship and innovation to develop in Austria.
Startups Take the Stage
The AustrianStartups Summit Pitch Master 2026 will give early-stage companies an opportunity to present their businesses to a jury of active investors. Austrian startups with at least a minimum viable product and up to EUR 3M in revenue or investment can apply, putting fundraising and exposure directly into the Summit programme.
The event will also feature a startup fair where companies and partners can showcase their products and solutions. Investors will have access to a dedicated Investor Lounge offering curated matchmaking, while additional side events and networking formats will provide opportunities for founders, investors and ecosystem partners to connect beyond the main programme.
The format reflects AustrianStartups’ broader approach to ecosystem building, which combines community, education and research through its platform, events and think-tank activities. The organization says its community work connects founders, investors, supporters and ecosystem organizations, while its wider activities include more than 50 events annually and the Austrian Startup Monitor.
Building a More Entrepreneurial Austria
For AustrianStartups, the Summit is ultimately about more than celebrating individual founders who have already taken significant risks. The organization has positioned entrepreneurship as a broader economic and societal issue, with its stated mission focused on making Austria a place where people can develop and pursue innovative ideas.
That perspective gives the No Risk, No Fun(ds) theme a wider context, connecting individual founder stories with topical questions around investment, regulation, access to capital, internationalization, and Austria’s ability to support ambitious companies. The Summit will bring these different perspectives together through a programme designed to examine both the rewards and realities of taking entrepreneurial risks.
In a Nutshell:
- Where: Ottakringer Brauerei, Vienna, Austria
- When: October 15th, 2026
- Regular tickets are priced at EUR 149, while investor tickets including Investor Lounge access cost EUR 299, with free participation available to AustrianStartups members.Tickets are available here, use promo code S26-COMMUNITY20 for 20% off for regular tickets and promo code S26-INVESTOR20 for 20% off for Investor tickets
- More information here
Kostiantyn is a freelance writer from Crimea but based in Lviv. He loves writing about IT and high tech because those topics are always upbeat and he’s an inherent optimist!
