The horses are back on the streets of Vienna in May – but this is not to suggest that the revered white Lipizzaner from the Spanish Riding School will be smuggling themselves out of their stables and going exploring in the Austrian capital. The ones we are referring to – moving at full tilt through urban spaces, their manes blowing in the breeze and their powerful legs raised – are neon sculptures that will be bringing their dynamic energy to sites right across the city. Their job is to attract attention, pique curiosity and drum up attendance at ViennaUP, Vienna’s international start-up festival.
The event has a clear objective – to bring the international start-up community together to network, swap notes, discuss options, make presentations and discover new solutions.
As ever, there will be a wide-ranging programme in a host of different formats. Presentations, panel discussions, workshops, hackathons and pitch competitions will be held right across the city, sending a powerful and inspiring vibe throughout the metropolis.
ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA is proud to be bringing delegations from all four corners of the world to Vienna, making the event even more international while also providing an excellent opportunity to find out about Austria’s start-up ecosystem, explore it as a location for economic activity, and forge valuable connections.
The Connect Day is ViennaUP’s core matchmaking event and will bring start-ups, established companies and investors together. Participants will gather on 19.05.2026 to get to know one another, network and exchange ideas with a view to breaking ground on possible joint enterprises. The Connect Day programme is based around four topic fields:
- FrontierTech & AI
- GreenTech & Manufacturing
- MedTech & LifeScience
- UrbanTech, Mobility & EnergyTransition
B2B matchmaking sessions will be held all day, in which start-ups, corporate participants and investors can make appointments for 1:1 meetings where they can exchange ideas and sound out possible cooperation.
This year’s Connect Day will also see the return of two especially fascinating items on the agenda:
Pitching for future Born Global Champions. Ten Austrian start-ups and scale-ups that have enjoyed early success on international markets will be taking home a Born Global Champions Award. Their pre-pitches in front of an audience are thus an excellent opportunity to see Austrian ingenuity in action.
The Corporate Reverse Pitch will see blue-chip companies presenting the challenges they wish to overcome and the opportunities for cooperation with start-ups that this may entail.
ViennaUP will once again be hosting the Austrian leg of the “Startup World Cup” this year, and the victors will go on to represent Austria against more than 70 other countries at the global finals in San Francisco in November.
