Reflect Festival 2025

With around 10,000 visitors, 150 speakers, 150 exhibitors, 300 startups and 150 investors from 55 countries, the Reflect Festival is the leading technology and innovation event in Cyprus. For Austrian startups and scale-ups, it offers a perfect stage to take their next internationalization steps with reach into the SEE and MENA regions.

From May 15 to 16, 2025, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA participated for the first time with an AUSTRIA booth at this go-to event for technology enthusiasts and presented four Austrian companies that offered a wide range of business opportunities – from sustainable digitization of building portfolios by Cloud NYNE, fighting hate online with AI support by hatBlocker, consult&GO business services by PLPG, to an open-source toolkit for building and managing Ethereum nodes by Stereum.

The event was part of go-international, a joint initiative of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Economy, Energy and Tourism and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.  

Known for summer, sun, and vacation, many do not have the island on their radar as an innovation location. However, Cyprus was able to rise from "Moderate Innovator" to "Strong Innovator" in the recently published EU Innovation Scoreboard over the last six years with a performance increase of over 35 points. In comparison, Austria was able to add 6 points. The country is implementing targeted reform efforts for innovation as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Seven out of 38 EU Innovation Excellence Centers are located in Cyprus. Each is assured funding of 30 million euros for a period of seven years. Additionally, Cyprus offers a strategic location as a bridge between MENA and Southeast Europe, a low tax burden, and double taxation agreements with over 60 countries, including Austria.

Some impressions from Austria’s first participation at the Reflect Festival and the Doers Pitch are captured in this short video documentary.