ViennaUP’24

Last summer, picnickers on Danube Island, a recreational park area in the middle of city, came out just to watch the grass get trimmed – by a herd of fluffy sheep. Across the water in Seestadt, sleek eco-busses glide on electricity, adding the sound of silence to an up-and-coming neighborhood. Both these grass-fueled lawnmowers and high-tech transporters support biodiversity and add beauty; both are very Viennese solutions.

Sustainability isn't just a priority - it's a lifestyle. With a clear goal of achieving emissions neutrality by 2040, Vienna invests in exciting, scalable and sustainable projects and businesses that contribute to a better future for us all. At ViennaUP, the program track #ImpacttheFuture is all about bringing startups, investors, innovators and experts together to work on solutions to transnational issues that are best solved bit-by-bit on a local level.

Dear people-planet-profit-protectors, ViennaUP23 is your chance to make a change. Here are just a few highlights:

• Join Impact Days at Vienna's Hofburg Palace to challenge the fundamentals of the current economic and financial model, discuss substantial alternatives and witness inspiring initiatives. 
   
• Excited to take action, but unsure where to start? The Impactful Solutions Exhibition allows you to experience an immersive display of 40 local and replicable initiatives in the sustainability and social entrepreneurship space.
   
• Is your startup working within the Sustainable Development Goal framework? Learn from the best and discover how to start a revolution; become a part of the 1MillionStartups: The SDG road in Metaverse.
   
• Are you a hacker for good? Hop into the AI for Sustainability Hackathon '23 and apply AI tech to sustainability problems. 
   
• Testing the waters with a dream and a prayer? To start your own company or get more involved in the community, visit Techstars Startup Weekend – WomenUP or pitch your company (or your self) at Find Your Female Co-Founder
   
• At the Smart City SuMMit, learn which applicable, scaleable solutions Vienna is using to achieve its emissions goals. And at the Travel & Smart Cities EXPO 4, you can discover the future of travel, aviation and smart cities and witness impressive pilot projects, tech trrend reports and more. Both hybrid events will provide you an outstanding opportunity for collaboration on a big scale.
   
• Speaking of motion, check out Mobility in Action at the ÖBB Open Innovation Factory, where mobility innovators pitch and receive feedback  from established companies, startups, public sector actors, scientists and civil society. 
   
• For game-changing ideas on how to transform healthcare, check out the HEALTH INNOVATION SUMMIT VIENNA - Digital Health - Vision And Reality.
   
• Are you a startup (ecosystem) enabler or policymaker in the impact space? At Salon Future: Connecting Startup Ecosystems, the Vienna Business Agency invites experts from across Europe to exchange information about how to strengthen and develop local startup scenes. Similarly, the Global Incubator Network Austria (GIN) is hosting the Network Meeting on Promoting International Startup Expansion (Dinner Reception), where you can internationalize your startup ecosystem development game.

Come share your big ideas and talk shop with other entrepreneurs, innovators and investors making the world smarter, cleaner, safer and more fair in ways that our planet can support -- continuously. See you in Vienna!