EUR 10 million loan given to the European Investment Bank for funding of small and mid-sized projects by the Commission.

In the dynamic world of Austrian startups, there's been a flurry of activity recently. Here's a snapshot of some key developments.

The Austrian government has announced the creation of a state-owned umbrella fund, dubbed the 'Location Fund'. The main tasks of this fund are to promote growth, innovation, and value creation in Austria, and to be an attractive capital investment for investors. Elisabeth Zehetner, State Secretary, discussed the 'Location Fund' in an interview with invest.austria.

However, the startup association has expressed frustration over the lack of concrete measures after 100 days of the black-red federal government. Verena Pausder, chairwoman of the startup association, urges for a consistent startup strategy and speed, as the startup policy of the new federal government is currently stuck.

Meanwhile, Everphone, a Berlin-based Device as a Service provider, reported a revenue of €85 million in 2023, aiming for €100 million in 2024 but falling short at €96 million. Despite this, Everphone managed to improve its EBIT by €15 million within a year, closing 2024 profitably (+€0.6 million EBIT). However, the consolidated annual loss of Everphone was €26.8 million in 2023, a reflection of the tough path to success that the company has walked, involving job cuts in recent years.

On the other hand, GoStudent, a Viennese EdTech scaleup, had a remarkable turnaround. In the 2024 fiscal year, GoStudent generated over €163 million in revenue, improving its EBITDA by more than €200 million within two years. However, the company had a record loss of almost €200 million in negative EBITDA in 2022.

Various investments and exits have occurred in the Austrian startup ecosystem. Notable among them is OIQ Global acquiring Unio. The Job Board offers job listings from startups and companies, while the Startup Ticker keeps everyone updated about recent happenings.

In more exciting news, Betta Salt, a startup, had a notable pitch in "The Lion's Den" where investors laughed during a valuation explanation. Today's Startup Radar introduces NormKI, diamics, helpcode.ai, Hive Robotics, and Shiny.

Lastly, mark your calendars for the second STARTUPLAND event on November 5. The event promises to be a hub of innovation, networking, and inspiration for the Austrian startup community.

As the Austrian startup scene continues to evolve, it's clear that there are challenges to be faced, but also opportunities to seize. The path ahead is promising, and the future of Austrian startups looks bright.