50,000 euros for good ideas: WU Vienna supports young start-ups

Start-up capital for start-ups

That’s why in June 2025 WU Ignite Ventures launched an investment company for university spin-offs in the pre-seed phase. Every year, up to eight teams are supported with a maximum of 50,000 euros each. The prerequisite is a clear WU connection in the founding team – for example from students, alumni or the faculty. This means that early-stage capital directly from WU is available to university-affiliated founders for the first time. The investments are made via SAFE contracts (agreement on future company shares) and are supplemented by coaching, network access, an alumni investor community and programs from the WU Entrepreneurship Center.

An investment team also helps: WU recently set up an “Investment Committee” (IC) – with prominent experts: Moody’s Managing Director Johanna KonradRadar Cyber ​​Security Co-Founder Christian Polsterhokify co-founder Simon Tretter and Austrian Startups Managing Director Hannah Wundsam (as chair of the committee).

Ready to go series: WU Ignite Ventures & KURIER

are now starting a cooperation: The common goal is to present the ideas of young founders and make the work of local start-ups more visible in the media. WU Ignite Ventures and KURIER want to support start-ups in the early stages of their founding, offer them a stage and opportunities for networking. In addition, the KURIER will focus on start-up reporting on a weekly basis. www.kurier.at/startups

Two WU teams have already gotten started with their idea: AINOVO and constrct. The KURIER accompanies you on your first steps into founding a business.

The exoskeleton

The story of how AINOVO came about proves that networking pays off. Johanna Reinedahl met her co-founder Ewan Rothenwänder met at an event and was immediately enthusiastic about his idea. Rothenwander developed one Exoskeletta supporting medical technology product for rehabilitation. This relieves the burden on physiotherapists, hospitals would use resources better and patients would “get an appointment exactly when they need it thanks to the shorter waiting time,” explains Reinedahl. “Medical technology motivates me: when you achieve something, others also benefit. You don’t just do it for yourself.” For her, the MedTech start-up is a direct hit: Rothenmauerr works on the technology in Salzburg and she takes over the “company around the product” in Vienna.

WU Vienna made the team aware of WU Ignite Ventures – they signed the contract for 50,000 euros in October 2025. “This will be paid out in two tranches.” The first money went into founding the company, applying for a patent and most of it (around 20,000 euros) into the first functional prototype. “The second part only comes after milestones have been reached.” Specifically: If another investor secures the financing for the next twelve months. “We are currently in discussions with additional angel investors.” All preclinical studies should be completed to prove that the prototype is safe. This will be followed by larger investment rounds for the next three years. The goal is around three to five million euros. This is intended to pay the five-person team.

What’s next? On Wednesday we go to Salzburg to pitch, next week we go to Switzerland. “It’s slowly taking on larger and larger dimensions, and I’m very happy,” says Reinedahl.

The building material app

That it Michael Ramel It was clear early on that I would end up in the construction industry. He has been on construction sites since he was seven and has seen what goes well – and what doesn’t. “I grew up in my father’s passenger seat,” he says. He sees potential for efficiency in purchasing building materials and construction logistics. Contractors still order by email or phone. “A lot of things can go wrong.” Orders get stuck in the mailbox and contact persons cannot be reached.

This is exactly where his start-up constrct comes in. With software you can Construction company Order building materials directly from the construction site via the app – from all suppliers. “The process is made much more efficient. Orders go twice as fast with us. It’s similar to online shopping,” he explains. This saves administrative work and brings advantages in sustainability reporting: “You can automate data collection and therefore have one place where all possible ESG information is collected.” In short: Sustainability documentation becomes barrier-free.

“He expected that a product like this already existed – but no,” adds his co-founder Christoph Oswald. So Ramel decided to develop it himself. In addition to his studies, he worked out the concept on his own. The catch: He’s not a software developer. He advertised the position via LinkedIn and met Oswald, who was currently reorienting himself professionally and wanted to become self-employed. “When this good idea came along, the decision was easy,” says Oswald.

What’s next? The upcoming financing rounds. The target is a mid-six-figure amount.