EY Startup Academy

The Austrian Angel Investors Association was founded in 2012 as a non-profit organisation with the purpose of fostering innovation in Austria – by promoting and professionalising the business angel community. With more than 200 members from all over Austria, the organization has come to play a vital role in the local startup ecosystem and is now also one of the leading angel networks in Europe.

BlackWood Capital Partners is a Copenhagen-based venture investor, that helps European startups gain access to smart capital and high-caliber board members. We connect carefully selected startups with our exclusive network of investors who leverage their capital, networks, and expertise to make an impact.

Blockchain Founders Capital (BFC) is a German venture capital fund that invests in business models using blockchain technology. It pays particular attention to founding teams that have both extensive industry experience and an understanding of how blockchain/Web3 technologies can enable new products or significantly improve existing ones. BFC makes equity investments at the pre-seed and seed stage, primarily in Europe and the US, and is industry agnostic. If a company doesn’t advertise blockchain, but brings its customers closer to the benefits without having to go into detail about the technology, then these are the companies BFC particularly likes to talk to.

As the BA network with the largest number of members, Business Angels FrankfurtRheinMain brings together capital-seeking startups and their founders with Business Angels. They see themselves as a forum for private investors, growth companies and entrepreneurs – primarily in the Rhine-Main region, but active in the entire DACH-region.

You want to learn more about Business Angels FrankfurtRheinMain? Watch the interview with Chairman Andreas Lukic: https://youtu.be/GGakEQvW6E0

C3 Management GmbH („C3“) is an asset management company focused on managing venture funds which invest in exceptional blockchain technology companies worldwide. C3‘s mission is, among other things, to accelerate growth, development, and especially adoption of EOSIO-based blockchains and the EOSIO software. Towards this mission, C3 manages the FinLab EOS VC Fund („EOS VC Fund“), which is part of Block.one’s EOS VC program and offers developers and entrepreneurs the funding they need to create community-driven businesses leveraging EOSIO. The EOS VC Fund focuses on early and growth stage technology companies and typically takes a minority equity stake. C3 operates worldwide and is located in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Campus Founders are building a startup and innovation ecosystem and are the MINDSET-SCHMIEDE for entrepreneurial acting people in Heilbronn-Franken, one of the economically strongest regions in Europe. The Campus Founders educate the next generation of responsible founders and innovators in a value-oriented manner and promote the startup and innovation ecosystem. The educational offers start with inspiring people and accompany them holistically on their entrepreneurial journey. The Campus Founders convey an entrepreneurial mindset, create role models and stand for a sustainable value system. They combine practical knowledge, the most advanced methods and an international network.

ChannelCreator set up in 2007 to help B2B technology companies sell and internationalise whilst minimising the associated risks, and has served more than 100 software companies from Europe, US, Canada, and the Middle East to expand sustainably and profitably in the European market. ChannelCreator specialises in sales acceleration; delivering rapid go to market strategy, market validation and market expansion services that speed up market entry, revenue growth and the development of partner ecosystems.

CTG Consulting is the market-leading Hiring Solution Provider in the DACH region. With its 7 recruiting brands and accompanying services, we focus on companies and functional areas in the digital and tech sector. Our network, focus and expertise are therefore strongly influenced by and specifically geared towards the digital/tech world. Our team of more than 280 employees is based in our offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg and Zurich.

CV VC is a global blockchain investor with ecosystem hubs in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Germany, and Portugal. As a private venture capital firm, CV VC provides seed capital and an accelerator program for global tech teams. In addition, CV VC offers blockchain industry consulting for businesses and governments. As one of the founding members of Crypto Valley, the birthplace of Ethereum and home to the largest herd of blockchain unicorns, CV VC & CV Labs are the linchpin of Crypto Valley’s acumen and a global force driving the momentum of Web3.

Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures (DvH Ventures) is a venture capital investor focused on European digital technology companies. Investing in early stage startups, DvH Ventures provides its portfolio companies financial funding, strategic support and management know-how as well as access to an international network in venture capital. Through additional media for equity services the portfolio companies are offered the power of brands such as Handelsblatt, WirtschaftsWoche, Tagesspiegel and DIE ZEIT.

You want to learn more about Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures? Watch the interview with Investment Manager Duc Quyen Tran: https://youtu.be/lu0iNjmOd_o

GE Healthcare helps healthcare providers deliver the best possible patient care. As the world’s leading innovator in medical technology and diagnostics, GE Healthcare enables healthcare professionals to make faster, more informed decisions through smart devices, data, analytics, applications and services as well as the Edison Information Platform. GE Healthcare is committed to an inclusive culture of respect, transparency and uncompromising integrity.

HIGHEST is the center of innovation and business creation of Technische Universität Darmstadt and bundles the transfer and start-up activities of students, scientists and research departments. As a deep tech incubator, TU Darmstadt operates in technology fields such as Green Tech, AI applications and MedTech. HIGHEST contributes significantly to the development of successful start-ups as well as practice-relevant innovations from research results and interconnects science and industry. Companies and investors gain efficient access to the latest technological findings, talents, founders and the ecosystem in the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main region. In addition, HIGHEST organizes networking events and multiple different formats together with and for their network partners.

The High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) finances technology startups with growth potential. Since 2005, the HTGF has supported almost 600 startups. The focus is on startups in the fields of digital business models, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. The fund has already successfully sold shares of more than 100 companies.

You want to learn more about High-Tech Gründerfonds? Watch the interview with Investment Manager Martin Möllmann: https://youtu.be/Tk1GH8C-Id0

IBM is one of the largest providers of information technology. The solution portfolio ranges from hybrid cloud, quantum computing, AI, security and blockchain solutions in the cloud to software and services including consulting and financing. The focus is on cognitive solutions in the cloud with an industry focus. IBM invests almost six billion US dollars in research and development and for more than seven decades, IBM research has been defining the future of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12 laboratories on six continents.

neosfer is the early-stage investor and innovation unit of Commerzbank Group. It investigates future technologies that are relevant to business and society, promotes and develops sustainable, digital solutions, and brings them profitably to the bank and its customers. All of this is done through the three areas of invest, build, connect. It creates access to innovation through strategic venture capital (invest), in-house development of technologies and business models (build), and building ecosystems around the sustainable and digital future of society (connect).
With a portfolio of currently 23 digital and sustainable startups, neosfer has always kept its eyes on the future and is continuously developing. Some successful prototypes, such as the Lissi project, the blockchain-based identity network for self-determined identities, have already emerged from this and are being used in the Commerzbank Group. Through its own events, such as the monthly tech startup event series “Between the Towers” and the Impact Festival, the company strengthens its network in the innovation, venture and sustainability sectors.
neosfer GmbH, or neosfer for short, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Commerzbank AG based in Frankfurt am Main.

neoteq ventures helps founding teams build companies that change industries. neoteq ventures supports from the outset with capital and know-how, and is the first institutional investor for start-ups in doing this. Digitalisation is changing entire industries. The associated change opens up countless opportunities for exciting business models and companies. This is where neoteq ventures is positioned, looking for start-ups with a clear tech focus and the potential to become market leaders. In doing so, founders are always at the centre of neoteq venture’s attention.
neoteq ventures invests throughout Germany and focuses its investment activities on the Rhineland. Being aware that start-ups need time, money and support, neoteq ventures is happy to help in all areas with its experience and expertise.

Established in 2018, Optio Incentives has been unwavering in its mission to simplify and make the management of equity incentives accessible for companies of all sizes. Today, Optio Incentives manages over 1000 equity programs worldwide, across more than 100 entities. Its unique capability to support businesses at every stage, from their initial development all the way to their IPO, sets it apart in the market. Optio Incentives simplifies complexities associated with employee incentive programs, enabling companies to stay compliant, manage equity, report costs effectively, and maximise the benefits of their programs.

OVHcloud is a leading European cloud hyperscaler and has been a cloud and infrastructure provider for over 20 years, with 1.6 million customers worldwide served by 34 global water-cooled data centres. As a founding member of GAIA-X, OVHcloud is at the centre of helping to build a secure, autonomous and open digital infrastructure in Europe and beyond. The OVHcloud Startup Program is a global program that has been running since 2015 and has received more than 10,000 applications of which more than 3,300 have been assisted with cloud credits and free technical consultation. The Startup Program provides tech startups with €10,000 of cloud hosting credits and up to €100,000 for scale-ups, enabling them to facilitate exponential and international growth. Key to this growth is a product offering that is built on open standards providing interoperability and technology freedom. OVHcloud has designed the Startup Program with a personal approach, meaning when quick answers for technology problems are needed, OVHcloud will personally direct you to the help you need.

seed + speed Ventures is an early stage investor based in Berlin that invests in innovative, digital business models and new software technologies in the B2B and B2C sector in central Europe. Founded by Carsten Maschmeyer, seed + speed Ventures offers innovative startups smart capital and on top of the investment a first package (free of charge) of unique sales support. The portfolio companies get access to a team of highly experienced sales professionals, who actively help to build and optimize efficient sales organizations.

You want to learn more about seed + speed Ventures? Watch the interview with Managing Director Alexander Kölpin: https://youtu.be/rn6P4HabBLI

SixThirty Ventures is an early-stage venture fund headquartered in St. Louis, US, that invests globally in Enterprise Technology startups – especially in FinTech, InsurTech and Cybersecurity. Each year, SixThirty invests in 8 to 12 new companies and participates in select follow-on opportunities. Companies that receive an investment from SixThirty are eligible for the SixThirty Go-To-Market Program, comprising curated meetings with corporate partners, mentoring and networking opportunities.

You want to learn more about SixThirty Ventures? Watch the interview with Regional Manager EMEA Samarth Shekhar: https://youtu.be/KQ-hVjDw0J0

The Sparkassen Innovation Hub (S-Hub) is the innovation lab of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe. The think tank deals with consumers, technical innovations and digital banking. It was launched at the beginning of 2017 as a joint initiative of the Sparkassen, the DSGV, the DSV, Finanz Informatik and Star Finanz. The S-Hub is a business division of Star Finanz, Germany’s leading provider of online and mobile banking solutions. Currently, three interdisciplinary teams are working together in agile project structures. In each case, the following expertise are represented: Product Owner, Business Development, User Experience, Design, frontend and backend developers. A total of 30 employees are currently working on site in Hamburg.

Speedinvest is one of Europe’s most active early stage investors with more than €600m AUM and 40 investors based in Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Vienna. Founder success is our top priority, so we don’t just send some money and “check in” at board meetings. Our mission is to empower you with game-changing support through every stage of your journey. Our focused investment teams know your industry inside and out. Their proven experience, know-how and deep networks are yours from day one.

StartingUp has been an independent information medium in the start-up community for around 20 years. With its multimedia offerings, platforms and features, it has helped to shape the German-speaking discourse on innovation and start-up culture as an important part of the ecosystem.
As part of the start-up ecosystem, StartingUp is a beacon in the investment and funding jungle and offer inspiration for all business cycles with best cases and success stories. StartingUp stands for the visibility of the community and build bridges to investors, VCs, medium-sized companies and corporates.

STATION stands for Startups and Innovation. It is the digital news and networking platform with a focus on the FrankfurtRhineMain region. STATION bundles relevant information and concrete assistance on startup and innovation topics. In addition to the latest news and background stories, STATION offers a comprehensive overview of the most important events in FrankfurtRhineMain, a job exchange, statistics on the regional ecosystem and detailed directories. The Sunday Briefing is the popular newsletter for the most important insights from the ecosystem, summarised every Sunday. STATION also organises regular networking events.

Frankfurt-based TechQuartier (TQ) which has been founded in December 2016 functions as cross-industry startup hub. Next to flexible co-working spaces in 4 locations, accelerator programs and further events, TQ provides startups access to corporates and investors as well as to an international hub-network.

You want to learn more about TQ? Watch the video with Dr. Sebastian Schäfer, Managing Director: https://youtu.be/_sinFus6ifI

As a full-service innovation company UPSTART has been creating new ideas and business models for established companies in a wide range of industries since 2014. Using the latest technologies, UPSTART creates and transforms its customers’ services and products. Therefore, the team sees itself not only as consultants, but also brings a high level of implementation expertise to the projects. UPSTART provides support from the initial vision and idea to the development of the solution and its operation on the market. In addition, UPSTART is an active promoter of technology-driven start-ups and provides them with access, knowledge, contacts and capital to enable them to access the next level of growth.

Formed in 1999 by the merger of the two long-established companies Wüstenrot and Württembergische, the W&W Group today develops and brokers the four building blocks of modern provision: protection, home ownership, risk protection and asset formation. It combines the business areas of housing and insurance with the digital initiatives of W&W brandpool and thus offers customers the pension solution that suits them best.
The W&W Group is active in the start-up environment as a corporate venture capital model and invests in FinTech, InsureTech, HealthTech and PropTech business models in the DACH region. Next to a high level of experience in customer access, start-ups are actively supported in strategic topics.