Who can serve better as a contact point for startups than those who are founders themselves and have already taken a few steps along this path?
That was the basic idea that motivated Mathias Fink to set up a non-profit organization. Objective: to strengthen the startup community in Upper Austria, to network founders and organizations that look following startups, to coordinate topics and events from all providers.
Startups Upper Austria was launched a year ago today. The club already has more than 100 members and is aiming for the 200 mark this year. To mark the anniversary, a special celebration will take place at Haus Havanna in the Linz tobacco factory at 6:30 p.m.
“Open to all”
“We are open to everyone,” says chairman Fink in an interview with OÖN in the club’s headquarters on the 6th floor. “We all work on a voluntary basis, it is a project close to our hearts that we are all passionate regarding,” adds Maria Gasselsberger.
The six-person team, where everything comes together, complements each other perfectly. Since everyone has their own network, the community is constantly growing. This alone creates a feeling for founders that they are not alone. There are also regular events, such as the evening get-together every second Tuesday of the month, which is used intensively with around 50 participants.
There are already ideas for this year. Co-working on the city beach in the sand castle is on the agenda, as is a poker tournament aimed at investors.
“Honest feedback”
The club’s board wants to continue to use the advantage of independence and get everyone on board, regardless of where they come from. “Not everyone has to make every mistake,” says Moritz Weibold, who sees a big advantage in community work. The experiences would count as much as the honest feedback on an idea.
Author
Reinhold Gruber
Local editor Linz
Reinhold Gruber
