Kraków and Vienna have been connected for centuries through trade, culture, and academia. Today, that relationship is expanding into the world of startups.
The Foundation Supporting #OMGKRK has signed a cooperation agreement with the Vienna Business Agency to strengthen collaboration between the Kraków and Vienna innovation ecosystems.
The partnership focuses on:
- Promoting ViennaUP, Vienna’s flagship startup festival
- Supporting Polish startups exploring expansion into Austria
Our goal is to make this collaboration two-directional. While we encourage Polish startups to explore opportunities in Vienna, we also want to bring Vienna’s experience, networks, and ecosystem leaders into the Kraków community, creating stronger bridges between the two innovation hubs.
ViennaUP 2026
ViennaUP 2026 will take place May 18–22, turning the Austrian capital into a city-wide startup festival.
Rather than a single conference, ViennaUP is a network of dozens of curated events across Vienna, where founders, investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders come together to exchange ideas, discover new companies, and explore partnerships.
For founders, the festival offers several key advantages:
- Direct access to investors through smaller meetups, roundtables, and networking formats designed for real conversations.
- Exposure to the DACH market (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) — one of Europe’s strongest economic regions and an important expansion market for startups.
- Industry-focused events covering areas such as AI, fintech, climate tech, and corporate innovation.
- A strong Central European startup community, bringing together founders and investors from across the region.
The Foundation Supporting #OMGKRK team will be attending ViennaUP, and we are looking for Polish founders interested in joining us.
Why Austria is interesting for Polish startups
Austria is increasingly positioning itself as a bridge between Western Europe and Central & Eastern Europe, making it an attractive expansion destination for Polish startups.
Key advantages include:
Access to the DACH market
The German-speaking region represents one of the largest and wealthiest markets in Europe, and Vienna provides a softer entry point compared to expanding directly into Germany.
Strong startup ecosystem
Austria’s startup ecosystem includes 3,000+ startups, strong VC activity, and active corporate innovation programs.
Support for international startups
Vienna actively supports international founders with:
- market entry support
- grants and innovation funding
- connections to corporates and investors
For Polish startups already gaining traction at home, Vienna can be a natural next step for international scaling.
Direct support from the Vienna Business Agency
Through our cooperation, the OMGKRK network can connect founders directly with the Vienna Business Agency team.
This includes access to:
Evelyne Panzenböck
Project Lead Strategic Cooperations CEE
Vienna Business Agency
The team can provide local insights, introductions, and guidance on building a presence in Austria.
Get Connected
If you’re a founder or scaleup curious about:
- attending ViennaUP 2026
- exploring the Austrian market
- connecting with the Vienna ecosystem
Book a chat with the OMGKRK team.
We’ll be happy to make the introduction.
