For nine unforgettable days, Vienna lived and breathed entrepreneurship. From pitches in coffeehouses and partnerships forged over late-night DJ sets, to waltzing in the historic city center, ViennaUP 2025 brought the global innovation community together in extraordinary ways. Now in its fifth edition, the festival welcomed investors, founders, creatives, and ecosystem builders—who gathered inspiration across 69 events curated by 45 program partners between May 8 and May 16, 2025.
Initiated by the Vienna Business Agency and organized in collaboration with the startup community, ViennaUP was designed to bring the local ecosystem together with a bang each year in order to connect with international startups, investors and talents – thus driving the community’s expansion and further putting the spotlight on this global innovation hub.
“ViennaUP once again demonstrates how Vienna continues to attract international startups and businesses,” said Dominic Weiss, managing director of the Vienna Business Agency. “Whether from Europe, Asia, Canada, India, or Australia, participants came from all over the world, attracted to the city’s beauty, livability, talent, top infrastructure, and of course a highly supportive community that showed itself at its best during the festival.”
The festival offered a wide range of events for various industries, from social and sustainable entrepreneurship to the potential of new technologies. Many of the events were fully booked for weeks in advance.
Vienna’s picturesque City Hall opened its doors as a festival venue for the first time in 2025, welcoming the major impact investment organization “Impact Days,” which is organized by the Impact Hub.
“Business and sustainability go hand in hand and can change the world for the better. In the historic setting of Vienna City Hall, one could feel the potential of international exchange,” Weiss said.
ViennaUP is built around the principality of decentrality, with partners hosting events at over 45 locations throughout Vienna. This set-up means that participants got to see the business side of Vienna, make use of its excellent transportation network, and have a truly authentic experience of life quality in the Austrian capital.
More than 25 international delegations, including from India, Hong Kong, and several Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, took advantage of the festival to make targeted connections, explore new markets, and establish partnerships.
“Vienna is already an active part of the global startup scene. ViennaUP brings investments, international visibility, and long-term cooperation to Vienna. It’s much more than a festival – ViennaUP is a launchpad for businesses and a major economic factor for the location,” Weiss concluded.
The next ViennaUP will take place from May 18 to May 22, 2026.
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