These were the questions asked by the participants of the first E&I Alumni Lunch in the new semester last Thursday. Under the motto "Startup Funding in times of COVID-19" our alumni, Konstantin Dungl (primeCROWD), Klara Ritter (Proptech 1), Dr. Gernot Hofer (INVEST AG) as well as founder Bastian Rüther (breath Ilo) discussed and gave helpful insights from their practical experience.

There was a consensus among the participants that despite the current crisis, there is sufficient capital for start-ups. "The cash registers are full", said Dr. Gernot Hofer, from his view of a VC. Bastian Rüther spoke from his own experience: "Late stage investments will continue to increase, but it will be more difficult for seed financing." Rüther also sees another advantage in the current crisis: you no longer have to fly halfway across Europe for financing discussions with investors, and you can get appointments more quickly online.

However, the outlook for 2021 is rather cloudy: according to the participants, the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis will only then really become visible. Therefore, it is extremely important for start-ups to ask themselves already today: what is my clear customer benefit and do I have a functioning business model and the corresponding team behind it?