Over the past decade, the WU Entrepreneurship Center, a competence center of WU Vienna University of Economics and Business has become a key driver of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. It supports students, researchers, and alumni throughout their entrepreneurial journey, and it is ranked among Europe’s leading start-up hubs by the Financial Times.

In his speech, WU Rector Rupert Sausgruber emphasized the important role that the Entrepreneurship Center has come to play. “Since its foundation ten years ago, the WU Entrepreneurship Center has always been an important part of our university. It combines research, teaching, and hands-on work, and it has created a space for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” Sausgruber said. State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner also highlighted the center’s significance for the Austrian business world. “The WU Entrepreneurship Center shows that Austria’s universities can be strong drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship. Especially as part of the Entrepreneurship Center Network, the WU Entrepreneurship Center has played a pivotal role in establishing cross-university collaboration and creating a vibrant ecosystem for start-up founders,” Zehetner said.

An impressive track record of entrepreneurship excellence

Over the past ten years, more than 57,000 people have participated in the WU Entrepreneurship Center’s programs and events, more than 4,000 consulting sessions have been held, and around 600 start-up teams have received support and coaching. The center’s extensive network of collaborators includes 450 mentors, experts, and trainers, plus more than 400 speakers. These figures show that the WU Entrepreneurship Center has nurtured a vibrant entrepreneurial community, serving as a platform that connects students, researchers, alumni, and partner institutions and makes innovation visible on campus. Rudolf Dömötör, the director of the WU Entrepreneurship Center, looks back on ten successful years full of innovation. “What drives us is our shared belief that strong entrepreneurial spirit can emerge anywhere – all you need to do is give people inspiration, freedom, and networks. Based on this conviction, we’ve created a place where ideas become reality and where students, researchers, and alumni work together to shape the future,” Dömötör says.

WU Ignite Ventures debuts with its first investments

WU Vienna has hit yet another important milestone by successfully launching WU Ignite Ventures, the university’s new venture capital fund. Just a few months after it was founded, the fund has now unveiled the first two start-ups from its portfolio: constrct and NEXO. The WU Entrepreneurship Center selected the start-ups and supported them along the way. The Vienna-based start-up constrct specializes in digitizing procurement and delivery processes in the construction industry. Thanks to the support of the WU Entrepreneurship Center, constrct was able to attract Rhomberg Ventures as a co-investor. NEXO is developing a smart exoskeleton for orthopedic rehabilitation, which speaks to the close interplay between technological and business skills that has been achieved at WU. “Our goal is to support promising start-ups in the most sensitive phases by providing capital, expertise, and access to a strong network,” explains Rudolf Dömötör, who also serves as co-managing director of WU Ignite Ventures.

Find out more about the WU Entrepreneurship Center and WU Ignite Ventures

Press contact:
Cornelia Moll
Press Relations Officer
Tel.: + 43-1-31336-4977
Email: cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at