Climate Launchpad Austria Finals 2026

The ClimateLaunchpad (CPL) is the world's largest competition for early-stage green business ideas, launched in 2014. In Austria, CLP is run by Thinkubator.earth an interdisciplinary think tank founded by two WU alumni (our former students). STaR has closely collaborated with the Thinkubator team since its founding and is CLP academic partner. 

The CPL 2026 National Finals brought together seven outstanding startups, each presenting innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing climate challenges.

This year's competition also marked a significant milestone: 100% of the participating teams featured female leadership or co-leadership, highlighting the growing role of women in driving climate innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship.

The expert jury consisted of Milda Žilinskaitė, Kimiko Uriu, Lucie Hornauer, and Florian Schellnast, who brought their diverse expertise and perspectives to evaluating this year's innovative startups.

Congratulations to the Winners

1st Place – Joyh Design

A huge congratulations to Joyh Design for taking first place in this year's competition. Their groundbreaking approach combines 3D sand-printing technology with smart software solutions to create climate-resilient buildings, earning them a direct ticket to the ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Finals in Singapore on 14 October 2026.

2nd Place – ReneTrax

3rd Place – HanfBauSysteme

Both runners-up will continue their ClimateLaunchpad journey by representing Austria at the virtual European Finals in early September, where they will compete for a coveted place at the Global Grand Finals in Singapore.

Audience Award – Repartum

A special congratulations goes to Repartum, whose inspiring pitch captured the hearts of the audience and earned them the Audience Award.

Congratulations once again to all the participants, and we look forward to following their journeys as they continue to shape a greener future.