i²c StartAcademy NetworkFriday

Event Details

The i²c StartAcademy NetworkFriday offers a networking event with four highly valuable program points:

• Q&A session “INiTS – TU Incubator”
• Panel Discussion on “Positive and/or Negative Aspects of the Austrian ICT/Internet funding landscape for Technology Transfer”
• Networking Lunch with potential investors, funding agencies, and entrepreneurs
• i²c StartAcademy Pitch Challenge

People who are interested in ICT/Internet funding will meet stakeholders of public funding agencies, investors (Business Angels), and interest groups of different initiatives. While INiTS, as TU incubator, will answer questions with regard to its incubation and funding guidelines the panel discussion will offer a forum to discuss potential changes in the funding landscape. As a result of the panel, a whitepaper (supported by all the participating stakeholders) with identified necessary changes for the ICT funding landscape shall be developed. After the networking lunch, the participants of the i²c StartAcademy will present their projects in a Pitch Challenge to a jury consisting of key players in the Vienna Startup Scene.
The event will conclude with awarding the selected winners in 3 categories: innovation; commercial viability, high potential R&D idea.

This pilot and so far unique service for R&D transfer at a University is not only great for marketing but also draws attention to investors and increases potential co-operations with industry.

About the i²c StartAcademy

In our i²c StartAcademy (a 3 day bootcamp style workshop) participants go through a number of crucial steps to evaluate their PhD and/or R&D projects for their potential for a business venture. These 3 days represent intense work with inter-/national trainers and founders /and business angels working with the participants on their individual business model. This year 14 projects from 5 different ICT affine faculties applied for 10 workshop places. As final evaluation, participants of the i²c StartAcademy pitch their projects to experts, potential investors and/or interested stakeholders (please see list of the pitch jury and participants attached/online) on the public i²c StartAcademy NetworkFriday.

For more details, have a look at the Informatics Innovation Center homepage:
http://www.informatik.tuwien.ac.at/i2c/start-academy