u:seed

Have you been working on an invention or idea and want to bring it to the next level? Have you completed one of our innovation labs and are wondering what the next steps are? The u:seed programme provides mentorship, training, and financial resources to bridge the gap between early development and access to relevant funding (either from public agencies like AWS, FFG, or Vienna Business Agency, or from private capital).

apply now

what to expect

trainings

From customer definition to financing - join us for advanced workshops with experts and regular focus sessions.

mentoring

Connect with a diverse set of people from the ecosystem and get matched with a mentor to support you throughout your journey.

funding

Accepted teams will receive up to 10.000€ prototype funding to bring their idea to the next level. 

programme

The sessions will be held at our creative innovation space in Apostelgasse 23, 1030 Vienna and will run from October 2024 to March 2025. In addition to the workshops, focus sessions and events mentioned in the programme, regular check-ins will be scheduled to support the teams throughout the programme.

  • application deadline

    4th August

    Apply for the u:seed programme here. Applicants will be selected by 20th August.

  • kick-off & mentor matching

    7th October

    Meet the other participants, get matched with your mentor and receive access to initial funding. 

  • trainings I

    14th October
    Market Spaces and Customer Definition

    21th October
    Project and Self-management

    28th October
    Technology Deployment and MVP

    4th November
    Storytelling

    11th November
    Financial Planning

  • midterm pitch

    18th November

    Showcase your progress, connect with other participants and network with mentors from the ecosystem.

  • trainings II

    25h November
    Legal Aspects

    2nd December 
    Financing Opportunities

    9th December
    Team and Leadership

  • funding pitch & x-mas lunch

    16th December

    Pitch your idea in front of a jury to unlock the final prototype funding. 

  • check-ins & focus sessions

    January-Feburary

    Connect with your peers during our focus sessions, receive support through regular check-ins and get feedback from your mentor.

  • mentor pitch

    17th February

    Pitch your progress in front of the other participants

  • demo day & award

    31st March

    Present your idea in front of investors and other stakeholders at our demo day. The best team will receive one thousand EUR worth of start-up coaching from a coach of their choice and univie entrepreneurship hoodies. 

our mentors

Anna Gaivan

Anna Gawin

Arkadi Jeghiazaryan

Barbara Steinkellner

Christian Knogler

Christian Laurer

Daria Makshyna

Gerhard Embacher-Köhle

Marion Eppinger

Melanie Eckl-Kerber

Miglena Hofer

Philip Raffling

Sophie Rendl

Sophie Zettl

Ulrike Schelander-Sertic

application process

To apply for the programme, please fill out this form by 4th August. Any application submitted later than this date will not be considered. 

We ask you to provide the following information: 

  1. your motivation to participate in the programme;
  2. your work plan for the next 6 months; 
  3. your financial need;
  4. a one-pager (in PDF format) describing your business idea, your team, and the current status of development;
  5. if the business idea is based on IP developed at the University of Vienna, information about the related IDF.

If you would like to have more information before applying, feel free to schedule a meeting with us in July.

apply now

additional information

Eligibility 

  • At least one of the team members must be affiliated to the University of Vienna (student, academic and non-academic staff, alumni). 
  • The team is not currently receiving funding from other sources for the same project. If it is, the team can still be admitted to the training and mentoring part of the programme.

Assessment criteria

  • Teams will be shortlisted based on the innovativeness of their idea, clarity of the work plan & goals, and the feasibility of the project (taking into consideration the team, what has been achieved so far, and the financial need).
  • Shortlisted teams will be invited for an interview.

Financial support 

  • Within the u:seed programme, you can apply for a pre-seed financial support of maximum 10k€. Only in case of cost-intensive technology development, we would grant a higher financial support – this is decided on case-by-case basis and should be clearly motivated.
  • Financial support will be provided in two tranches. The second will be unlocked only upon the positive evaluation of an external jury during the funding pitch (16th December). 

IP and license agreement

  • The teams will sign an agreement at the beginning of the programme, clearly stating the terms and conditions of joining the programme.
  • In compliance with state-aid law, the University requires a 25% share of the IP generated during the programme duration in exchange for the support provided. 
  • If a company is founded based on this IP, we will negotiate a license agreement. Once 125% of the financial support is repaid, the IP will be fully transferred to the company.

contact

Join our Slack Community or write an e-mail to entrepreneurship@univie.ac.at.  

Marco Masia

Head of Entrepreneurship

Clara Conrad-Billroth

Technology Transfer & Social Entrepreneurship