Here’s to good neighbours
A good neighbourhood often makes life easier. This applies not only to private life, but also to startups: if you can exchange ideas with research institutes, universities, technology parks and renowned companies, you will achieve success faster than if you work alone. The conditions for this are ideal in Carinthia.
A startup is often more of a marathon than a sprint. In addition to one’s own stamina, it depends on having the right company. Fabian Gutbrod, founder and CEO of GP Motion GmbH, was supported by Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) in Villach from the very beginning: “During my studies, I had access to machines, software and other resources at the CUAS. This gave me the opportunity to build prototypes with low initial costs. That was worth a great deal, especially in the early phase.”
Short distances in many directions
In addition to the favourable funding landscape, Fabian Gutbrod, the inventor of the “add-e” retrofit drive, which can quickly and easily convert a normal bicycle into an e-bike, was also impressed by the geographical location: “If you have the choice, Carinthia is unbeatable in terms of geographical location. The mountains, the lakes, the proximity to Italy and even the short distance to the sea … everything is virtually on the doorstep.”
It is not only the routes to the neighbouring regions of Slovenia, Italy and the rest of Europe that enable valuable symbioses and various accesses to markets. Startups also benefit from a good local business environment. Research centres such as the Wood Carinthian Competence Center (W3C), Lakeside Labs, Joanneum Research Robotics, Silicon Alps or Silicon Austria Labs focus on the issues of the future and can become valuable sparring partners for startups.
© Michael Stabentheiner
Fast and dynamic
A general university, a university of applied sciences, application-oriented institutes and research-intensive companies are therefore all very concentrated in the region. The proximity, close collaboration, cooperation and the will to pull together can be very helpful: instead of complicated processes and tedious coordination, Carinthia is all about implementing ideas and being on the market in good time.
This has created an ecosystem with positive interactions in Carinthia: small startups benefit from the strength of large companies, which in turn benefit from the fresh ideas and dynamic developments of startups. For Fabian Gutbrod, Carinthia is still absolutely the right choice: “I have never regretted my decision to stay here.”
Fabian Gutbrod, founder and CEO of GP Motion GmbH
“With the help of build!, I managed to turn my hobby into a business model at the end of my Master’s programme in 2013.”
