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Tech Sovereignty is a central European goal. The whole continent \u2013 the EU, individual states and regions \u2013 invests heavily in building digital infrastructure like AI Factories, Data Spaces, Gaia-X, Open Source etc. Those and further initiatives should support the European economy in becoming more sovereign and globally competitive.<\/p>\n
Spin-offs, startups and scaleups play a crucial role for enabling Europe\u2019s digital future. To be successful, they must develop digital products that fit the market and fulfill European expectations at the same time. How do existing companies deal with this challenge? How can digital business success in Europe look like? And what can (future) spin-offs and startups learn from their experience?<\/p>\n
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This Special Event held in September 2025 aimed to answer those questions and get to know the people pushing European innovation.<\/p>\n
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Europe’s digital future is a key issue in politics, business, and society. As part of Technology Talks Austria 2025, this question was examined from different perspectives in a special event entitled ‘Towards Sovereign Business Success’.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The<\/span>\u00a0workshop<\/span>\u00a0brought<\/span>\u00a0together<\/span>\u00a0leading<\/span>\u00a0voices<\/span>\u00a0from<\/span>\u00a0startups<\/span>,\u00a0industry<\/span>,\u00a0research<\/span>,\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0politics<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Michael<\/span>\u00a0F\u00e4lbl<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0from<\/span>\u00a0Platform<\/span>\u00a0Industry<\/span>\u00a04.0<\/span>\u00a0focused<\/span>\u00a0on<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0question<\/span>:\u00a0How<\/span>\u00a0can<\/span>\u00a0Europe<\/span>\u00a0achieve<\/span>\u00a0digital<\/span>\u00a0sovereignty<\/span>\u00a0while<\/span>\u00a0successfully<\/span>\u00a0bringing<\/span>\u00a0innovative<\/span>\u00a0business<\/span>\u00a0models<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0market<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#F4F1DF” locked=”off” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Headline 2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Particular attention was paid to the role of spin-offs, startups, and scaleups. They are considered the engine of Europe’s digital competitiveness – provided that innovative technologies can be reconciled with marketable products and European values.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need the geeks who build technology and want to be global leaders in niche areas,<\/em>\u201d demanded Stefan Plank<\/strong> (Co-Founder & COO, TACEO). In doing so, he summed up the need for technological pioneering spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n Hannah Wundsam<\/strong> (Managing Director, AustrianStartups), on the other hand, warned that startups in Europe need better access to capital: \u201cMore European venture capital is crucial to give young companies long-term prospects.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The question of how innovations make it onto the market was also a focus. Benjamin M\u00f6rzinger<\/strong> (CEO and founder, nista) reminded us that technologies are only successful if they are understandable and immediately usable for users:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFacebook<\/span>\u00a0was<\/span>\u00a0able<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0build<\/span>\u00a0reach<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0acceptance<\/span>\u00a0very<\/span>\u00a0quickly<\/span>\u00a0through<\/span>\u00a0applications<\/span>\u00a0such<\/span>\u00a0as<\/span>\u00a0Farmville-<\/span>it<\/span>\u00a0succeeded<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0entering<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0market<\/span>\u00a0through<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0clear<\/span>,\u00a0understandable<\/span>\u00a0point<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0use<\/span>.\u00a0We<\/span>\u00a0need<\/span>\u00a0similar<\/span>\u00a0applications<\/span>\u00a0for<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0data<\/span>\u00a0economy<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n However<\/span>,\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0DACH<\/span>\u00a0region<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0particular<\/span>,\u00a0we<\/span>\u00a0often<\/span>\u00a0get<\/span>\u00a0lost<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0technical<\/span>\u00a0details<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0infrastructure<\/span>\u00a0issues<\/span>.\u00a0This<\/span>\u00a0results<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0high-<\/span>performance<\/span>\u00a0systems<\/span>,\u00a0but<\/span>\u00a0there<\/span>\u00a0is<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0lack<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0users<\/span>\u00a0because<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0direct<\/span>\u00a0added<\/span>\u00a0value<\/span>\u00a0is<\/span>\u00a0not<\/span>\u00a0visible<\/span>\u00a0enough<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Markus Sabadello<\/strong> (founder, Danube Tech GmbH) highlighted a key point: \u201cThose who build standards shape markets.<\/em>\u201d Standardization was emphasized not only as a technical necessity, but also as a strategic tool for European competitiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n Andreas Krimbacher<\/strong> (Technical Lead, nexyo) also underscored the importance of joint development processes: Only when companies are actively involved in research projects can practical and implementable solutions emerge.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n From a political perspective, Michael Wiesm\u00fcller<\/strong> (Head of Department: Digital and Key Technologies for Industrial Innovation, BMIMI) presented the perspective of the Federal Ministry:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u201cThe market penetration of technologies and the sustainable use of data spaces have been core elements of Austria’s innovation strategy for almost 10 years and will also play an important role in the upcoming key technology offensive.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alexander Wahler<\/strong> (CEO & Co-Founder, Onlim) illustrated the technological possibilities: He showed how data spaces can be linked to artificial intelligence \u2013 such as knowledge graphs or chatbots \u2013 and what market potential this creates, especially for German-speaking countries.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Martin Kaltenb\u00f6ck<\/strong> (Co-Founder & SVP Customer Success, Graphwise \/ Managing Partner & CFO, Semantic Web Company), who was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, contributed his expertise in written form. He emphasized the relevance of semantic AI, which can help European companies make their AI investments trustworthy and scalable.<\/span><\/p>\n At<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0same<\/span>\u00a0time<\/span>,\u00a0he<\/span>\u00a0pointed<\/span>\u00a0out<\/span>\u00a0structural<\/span>\u00a0hurdles <\/span>such<\/span>\u00a0as<\/span>\u00a0excessive<\/span>\u00a0regulation<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0difficulty<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0financing<\/span>\u00a0intangible<\/span>\u00a0assets<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0Austria<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The workshop impressively demonstrated that European digital sovereignty is not an abstract goal, but a concrete field of action. It requires courageous founders who drive new technologies forward, smart financing mechanisms that enable innovation, practical research that ensures transfer to the market, and clear, internationally compatible standards.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Only through close cooperation between politics, industry, startups, and research can data rooms, artificial intelligence, and open source be sustainably anchored in Europe as key technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n Helmut Leopold<\/strong>, Chairman of Gaia-X Hub Austria: \u201cCombining our data from a wide range of industries and market sectors with intelligent methods for fair market mechanisms while maintaining complete control over our data is the basis for success in the future data and AI economy.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Roland<\/span>\u00a0Sommer<\/span><\/strong>,\u00a0Managing<\/span>\u00a0Director<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0Plattform<\/span>\u00a0Industrie<\/span>\u00a04.0<\/span>: \u201cAustrian<\/span>\u00a0startups<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0scaleups<\/span>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>\u00a0leading<\/span>\u00a0positions<\/span>,\u00a0even<\/span>\u00a0by<\/span>\u00a0international<\/span>\u00a0standards<\/span>,\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0can<\/span>\u00a0make<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0significant<\/span>\u00a0contribution<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0Austrian<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0European<\/span>\u00a0technological<\/span>\u00a0sovereignty<\/span>.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Digital<\/span>\u00a0\u200b<\/h2>\n
Spin-offs and startups as drivers<\/span><\/h2>\n
From idea to market<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Standardization as the key<\/span><\/h2>\n
Political and technological decisions<\/span><\/h2>\n
Semantic AI and structural challenges<\/span><\/h2>\n
Collaboration<\/span>\u00a0as<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0success<\/span>\u00a0factor<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n