Beyond acceleration programs: 4 glimpses that fill us with pride

You might know Impact Hub Vienna as the inspiring, cozy event space with the crooked chandelier in the entrance area. Hopefully, you have attended one of our memorable events. I still remember the first legendary wine-down that I took part in 10 years ago at Impact Hub Vienna. I immediately fell for the vibe of this large community of individuals who try to make the world a better place for all.

Only when I started to work at Impact Hub Vienna a decade later and I got a look behind the curtains, I discovered a more hidden cornerstone of this spirit: Impact Hub’s acceleration programs. 

Let me take you behind the scenes of an accelerator program. In a short period, we support innovative entrepreneurs in their pursuit to change the world for the better, by working with them to develop their social and/or ecological ideas. These programs come in all shapes and sizes, from very local to fully international, and tackle one or several SDGs at the same time. We begin by analyzing what is needed for each venture, offer them a tailored series of trainings, and connect them with experts and valuable partners, like corporations, public entities, or impact investors, thus contributing to weaving a hearty, collaborative and future-proof economic system.

Working with people who care about the world and come up with inspiring ideas is a great pleasure for us. It makes us humble and grateful to walk on their path together for a bit – a path where we can see the results of the connections and learnings we provide reaching way past our programs, accomplishing so much more:

Much to write about: Pioneer in the Austrian social scene Erdbeerwoche has advocated for sustainable female hygiene and period positivity for over a decade within the Impact Hub ecosystem. It is a pleasure to now witness founder Bettina publish an inspiring book about this important topic and her impressive female-only founders journey. 

Much to speak out about: Nista.io is not only revolutionizing corporate energy saving with their digital platform, but is also harnessing diversity in its founding team. It publicly speaks out about the deeply ingrained and often very subtle biases we all still have when it comes to gender. On social media as well as in one of our Fireside Chats, the founders recounted specific incidences in which the female co-founder was not taken as seriously as her male counterpart, and how societally important it is to start social change within yourself first.  

Much to go around: Almost a decade after Unverschwendet started saving surplus food to produce delicious jams and chutneys, it brought Impact Hub’s slogan “where courage meets collaboration” into being, by successfully partnering with the retail chain Hofer to create a new brand called “Rettenswert”, available in all Hofer stores. What a pleasure it is to shop these literal fruits with your groceries! 

Much to dream about: With reusable mattresses for the hospitality industry (which save up to 50% CO²!), the also full-female founders team of MATR is a pioneer in Austria’s circular economy: They were showcased as a best practice in an official innovation program by the Climate Ministry on its way to execute the official national circularity strategy. 

Do you also want to contribute to such amazing glimmers of the future economy? Doesn’t matter if you have an interesting idea (check out our current acceleration programs!), want to support impactful entrepreneurs with your expertise, or even invest in a great idea – reach out to the Entrepreneur Support Team at Impact Hub Vienna and let us create more stories together!