Open Piano for Refugees Selected as the Winner of the found! 2019 Accelerator Program

Originally posted in German by Deloitte Austria here

The found! Program promotes start-ups that focus on creating prospects for refugees. Six young social entrepreneurs had been working on optimizing their business plans for the past six months. Now, Deloitte Austria and Impact Hub Vienna announced this year’s winners – the jury chose Open Piano for Refugees and Kicken ohne Grenzen.

Vienna, June 12, 2019 – For the third time the found! program promoted business ideas which focus on creating opportunities for people with a refugee background. At the beginning of 2019, Deloitte Austria and Impact Hub Vienna selected the six most promising start-ups from numerous applications. Following the selection, the finalists entered the program incubation phase, working with experts from Deloitte and Impact Hub to fine-tune their business plans. The results were presented on Tuesday, 11th of June, to a jury of experts in final pitches. The jury then selected this year’s winners, paying particular attention to the social contribution of the business idea.

Both winning teams fulfilled this criterion. Open Piano for Refugees won the expert jury unanimously and received the first prize, which included EUR 15,000 and 50 pro bono consulting hours. Second place went to the Kicken ohne Grenzen team, who received EUR 10,000 and also 50 pro bono hours.

“Many founders in Austria are passionate about social issues. For exactly these people found! should be a stepping stone to help their ideas become economically successful. We are convinced that we have made the right choice with Open Piano for Refugees and Kicken ohne Grenzen”, explained Bernhard Gröhs, CEO of Deloitte Austria.

1st place for Open Piano for Refugees

The winners of found!, Open Piano For Refugees, believe in the unifying element of music and want to make learning a musical instrument affordable for everyone. Refugees are employed as teachers in their music institute DoReMi.

“The first place is not only a great support for our future journey but also a recognition for the efforts of recent years. Now we can take the next step with motivation and expand our offer in new locations, “says Udo Felizeter from Open Piano for Refugees.

2nd place for Kicken ohne Grenzen

The Viennese club Kicken ohne Grenzen is a football project for young refugees. With their new Job Goals initiative, the young people are supported in accessing the Austrian education system and job market.

“Our Job Goals initiative is about more than just football. We are very pleased that the jury recognized the potential of our project “, says Karina Lackner from Kicken ohne Grenzen. “Our goal is to get boys and girls alike to participate in sport and make them fit for work.”

Lena Gansterer, Managing Director of the Impact Hub Vienna, concludes with words of praise: “The winning teams are very passionate about everything. They are all about playful integration and have already proved that they can reach many people with it. Music and sports are the right levers to overcome cultural hurdles. “

About Deloitte Future Fund

Deloitte Future Fund is the umbrella under which all corporate responsibility activities of Deloitte Austria are bundled. According to the slogan “Creating Perspectives”, long-term projects with a social background are financially as well as personally supported. Two important pillars are education and job creation. Deloitte thus makes a sustainable contribution to mastering current challenges at the interface of society and the economy. The goal is always the creation of future prospects for socially disadvantaged people. Also on a global scale, Deloitte is working to make the most of opportunities as part of the WorldClass project. In the long term, 50 million people worldwide should be offered a better future.

Deloitte Austria is the leading provider of professional services. With 1,350 employees at ten locations, companies and institutions are supported in the areas of auditing, tax consulting, consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory. Customers benefit from the comprehensive expertise and in-depth industry insights. Deloitte Legal and Deloitte Digital complete the extensive range of services. Deloitte sees itself as a smart source of inspiration for Austria as a business location. The Deloitte Future Fund works with initiatives in the areas of business and social impact. As an employer, Deloitte aspires to be “Best Place to Work”. More at www.deloitte.at.

About Impact Hub Vienna

Impact Hub Vienna is an incubation and acceleration ecosystem for impact entrepreneurs. Part innovation lab, part community center, and part business incubator, we provide change makers with the resources they need to innovate creative business solutions and technologies to society’s most complex challenges.

Impact Hub Vienna is also part of the diverse, global Impact Hub network of over 15,000 members in 100+ locations around the world. From Berlin to Johannesburg, Singapore to San Francisco, our network is a rich community of entrepreneurs, freelancers, business experts, and impact investors all working toward a common purpose—to prototype the future of society and business.