Best Venture Capital Firms in Austria (2026)
Updated: | Found helpful by 3 others
Speedinvest is Europe's most active seed VC and Austria's flagship fund, with over €1 billion AUM across 300+ portfolio companies. 3VC leads Austria's growth-stage market from Vienna, while Calm/Storm Ventures is the go-to fund for digital health and consumer. Graz-based eQventure, Vienna's Vent.io, Symbia VC, and Next Play round out the active list. Most Austrian VCs co-invest with the aws Gründungsfonds and participate in rounds across the DACH region and broader EU.
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Our overall pick below is Speedinvest, from 1. Speedinvest.
1. Speedinvest
Europe's Most Active Seed VC. Europe's most active seed fund with €1 billion AUM, specialist sector teams, and pan-European portfolio reach for follow-on support.
Vienna-founded pan-European VC launched in 2011. With over €1 billion in assets under management and 400+ investments, Speedinvest is widely cited as Europe's most active seed fund, with specialist teams in AI and infrastructure, climate, deep tech, fintech, health, and marketplaces. Early-stage tickets run from €250,000 to €5 million.
Pros
- Europe's most active seed fund by deal volume
- Specialist sector teams in fintech, deep tech, SaaS, climate, and health
- Strong follow-on support across later rounds
- Extensive pan-European portfolio network for customer introductions
Cons
- Very high competition for cheques, with thousands of decks per year
- Specialist focus means weak sector fit leads to fast passes
- Term sheets are market-standard but not founder-friendly on every clause
2. 3VC
Best Growth. Austria's most active Series A and growth investor with deep DACH and CEE network and tickets of up to €10 million.
Vienna-based venture capital firm backing European tech companies with signs of product-market fit across the DACH region, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. 3VC writes tickets of up to €10 million and is the most consistent Austrian source of Series A and growth capital.
Pros
- Austria's most active Series A and growth investor
- Deep DACH and CEE network for cross-border scaling
- Tickets of up to €10 million
- Engaged board-level partnership post investment
Cons
- Limited appetite for pre-revenue or seed-stage companies
- Smaller team size than top-tier pan-European growth funds
- Selective on business models, especially low-margin marketplaces
3. Calm/Storm Ventures
Best for Digital Health. Deepest Austrian network in digital health and consumer with thesis-driven editorial voice and pan-European mission-led mandate.
Vienna-based seed VC specialising in digital health and consumer. Calm/Storm partners with mission-driven founders across Europe and has built one of the continent's most focused digital health portfolios.
Pros
- Deepest Austrian network in digital health and consumer
- Thesis-driven fund with a strong editorial voice on Medium
- Active hands-on partnership with early stage founders
- Pan-European investment mandate, not Austria-only
Cons
- Tightly focused sectors, so B2B SaaS and infra are usually out of scope
- Smaller fund size means cheques cap around €2M
- Limited growth-stage follow-on capacity
4. eQventure
Austria's strongest VC outside Vienna with deep Graz industrial ecosystem and frequent aws Gründungsfonds co-investment activity.
Graz-based early-stage technology VC focused on DACH founders. eQventure is the leading VC in Styria and a frequent co-investor with Speedinvest and aws Gründungsfonds at seed and Series A.
Pros
- Austria's strongest VC outside Vienna
- Deep industrial and deep tech ecosystem in Graz
- Frequent co-investor with aws Gründungsfonds
- Hands-on support for internationalisation into DACH
Cons
- Smaller cheque sizes than pan-European seed VCs
- Predominantly Styria and Vienna focus
- Lower international brand visibility than Speedinvest or 3VC
5. Vent.io
Comfortable writing first institutional cheques with quick decisions and strong angel and syndicate co-investment track record.
Vienna-based early-stage investor operating at the pre-seed to seed boundary. Vent.io backs ambitious founders with first institutional cheques and runs a small but engaged portfolio in Austria and DACH.
Pros
- Comfortable writing first institutional cheques
- Quick decision making and light diligence process
- Strong angel and syndicate co-investment track record
- Hands-on founder support in Vienna and DACH
Cons
- Small fund, so cheques typically under €500,000
- Limited follow-on capital in later rounds
- Narrow sector focus skews to software and digital
6. Symbia VC
Clear B2B SaaS and vertical software thesis with operationally minded partners and access to the DACH B2B customer network.
Vienna-based seed to Series A investor backing European B2B software and vertical SaaS companies. Symbia participates in multi-stage rounds and is known for operational support to first-time founders.
Pros
- Clear thesis on B2B SaaS and vertical software
- Operationally minded partners with scale-up experience
- Comfortable leading or following in seed rounds
- Access to DACH B2B customer network
Cons
- Narrow sector focus, so consumer and deep tech are out of scope
- Smaller brand presence than Speedinvest or 3VC
- Follow-on capacity limited beyond Series A
7. Next Play
Best Angel-VC Hybrid. Hybrid syndicate and fund model with operator LPs, strong Austrian angel network, and flexible round structures for bridges and extensions.
Vienna-based syndicate-style investor and financing advisory firm operating between angel networks and traditional VCs. Next Play coordinates curated angel cheques alongside its own fund capital, filling the gap between pre-seed and institutional seed rounds for Austrian founders.
Pros
- Hybrid syndicate and fund model with operator LPs
- Strong Austrian operator and angel network
- Flexible round structures for bridges and extensions
- Useful partner for pre-seed rounds below VC thresholds
Cons
- Smaller cheque sizes than traditional VCs
- Less sector specialisation than Speedinvest or Calm/Storm
- Syndicate coordination can add timeline friction
PUSH VC
Active Vienna seed and early-stage investor with 37 investments and 5 exits since 2017, comfortable leading first institutional rounds.
Vienna-based seed and early-stage VC founded in 2017. PUSH VC has made 37 investments with 5 exits, backing ambitious founders at the first institutional cheque across Austria and DACH (Failory, 2026).
Pros
- 37 investments and 5 exits since 2017
- Comfortable leading first institutional cheques
- Vienna-based with a DACH remit
- Hands-on early-stage support
Cons
- Smaller fund than Speedinvest or 3VC
- Limited late-stage follow-on capacity
- Lower international brand visibility
Round2 Capital Partners
Non-Dilutive Financing. Only Austria-based revenue-based financing fund, letting founders raise growth capital without giving up equity or board control.
Vienna-based provider of non-dilutive revenue-based financing for European SaaS and hardware companies, founded in 2017. Round2 offers growth capital repaid as a share of revenue, without equity dilution or board seats.
Pros
- Non-dilutive revenue-based financing model
- No equity given up and no board seat taken
- Fast, revenue-linked repayment structure
- Fills a gap no equity VC on this list covers
Cons
- Requires predictable recurring revenue
- Not suitable for pre-revenue startups
- Repayments start sooner than an equity round
Beyond the top 7, two Vienna funds fill specific gaps: PUSH VC at seed and early stage, and Round2 Capital Partners for non-dilutive revenue-based financing.
How Do You Raise VC Funding in Austria?
Raising venture capital in Austria follows a structured path. Here are the key steps most founders follow:
- 1
Incorporate in Austria as a GmbH or FlexCo
Most Austrian VCs require a local entity for aws co-investment. The FlexCo (Flexible Kapitalgesellschaft) introduced in 2024 is the modern startup-friendly form with €10,000 minimum capital.
- 2
Build traction before raising
Austrian seed VCs expect early revenue or sharp engagement metrics. Pre-revenue deep tech deals still happen, but with higher team and IP bars.
- 3
Secure warm intros via invest.austria, primeCROWD, or accelerators
The investor association invest.austria (formed in 2023 from the Austrian Angel Investors Association and AVCO, 350+ members) and accelerator programmes provide the most effective path to warm Speedinvest, 3VC, and Calm/Storm introductions.
- 4
Pitch with a 10 to 15 slide deck
Lead with problem, solution, traction, market, team, and the ask. Austrian VCs appreciate realistic financial projections over hockey-stick fantasies.
- 5
Close with aws Gründungsfonds co-investment
The aws Gründungsfonds (€140 million fund volume) invests at seed to Series A, with follow-ons into Series B, and takes pitches through its own online form. See our public venture funds guide.
How Do You Apply to an Austrian VC?
| Fund | Stage and ticket | How to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Speedinvest | Inception to seed: €250,000 to €5 million; Series B to pre-IPO: €5 to 30 million | Application form on the Connect page; only shortlisted founders hear back |
| 3VC | Product-market fit, tickets of up to €10 million; DACH, CEE, Southern Europe | Submit-a-pitch form |
| Calm/Storm Ventures | Very early stage, health and wellbeing; second fund closed at €20 million | Pitch form, open before a full team or deck exists |
| eQventure | Early-stage tech; offices in Graz and Vienna | Email office@eqventure.com |
| xista science ventures | Science spin-offs, pre-seed onward; €96 million AUM across 2 funds; Klosterneuburg | Online form on xista.vc, then a first meeting and due diligence |
| aws Gründungsfonds | Seed to Series A; €0.5 to 1.5 million initial, up to €5 million per company; €140 million fund volume | Pitch form with pitch deck (financial plan optional) |
Source: each fund's own website, checked October 2026.
Every major Austrian VC accepts cold pitches through its own website, so you do not need a contact to apply. Speedinvest writes early-stage tickets of €250,000 to €5 million and only replies to shortlisted founders. 3VC invests up to €10 million once product-market fit shows. The aws Gründungsfonds asks for a pitch deck in its form. A warm introduction still lifts your reply rate.
Public grants often come before the first VC cheque. aws Preseed pays a non-repayable grant of up to €267,000, or €300,000 with the gender bonus, to teams before founding or up to 6 months after registration. aws Seedfinancing adds a conditionally repayable grant of up to €889,000 (€1 million with the gender bonus) for deep tech companies up to 5 years old. You apply for both in the aws Fördermanager, and a jury decides several times a year.
How Large Is the Austrian VC and Startup Ecosystem?
Austrian startups raised €472 million across 97 funding rounds in the first half of 2026, according to the EY Start-up Investment Barometer. That is 329% more than the €143.5 million raised in the first half of 2025, and 97 rounds is a half-year record. The recovery follows 2025, when funding fell to €253 million, the lowest total since 2019 (invest.austria / TechFundingNews).
Foreign money drives the rebound. 64% of the first-half 2026 volume came from purely international investor groups, up from 27% a year earlier (EY, July 2026). Austrian investors still joined 63% of all rounds, yet 7 of the 10 largest rounds closed without any Austrian investor. A large Austrian round in 2026 is therefore usually led from abroad.
What Stages Do Austrian VCs Invest In?
Austrian VCs cluster around seed and Series A, with a thinner growth layer. Here is the landscape in 2026:
- Pre-seed (€250K to 1M): Angel-heavy with Speedinvest Pirates, Next Play, and Vent.io often writing first institutional cheques.
- Seed (€1M to 3M): The core Austrian VC sweet spot. Speedinvest, Calm/Storm, Symbia, and eQventure all lead at seed.
- Series A (€3M to 10M): Speedinvest and 3VC lead most domestic Series As. Many rounds bring in German or UK co-leads.
- Growth (€10M+): 3VC is the primary Austrian growth player. Most Series B+ rounds are led by non-Austrian funds with Austrian co-investors.
aws Gründungsfonds co-invests across stages
Which VCs Invest Outside Austria?
Austria's top VCs are pan-European in practice. Here is where the most active funds deploy capital:
- Speedinvest: Fully pan-European, with offices in Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Paris, and London. Less than 20% of portfolio is Austrian.
- 3VC: Vienna-based but invests across the DACH region and Central and Eastern Europe, with selective bets in Israel and the US.
- Calm/Storm Ventures: Pan-European digital health and consumer focus, with heavy portfolio presence in DACH, France, and the Nordics.
- eQventure, Symbia, Vent.io, Next Play: More domestically focused but open to DACH and CEE companies that have an Austrian anchor or plan to set one up. See our corporate VC overview for cross-border CVC coverage.
Entity References
Full factual profiles for each brand covered on this page:
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is the Austrian VC market?
Austrian startups raised €253 million in 2025, down 56% year on year and the lowest total since 2019 (invest.austria / TechFundingNews, 2025). No round exceeded €50 million and only 4 exceeded €10 million. Austria has around 143 VC funds with a combined portfolio of roughly 2,880 companies (invest.austria, 2026). Speedinvest is the largest single fund, having raised €628.4 million across its funds. Vienna concentrates the majority of transactions. The market turned in 2026: EY counted €472 million across a record 97 rounds in the first half of 2026, up 329% on the first half of 2025, with 64% of the volume from purely international investor groups (EY Start-up Investment Barometer, July 2026).
Do Austrian VCs invest in foreign founders?
Yes. Speedinvest, 3VC, and Calm/Storm all invest across Europe, and most Austrian funds are sector-agnostic about founder nationality. What matters is whether the company is incorporated in Austria or the EU, or has a clear path to do so. aws co-investment generally requires an Austrian entity, which pushes many foreign-founded deals to set up a GmbH or FlexCo in Vienna.
What is Speedinvest?
Speedinvest is a Vienna-founded pan-European VC launched in 2011. It reports 400+ investments, leads 85% of its initial rounds, and runs 8 specialist investment teams from 6 offices (Speedinvest, October 2026). Early-stage tickets run from €250,000 to €5 million from inception to seed, and growth tickets from €5 million to €30 million from Series B to pre-IPO.
How do you approach an Austrian VC?
A warm introduction from a portfolio founder, angel, or operator is by far the most effective route. Failing that, most Austrian VCs accept cold applications via a form or dedicated email on their website. Decks should be concise (10 to 15 slides), lead with the problem and traction, and clearly state the round size and use of funds. Speedinvest, 3VC, and Calm/Storm all publish explicit thesis notes that you should tailor your pitch to.
How do you apply to an Austrian VC?
Most Austrian funds take cold pitches through a form on their own website. Speedinvest uses an application form on its Connect page and only contacts shortlisted founders. 3VC, Calm/Storm Ventures, xista science ventures and the aws Gründungsfonds each run a pitch form, and eQventure lists office@eqventure.com. The aws Gründungsfonds form asks for a pitch deck, with a financial plan optional. A warm introduction through invest.austria or an accelerator still improves the response rate.
What do aws Preseed and aws Seedfinancing pay?
aws Preseed is a non-repayable grant of up to €267,000, or €300,000 with the gender bonus, for teams before founding or up to 6 months after registration. aws Seedfinancing is a conditionally repayable grant of up to €889,000, or €1,000,000 with the gender bonus, for deep tech companies up to 5 years old. Both require an own contribution and are filed through the aws Fördermanager, with several jury dates per year (aws, October 2026).
Do Austrian VCs take board seats?
Lead investors at seed and Series A typically request one board seat plus information rights. Smaller participating VCs usually take observer seats. Austrian boards (Aufsichtsrat) are a formal legal body for AGs, while most startups remain GmbHs or FlexCos where advisory boards are more common. Expect standard protective provisions around valuation, liquidation preference, and major decisions.
Official Sources
Related Guides
Corporate Venture Capital
Austrian corporate-backed investors and strategic CVCs
Public Venture Funds
aws Gründungsfonds, tecnet, FFG and regional funds
Angel Investor Networks
invest.austria, primeCROWD and other Austrian angel syndicates
Accelerators & Incubators
INiTS, Tech2b, Startup Tirol and other programmes