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F.acT: How did Startup.Tirol come about and what are your objectives?
Marcus Hofer: Startup.Tirol combines the strengths of many existing initiatives in Tirol with the aim of supporting entrepreneurs and startups and jointly creating an attractive location in Tirol for innovative startups. Startups differ from other business startups in their innovative character and growth potential.
We support (prospective) founders in several areas:
- Overview of all contact points and startup programs
- Support with the development of business models
- Networking with experts and mentors
- Contact with investors within the network and other startups
F.acT: Which services do you offer for which target group?
Marcus Hofer: We offer several initiatives depending on the market maturity of the startup. The Startup.Tirol Roadmap consists of 3 programs and provides support from the initial idea to market entry and growth through to investment maturity:
- INNC program: from the idea to the business model
- Booster: from business model to market entry
- Growth Camp: from market entry to growth
The programs are organized together with institutions from the Tyrolean startup ecosystem such as InnCubator, Werkstätte Wattens, I.E.C.T. Hermann Hauser, Standortagentur Tirol, etc.).
F.acT: What are the focal points in addition to the roadmap?
Marcus Hofer: In addition to the support programs, we focus on awareness-raising on selected topics such as female empowerment with the aim of encouraging more women to found start-ups. Another focus is on purpose and impact, where the aim is to make a sustainable contribution with the business idea. The proportion of green startups that pursue ecological goals is already more than 50% in Tyrol (source: Austrian Startup Monitor 2020 | as of 09.06.2021).
F.acT: Are there also innovative start-ups in the tourism sector?
Marcus Hofer: Yes, we always support promising ideas for the tourism industry in our programs. A recent example of success is the start-up Giggle, which specializes in experience communication for tourism providers and was part of our booster programme.
All information on the programs, focal points and Tyrolean startups: www.startup.tirol