E&I Touchdown 2026: Students Pitch Business Models to the Business Community and Startup Community
On June 19, 2026, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) became a hub for entrepreneurial ideas, innovative solutions, and dedicated young talent: At the E&I Touchdown for the summer semester of 2026, students from the Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) at the Vienna University of Economics and Business presented their projects and startup concepts from the previous semester.
The evening brought together students, partner companies, representatives from business and academia, and the Austrian startup community, demonstrating once again how successfully the combination of university education and practical innovation can work.
Entrepreneurship arises through collaboration
Networking and cooperation were already the focus during the joint aperitivo. As part of the Entrepreneurial Leaders Awards, long-standing partners and supporters of the E&I ecosystem were honored. Honors were bestowed upon the Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) as a “Serial Project Partner,” Festo for its long-standing collaboration, and other individuals for their exceptional commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation. Following the official welcome by the hosts from the WKO and the faculty, the main part of the evening began with the students’ presentations.
The Bachelor’s students’ pitch battle was the highlight of the evening
Once again, the centerpiece of the event was the pitch competition for bachelor’s students. After an initial knockout phase, the best teams qualified for the grand finale. Over several rounds—from problem definition to solution to social and economic impact—the finalists presented their concepts and impressed the audience with their creativity, analytical thinking, and well-crafted pitches. In the end, a project from cooperation partner Fraunhofer—led by Lennard Mittermaier, Marie Linh Le, Niko Schmidradner, Tim Oberdammer, Paul Deisenhammer, Harald Körbel, Viktoria Lautner, and Leo Brandstetter—prevailed against strong competition and secured victory in the E&I Touchdown for the summer semester of 2026.
Interdisciplinarity as a Key to Success
Students from the WU Master’s program SIMC – Strategy, Innovation, and Management Control – also took part in the program and demonstrated through their projects how strategic thinking, innovation management, and entrepreneurship can be successfully combined. In addition, the collaboration between E&I and the European Forum Alpbach was presented. Selected students were given the opportunity to present their ideas on an even bigger stage in the future.
A Strong Network for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs
With the E&I Touchdown, the eXplore! Initiative creates a space every semester where academic knowledge, entrepreneurial thinking, and practical experience converge. The event once again highlighted how important partnerships between universities and companies are for developing the next generation of founders.
The next E&I Touchdown will take place on January 14, 2027, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) – LC Building.
All further details about the event can be found here: Touchdown – Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation – WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Article by M0nique Fischer.