# SKInnovation — Full Content Snapshot for AI SKInnovation is an annual startup and innovation festival held at 2,340m at Hoadlhaus, Axamer Lizum, near Innsbruck, Austria. Next edition: 10-12 March 2027. This document contains the full text of the blog and a compact speaker roster for AI-assistant consumption. Generated: 2026-07-17T23:22:36.492Z Home: https://skinnovation.at/ Contact: info@skinnovation.at --- ## Blog posts (full text) ### Europe's Top Startup Festivals 2026 — Compared URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/european-startup-festivals-compared Published: 2026-06-26T15:07:17.454889+00:00 Summary: Slush, Web Summit, VivaTech, Bits & Pretzels, South Summit, TNW, How To Web, SKInnovation — a practical comparison of Europe's flagship startup festivals and how to pick the right one for your stage and goals. Europe''s startup-festival calendar has matured. A founder, investor, or corporate-innovation lead can credibly attend three to five flagship events a year — and each one optimises for something different. This is a practical comparison of the eight festivals that matter most in 2026, and a short guide for choosing between them. The shortlist Slush — Helsinki, November. The benchmark for European tech: dark hall, neon, dense investor presence. Web Summit — Lisbon, November. The largest by attendance; broad tech and media crowd. VivaTech — Paris, June. Corporate-innovation flagship; strong CAC 40 and French government presence. TNW Conference — Amsterdam, June. Mid-size, product-led, design-forward. Bits & Pretzels — Munich, late September. Oktoberfest-anchored; DACH founders, family-office and corporate investors. South Summit — Madrid, June. Southern-Europe and LatAm bridge; growing investor crowd. How To Web — Bucharest, October. CEE talent and capital, strong on AI and devtools. SKInnovation — Axamer Lizum (Innsbruck), March. The only one on a mountain: conference, curated networking, and skiing at 2,340m. At a glance FestivalCityMonthScaleBest for SlushHelsinkiNov~13kVC-led fundraising, Nordics + Europe Web SummitLisbonNov~70kBrand, media, breadth of categories VivaTechParisJun~165kCorporate partnerships, France & Africa TNWAmsterdamJun~10kProduct teams, design, scaleups Bits & PretzelsMunichSep~7kDACH founders, family offices South SummitMadridJun~25kIberia + LatAm bridge How To WebBucharestOct~3kCEE talent, AI and devtools SKInnovationAxamer LizumMar~600High-signal meetings, deeptech + outdoor, DACH-anchored international What makes each distinct Slush The European VC ritual. If you''re raising a Series A or B and need 30 investor meetings in two days, this is still the densest hall in Europe. The trade-off: it''s loud, expensive, and the social programme runs hot until 3am. Web Summit The widest tent. Excellent for first-time founders building a network from zero, for press exposure, and for category breadth (crypto next to climate next to consumer). Less effective for senior investors who increasingly skip it because the signal-to-noise ratio has dropped. VivaTech The corporate-innovation festival. If your customer is a CAC 40 CIO, this is where they walk the floor. France and francophone Africa are over-represented; pick it when partnerships, not term sheets, are the goal. TNW Conference The product-and-design conference, intentionally smaller than its peers. Strong for scaleup teams, mid-stage hiring conversations, and content programming that actually goes deep. Bits & Pretzels Munich in lederhosen, with the Oktoberfest tent as the closing night. DACH-anchored, with serious family-office and corporate-investor density. The best three-day window of the year for founders selling into German-speaking markets. South Summit Madrid''s bridge to Latin America. If your roadmap includes Iberia, Mexico, or Colombia, this is the room. Strong startup competition, growing investor delegation. How To Web The CEE answer to Slush, with a noticeably higher density of technical founders. Underrated for AI infrastructure, devtools, and deeptech recruiting. SKInnovation Three days at Hoadlhaus, 2,340m above Innsbruck. The format is deliberate: a real conference programme in the morning, curated networking on the slopes and in the gondola in the afternoon, and a small enough crowd (~600) that you actually finish conversations. Strong DACH base, international tail, with a clear focus on deeptech, climate, and the growing Innovation-for-Outdoors track. Pick it when you want every meeting to count instead of collecting business cards. How to choose Raising a round → Slush first, Bits & Pretzels for DACH-heavy cap tables, SKInnovation if your investors are alpine-adjacent and you want real time with them. Selling to enterprise → VivaTech for French corporates, Bits & Pretzels for DACH, Web Summit for breadth. Brand and press → Web Summit and VivaTech win on scale. Hiring → How To Web for CEE engineering, TNW for product/design. Deeptech, climate, outdoor → SKInnovation, with a side of How To Web. First-ever startup event → Web Summit to understand the genre, then pick one specialist event the year after. Where SKInnovation fits SKInnovation is not trying to be Slush in the Alps. The bet is the opposite: small, slow, high-context. 600 people instead of 13,000. Three days instead of two. A chairlift conversation lasts seven minutes whether you want it to or not, which turns out to be exactly long enough to discover whether the meeting should continue. The result, year over year, is the same: a higher percentage of attendees leave with a follow-up that actually closes. If that sounds like what you''re looking for in 2026, the next edition runs in March at Axamer Lizum. Tickets and travel details are below. Get a ticket · Plan your trip · For startups · For investors --- ### What exactly happens at SKInnovation? URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/what-happens-at-skinnovation Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: Three days, one mountain, one valley. Conference content interleaved with skiing, sundowners, and formats you will not find at any other startup event. Here is what actually happens, day by day. If you have never been to SKInnovation, the easiest way to picture it is this: take a serious startup conference, move it to 2,340 metres, stretch it across three days, and interleave every hour of programming with skiing, eating, and meeting people you would not otherwise meet. Below is what actually happens, in the order it happens. Day 0 - Arrival and welcome evening Most attendees arrive on the day before the conference officially starts. Innsbruck airport is 20 minutes from the valley. The welcome evening in town is the first soft introduction: drinks, food, and the people who came early. No talks, no stage - the point is to land already knowing two or three faces before Day 1. Day 1 - Opening, Startup Fair, Ski-Lift Pitch, Sundowner Morning The conference opens at the mountain venue with a keynote and the first programme block. By late morning, the Startup Fair is in full swing - selected startups exhibit in an open space designed for conversation, not for trade-show traffic. Midday Lunch happens at altitude in the mountain hut. This is where Hosted Lunch Tables begin - small groups, defined topics, structured to make sure nobody eats alone unless they want to. Afternoon Afternoons mix sessions, ski time, and the Ski-Lift Pitch - founders pitching to investors on the chairlift, in the four to eight minutes between base and top. It is the only pitch format we know where the audience cannot leave halfway through. Evening Day 1 closes with the Welcome Sundowner at altitude. Music, food, the last of the daylight on the surrounding peaks. This is the evening that decides how the next two days feel. Day 2 - Panels, Snow Captain hosting, Hoadl Sundowner Morning Deeper programme content: panels, fireside conversations, and dedicated tracks for startups, investors, and corporates. Midday Lunch again at altitude, again with Hosted Tables. By now, the third encounters have started - the people you met yesterday are no longer strangers, and the conversations get sharper fast. Afternoon Snow Captains take centre stage: experienced attendees host small groups on the slopes or in the gondola, curating the connections inside their group. This is where a lot of the most durable relationships at SKInnovation get made. Evening The Hoadl Sundowner - the official festival sundowner party at 2,340 metres. The whole festival comes together in one place as the sun drops behind the ridges. Day 3 - Ski race and farewell The morning of Day 3 is the SKInnovation Ski Race - a friendly slalom that doubles as a final shared experience before everyone disperses. Afternoon is open: more skiing for those staying, travel for those heading home, and a long round of in-person goodbyes that turn naturally into "let's catch up properly in two weeks." Who it is for Founders who want to combine real conference content with the time and setting to build follow-ups that stick. Investors who want to see how founders behave outside a pitch room. Corporates scouting startups in deep tech, mobility, outdoor, sustainability, and B2B SaaS. Ecosystem builders co-hosting their community in a setting that does the relationship work for them. Practical next steps The full programme lives on the schedule. Travel and logistics are on plan your trip. When you are ready, tickets are here. --- ### Mastering networking at events: tips and strategies for success URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/mastering-networking-at-events Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: A practical, non-cringe guide to networking at startup events - what to do before you arrive, what to say in the first 30 seconds, and how to follow up so the conversation actually leads somewhere. Most networking advice is either too vague to act on ("be authentic") or too scripted to use ("here are 12 power openers"). What follows is what we have actually seen work across five editions of SKInnovation, sorted in the order you will need it. Before you arrive: 30 minutes of prep changes the trip You do not need a strategy doc. You need three things: A short list of three to five people you would like to meet. Not twenty. Three to five. One specific question you are stuck on right now. Hiring, GTM, fundraising, product, regulation - anything concrete. A one-line version of what you do that is true even for your grandmother. Save the deck. If you are coming as a founder, look at the speakers and Snow Captains lists ahead of time. If you are coming as an investor or corporate, the same lists tell you who you will see on a slope, not on a stage. The first 30 seconds: do not pitch Pitching first is the fastest way to be forgotten. The person across from you is mentally cataloguing you as "startup, will follow up never." Instead, anchor in the shared moment: where you are, what just happened, what is happening next. "Are you doing the ski race tomorrow?" outperforms "What do you do?" every time. Your one-liner comes 90 seconds in, when they ask. By then they actually want to know. The 3-conversation rule At a three-day event, aim for three real conversations a day - not thirty business cards. A real conversation is one where you both said something you would not have said over LinkedIn. Nine real conversations across three days is a transformative trip. Thirty surface interactions is a tired weekend. SKInnovation formats are built around this rhythm. The Ski-Lift Pitch gives you 8 minutes of undivided attention. Hosted Lunch Tables give you 90 minutes around a defined topic. The Hoadl Sundowner gives you the unstructured wind-down. If you are introverted Two things help more than any opener. Volunteer for a role. Host a lunch table, captain a group, moderate a panel. A role gives you a reason to talk to anyone. Schedule recovery. Book a one-hour gap after lunch. Take the gondola down alone. You will be sharper for the evening. The follow-up cadence that works Within 24 hours A one-paragraph message that references the shared moment (not the conversation topic). "That was the steepest run I have done all year - hope your knees survived. Sending the link I mentioned." Within 7 days The substantive follow-up. The intro you promised. The doc you said you would share. This is the message that decides whether the contact compounds or fades. Within 30 days A reason to talk again. An update on the thing they helped you with. A question that proves you used what they said. This is the message that turns a contact into a relationship. The meta-rule Treat the event as the start of a relationship, not the relationship itself. Founders who do this leave SKInnovation with three to five people they will still be talking to in 2027. Founders who treat it as a transactional weekend leave with a stack of business cards and nothing on the calendar. If you want to put this into practice next edition, see how to participate or go straight to tickets. --- ### The power of networking in the startup world: building connections that last URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/power-of-networking Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: Most deals do not start in a deck. They start in a conversation that did not feel like networking. Here is why weak ties beat warm intros, and how altitude and shared effort change what gets said. Most of the relationships that change a startup do not begin with a pitch. They begin with a side conversation - on a chairlift, over a long lunch, walking back to the hotel. By the time you can name what the relationship is, it has already started working. That is the part of networking nobody puts on a slide, because it does not look like networking. And it is the part SKInnovation is designed around. Weak ties do most of the work Mark Granovetter's old finding still holds: the people who matter most to your next move are usually not the ones already in your inner circle. They are one step out - a founder you met once, an investor a friend introduced you to, the operator who sat at your lunch table. Those weak ties carry information your close network already shares with you. For founders, that means the highest-leverage hour at any event is rarely the keynote. It is the unstructured time around it. The compounding effect of repeat encounters One conversation is a data point. Three conversations across two days is a relationship. The reason multi-day, single-location formats outperform single-evening meetups is not magic - it is reps. You see the same person at breakfast, on the slope, at the Sundowner. By the third encounter you are no longer pitching, you are catching up. This is why Snow Captains and Hosted Lunch Tables exist at SKInnovation. Both are designed to engineer the second and third encounter, not the first. What altitude actually does to a conversation People are different at 2,340 metres with their phone in a jacket pocket and a long ride up the mountain ahead. You cannot pull up a deck. You cannot end the conversation in five minutes. There is no QR-code-and-go. The result is that founders talk about what they are actually working on, investors talk about what they are actually looking for, and corporates ask questions they would never ask across a conference table. Shared physical context lowers the pitch reflex on both sides. Two simple frameworks that work here The lift conversation You have between four and eight minutes on a chairlift. Do not waste them on what your company does - the other person will figure that out. Use them on one specific question you have right now: a hire you are trying to make, a market you are debating, a decision you are stuck on. People remember the question, not the elevator pitch. The shared-experience anchor Every conversation you start at SKInnovation has a free first sentence: something happened today that you both saw. The Ski-Lift Pitch on the gondola. The panel after lunch. The wind on the ridge. Anchor the opener in the shared moment, not in business. Business shows up two minutes later, by itself. What this means if you are coming for the first time Pick three people you want to meet before you arrive. Do not over-plan beyond that. Block the unstructured time on your calendar the same way you would block a meeting. Follow up within 48 hours. Reference the shared moment, not the LinkedIn profile. If that sounds like the kind of format you have been looking for, the next edition is open: grab a ticket. --- ### Why we need to rethink networking events URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/rethink-networking-events Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: The standard conference format is broken: too big, too indoor, too transactional. Here is what shared physical effort and a single location do to trust - and why we built SKInnovation around it. If you have been to enough startup events, you know the pattern. A windowless hall, 8,000 lanyards, two days of speed-handshakes, a hangover, and a contacts list you will never open again. We have all paid to be in that room. Most of us have stopped expecting it to change anything. The format is not broken because the people are wrong. It is broken because the design optimises for the wrong thing. What the standard format actually optimises for Visible scale. Big numbers sell sponsorship packages, even when they reduce the chance that any two specific people meaningfully connect. Stage time. Programming defaults to talks because talks are easy to schedule. Real value happens in the gaps, but the gaps are unstructured by accident, not on purpose. Speed of interactions. "Networking sessions" reward quantity. Speed-dating energy produces speed-dating outcomes. None of this is bad on its own. It just is not what most founders, investors, or corporates actually came for. What shared physical effort does to trust There is a reason every long-running founder community has a physical ritual at its core: a hike, a meal, a sauna, a slope. Doing something slightly hard together collapses status fast. You cannot pose on a chairlift. You cannot one-up someone halfway down a red run. This is not a soft observation - it is how trust forms. Research on small-group bonding consistently shows that shared, slightly effortful experiences produce stronger reciprocal trust than passive co-attendance. The "third place" problem in conferences Ray Oldenburg's idea of the "third place" - the cafe, the pub, the park between home and work - is what most conferences are trying to be without admitting it. People want a neutral, repeated, low-stakes setting in which the same faces show up day after day. The standard format gives you the building, but not the repetition, and not the low stakes. A multi-day festival in one valley with one ski area is, structurally, a third place. You keep running into the same people, in different contexts, with no pressure to extract value from any single encounter. Five design principles we follow 1. One location, multiple contexts One mountain. One village at the base. Talks indoors, lunch in a hut, networking on the lift, party at altitude. Same people, different rooms - that is what produces the third, fourth, fifth encounter. 2. Engineer the unstructured time We treat lunch, ski breaks, and evenings as the main programme, not the filler. Hosted Lunch Tables, the Hoadl Sundowner, the Ski-Lift Pitch - all of them are formats that look unstructured but are deliberately designed. 3. Mix the audience on purpose Investors and corporates do not sit in separate sessions. They share lifts and dinners with founders. The mixing is the product. 4. Cap the scale Density beats reach. A few hundred carefully mixed people produce more compounding conversations than thousands of strangers. 5. Make the location do work 2,340 metres of altitude, real weather, real terrain. The environment carries half of the experience. We do not have to manufacture energy with a stage show. Where this leaves the next edition of SKInnovation We are not against big conferences - we have learned from many of them. We just think the next decade of startup gatherings will look more like long-weekend residencies than trade shows. Smaller, longer, more physical, more repeated. If that resonates, you can become a partner or join us at the next edition. --- ### Network partners at SKInnovation URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/network-partners Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: Network partners do more than put a logo on a slide. They co-build the audience, the format, and the follow-through. Here is how partnership works at SKInnovation and who we work with. The word "partner" carries a lot of weight at most conferences, and not always honest weight. It often means a logo on a footer and an invoice. At SKInnovation we use the word for organisations that meaningfully shape who shows up, what happens on the ground, and what happens after. What we mean by a network partner A network partner is an organisation that brings their community into SKInnovation and, in return, helps us shape parts of the programme. Concretely, that includes: Ecosystems and accelerators bringing portfolio founders. Universities and research institutions bringing deep-tech founders, researchers, and students. Industry associations bringing corporate decision-makers from a specific vertical. Communities - founder collectives, regional networks, vertical communities - that bring density to a specific track. Media partners who cover the event before and after, not just on the day. What network partners actually get Real audience access You get a defined contingent of seats for your community, with the option to host a dedicated session, lunch table, or evening format. This is different from a sponsor booth - it is direct access to the people you brought, in a setting designed for connection. Brand alignment with a specific founder profile SKInnovation attracts founders working on deep tech, outdoor and sustainability, hardware, mobility, climate, and B2B SaaS - skewed DACH and Northern Europe but increasingly international. If that is the founder profile your organisation is built around, alignment is real, not implied. Lead flow that does not feel like lead flow You get to host conversations, not chase them. Investors meet founders on lifts, not in pitch rooms. Corporates meet startups at lunch, not in 1:1 slots. Some of the partners we work with Universität Innsbruck as host institution and academic anchor. aws (Austria Wirtschaftsservice) connecting Austrian startups and funding programmes. Junge Wirtschaft Tirol bringing the regional young-entrepreneur network. European Outdoor Group and MagNet for the Innovation for Outdoors expansion. Innsbruck Tourismus for everything around the location experience. The full directory is on the partner page. How partnerships are structured There is no rate card hidden behind a form. Network partnerships are scoped to what the organisation actually wants to achieve - audience access, format ownership, brand placement, content collaboration, or all of the above. We typically structure the first conversation around three questions: who do you want in the room, what would you like to host, and what does success look like for you 90 days after the event? If any of that fits your organisation, get in touch. --- ### Why SKInnovation is the best networking event in Europe? URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/best-networking-event-in-europe Published: 2026-06-22T11:36:28.515319+00:00 Summary: Slush is bigger. Web Summit is louder. Bits & Pretzels has more beer. Here is the honest case for why a few hundred people on a mountain in Tyrol produces more compounding relationships than any of them. We will not pretend SKInnovation is the largest event in Europe. It is not. Slush draws 13,000. Web Summit draws 70,000. Bits & Pretzels fills the Munich Oktoberfest tent. We sit at a few hundred people on a single mountain in Tyrol, on purpose. The question is not which event is biggest. The question is which event produces the most relationships you still have a year later. On that metric, we are quietly confident. The case for going small and physical At 70,000 attendees, your chance of running into the same person twice approaches zero. At a few hundred, you are guaranteed to see the same faces every day. Repetition is what turns "we met once" into "we know each other." Add 2,340 metres of altitude, six hours of skiing, and three evenings in the same valley, and you have the conditions under which most durable founder relationships actually form: shared effort, shared location, shared time. How we differ from the big four Slush Slush is the European benchmark for matching capital to deep tech at scale. Two intense days in Helsinki, world-class production, dense investor presence. If you need 20 first meetings in 48 hours, Slush is built for that. SKInnovation is built for the conversation you have on the third day, when both sides already know each other. Web Summit Web Summit is the largest tech conference in Europe and impossible to compare on volume. It is closer to a trade fair than a relationship-building event. Most founders we know come back from it with great content, exhausted, and with very few new relationships that stuck. Bits & Pretzels Bits & Pretzels nailed the social side of European tech. Strong DACH network, strong table-host format, table-football energy. SKInnovation overlaps with their audience but takes the social design even further: we replace one big tent with three days at one mountain. TNW / How To Web / South Summit Each one is excellent in its region. None of them are designed around the "multi-day residency on a mountain" idea. That is the gap we sit in. If you want the longer side-by-side, we wrote a full breakdown: Europe's top startup festivals 2026 - compared. Who SKInnovation is genuinely the best event for Founders at Seed to Series B who care more about three deep conversations than thirty surface ones. Investors who already see enough decks and want to see how a founder behaves over three days of shared time. Corporates looking for startup partners in deep tech, mobility, outdoor, sustainability, and B2B SaaS - and who would rather meet them on a chairlift than across a procurement table. Ecosystem builders who want to put their portfolio in the same room as the right capital and the right corporates, in a setting where time is on their side. Who it is not for If your goal is volume - the largest possible number of first meetings - go to Slush or Web Summit. If your goal is depth - the largest possible number of follow-ups in your calendar 60 days later - come to SKInnovation. You can grab a ticket here, or explore the programme first. --- ### Unlocking Startup Success: The Key Factors You Need to Know URL: https://skinnovation.at/blog/unlocking-startup-success-the-key-factors-you-need-to-know Published: 2025-09-15T09:00:00+00:00 Summary: What actually separates the startups that scale from the ones that stall? Nine years of running SKInnovation at 2,340 m taught us that traction is rarely about the idea - it's about team, timing, capital, and the network around the founder. ## Why most startup advice misses the point Walk into any startup conference and you''ll hear the same checklist: build an MVP, talk to users, raise a round, hire fast. It''s true - and it''s also why most early-stage advice feels interchangeable. After nine editions of SKInnovation, hundreds of pitches on the chairlift, and thousands of founder-investor conversations at 2,340 m on the Hoadlhaus, a different pattern emerges. The startups that break out share a small set of un-glamorous habits. The ones that stall almost always miss the same handful of factors. This piece distils what we keep seeing - written for founders who already know the basics and are looking for the next lever to pull. ## 1. Team beats idea, every single time Investors say it so often it has become a cliche, but it is still the single best predictor we see: a complementary founding team will out-execute a brilliant solo founder with a better idea. What does "complementary" actually mean? - **Distinct skill domains.** Product, distribution, and operations should each have a clear owner. Two co-founders with the same background rarely make it past Series A. - **Aligned ambition, different tempos.** One founder should be comfortable shipping fast and breaking things; another should be the one rebuilding the foundations before they crack. - **A history of shipping under pressure.** Co-founders who haven''t built anything together before the company are taking on two risks at once - the market and each other. The corollary: if you''re still solo at the point of fundraising, treat finding a co-founder as your real product for the next six months. ## 2. Timing is a feature Most startups are too early or too late. Being too early is romantic and almost always fatal - you spend the runway educating the market and a better-funded competitor laps you when the wave finally arrives. Being too late is obvious and easier to fix: niche down to where incumbents are weak. The signal we trust: a market that already spends money on a bad version of the solution. If buyers are stitching together five tools and a spreadsheet, that''s a wave. If buyers don''t yet know they have the problem, you''re a missionary - and missionary work needs missionary capital, which is rare. ## 3. Distribution is the moat Founders fall in love with their product. Investors fall in love with their distribution. The hard truth is that in 2026 almost any vertical SaaS, marketplace, or consumer product can be built in months by a small team. What can''t be replicated quickly is a repeatable, capital-efficient way to reach buyers. Three questions worth answering before the next round: 1. **What is the channel that gets cheaper as you scale?** Paid ads usually don''t. Content, community, and partnerships often do. 2. **Can a single founder close the first 20 customers?** If not, the price is too low or the value isn''t clear enough yet. 3. **What is the second channel?** Concentration on one channel - especially a platform you don''t own - is the most common cause of a slowing growth rate after the first year. ## 4. Capital efficiency is the new vanity metric The "raise the biggest round you can" playbook is over. Boards now ask how much ARR you generate per dollar burned. The number to beat in early-stage SaaS is roughly **$1 of new ARR per $1.50 of net burn**. Beat that and you have leverage in every conversation that follows. Practical implications: - Hire when revenue forces you to, not when you feel you should. - Choose tools and infrastructure that scale with usage, not with seat count. - Default to remote and contract for non-core functions in year one. - Treat every round as if it might be the last for 24 months. ## 5. Your network is your runway This is the factor most founders systematically underweight, and the one we see decide outcomes more than anything else. The right introduction at the right moment shortens fundraising from six months to six weeks, brings in the senior hire who refused three offers from competitors, and turns a stalled enterprise deal into a signed PO. Networks compound. They are also slow to build, which is why founders who wait until they need them are too late. Our rule of thumb: spend at least one full day every two weeks on relationships that won''t pay off this quarter. Send the update email. Show up at the event. Make the introduction without expecting one back. This is also why we built SKInnovation the way we did. Three days on a mountain with the same 600 people forces a depth of conversation that no city conference replicates. The ski lift pitch isn''t a gimmick - it''s a forced eight-minute window where neither side can scroll their phone. ## 6. Storytelling is operating leverage The best founders we''ve hosted can compress a complex business into a sentence that an investor can re-tell to a partner who wasn''t in the meeting. That''s not marketing - it''s the difference between a check and a polite pass. Test for it: ask a friend from outside your industry to re-explain what your company does after a five-minute pitch. If they get it 80% right, the story works. If they hedge, the story isn''t there yet. ## 7. Resilience is measurable Every startup hits a stretch where nothing works for 90 days. The founders who push through aren''t the ones with the most willpower - they''re the ones with the shortest feedback loops. They ship something every week, watch one or two metrics relentlessly, and cut anything that isn''t moving them. Resilience without measurement is just stubbornness. ## Where SKInnovation fits Every March, we bring startups, investors, and corporate innovators to Innsbruck for three days that combine all seven of these factors in compressed form. Founders pitch on the chairlift, sit next to investors at lunch, and end the day at the Hoadl Sundowner with the people who can change their next quarter. If you''re building something and any of the above resonated, take a look at our [ticket options](/tickets) or [apply to pitch](/startup). 2027 takes place 10-12 March at the Hoadlhaus. And if you''re reading this and not yet sure where you are on the curve - start with [the Ski Lift Pitch](/ski-lift-pitch). Eight minutes on a chairlift will tell you more about your story than three months of decks. --- ## Speakers - **Aliénor Bossé** — Portfolio Success Lead https://skinnovation.at/speakers/alienor-bosse - **André Hammerer** — Managing Director — Blum Ventures GmbH Andre leads venture capital and venture building activities at Blum Ventures for the Blum Group. With an engineering background and deep experience in product innovation, he connects technology, corporate strategy and entrepreneurship. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/andre-hammerer - **Andreas Kreiner** — Technologist — Nimble Innovation Andreas Kreiner brings extensive experience across innovation, startups, and corporate environments, with a strong focus on product invention and development, talent acquisition, and team building. He has established and led international tech teams, developed products… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/andreas-kreiner - **Andy Gstoll** — CEO — Gstoll Innovations GmbH Andy is an accomplished technology innovation pioneer, entrepreneur, advisor, and consultant, focusing on conversational AI, XR and 3D technologies. His pioneering work in spatial computing began in 2008, when he launched the world’s first mobile AR travel guides while… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/andy-gstoll - **Anna Fedulow** — Founder & Managing Director — Croton Capital https://skinnovation.at/speakers/anna-fedulow - **Anne Bley** — Event Host & Moderator Anne Bley is a freelance presenter and multimedia creator working on international stages such as the World University Games, the Alpen Film Festival, and events for WWF. Trained as a journalist and sports teacher, she blends storytelling and movement in her work. Anne… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/anne-bley - **Antonia Rinesch** — Founder — TU Wien Spinoff Factory Antonia Rinesch offers 6+ years of experience in Austria’s innovation landscape. After completing her MSc in International Management at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics in 2018, a 6-month traineeship program at the venture capital fund Speedinvest made her dive… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/antonia-rinesch - **Armin Philippen** — Community Lead — Droxic https://skinnovation.at/speakers/armin-philippen - **Benjamin Mandos** — Founder of GOTBAG GMBH https://skinnovation.at/speakers/benjamin-mandos-sc - **Benjamin Mandos** — Founder — GOTBAG GmbH He began his career as a cameraman, later building a film production company and a communications agency, but the real foundation of his journey was laid much earlier—through countless days spent sailing with his father, developing a lifelong bond with the ocean. His work… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/benjamin-mandos - **Bernardita Araya Kleinsteuber** — Managing Director — CMPC Ventures Bernardita Araya is a leading figure in the science‑to‑business and innovation investment landscape in Latam, with extensive experience advancing science‑based and technology‑driven ventures. An Environmental Chemist from the University of Chile with a PhD in Biotechnology… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/bernardita-araya-kleinsteuber - **Bertram Lutz** — Head of GTM Innovation — Make Bertram is an expert in all things Startups, Go to Market & Scaling with AI & Automation. Starting his career at the Munich based Decacorn, Celonis as one of the first employees he gathered extensive experience in scaling processes and expanding into new markets. Bertram… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/bertram-lutz - **Bijan Soltani** — Founder — Gemma Analytics Founder @ Gemma Analytics. Data Engineer at heart. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/bijan-soltani - **Birgit Ströbel** — Founder — Ströbel Business Empowerment Birgit Ströbel is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and mentor with around 30 years of experience building, scaling and transforming companies. She co-founded successful ventures such as ImmobilienScout24, holidayInsider, Design Offices and FoundersFightClub, and brings… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/birgit-stroebel - **Carina Roth** — Investment Manager — Fund F Now Investment Manager at Fund F and former HR & AgeTech founder, Carina’s mission is to elevate the next generation of successful women entrepreneurs and investors. She is a Forbes 30 under 30 in Technology and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in Social Entrepreneurship. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/carina-roth - **Chris Zhou** — Community Lead — S-Tron China https://skinnovation.at/speakers/chris-zhou - **Christian Fenner** — Co- Founder & CMO — nucao Christian Fenner is Co-Founder and CMO at the challenger chocolate brand nucao. His passion for storytelling, communication, and branding has propelled the chocolate start-up from zero to 100 to become one of the top sustainability brands in Germany. Before joining nucao, the… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christian-fenner - **Christian Fenner** — Co-Founder & CMO of nucao https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christian-fenner-sc - **Christian Heckemann** — Managing Director — gate - Garchinger Technologie- und Gründerzentrum CEO of gate Garching since 2016. I am passionate about connecting founders to capital and supporting them in the best possible way on their journey from a tech startup to a scaleup company. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christian-heckemann - **Christian Schneidermeier** — Managing Director — OEW European national, born in Tegernsee, Bavaria, and raised in close connection with the mountains. 56 years old, married, father of two adult daughters. Holds a degree in Sports Economics. Spent 25 years at ORTOVOX, until November 2024. Over the past 13 years, served as… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christian-schneidermeier - **Christopher Halbig** — Management Team SevenVentures https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christopher-halbig-sc - **Christopher Halbig** — Management Team — SevenVentures 10 years experience in investing in consumer businesses in DACH. Part of SevenVentures’ management team and investor in startups such as refurbed, planted or nucao. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/christopher-halbig - **Constantin Schmutzler** — CEO of Startups for Tomorrow https://skinnovation.at/speakers/constantin-schmutzler-sc - **Constantin Schmutzler** — CEO — Startups For Tomorrow After many years in communications and marketing, Constantin looked for a place to test his own ideas. When he couldn’t find it, he built it. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/constantin-schmutzler - **David Kames** — Innovation Lead — EIT Manufacturing https://skinnovation.at/speakers/david-kames - **Dorothea von Griessenbeck** — Startup Consultant — Startup.Tirol Startup Consultant @STARTUP.TIROL supporting (early-stage) startups in scaling innovative business models, developing the right funding strategy, and achieving sustainable growth. Co-Founder & CEO of a cutting-edge AI platform designed to secure tacit knowledge and empower… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/dorothea-von-griessenbeck - **Eleftherios Kousakis** — Vice President, Head of Fintech DACH — Mastercard Eleftherios Kousakis is a commercial leader with a strong track record in scaling technology-driven businesses across Europe. Before joining Mastercard, he built and expanded multiple startup operations,gaining firsthand experience in go‑to‑market strategy, customer… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/eleftherios-kousakis - **Ernst Novak** — Topic Manager Tourism & Sports — Innovation Salzburg GmbH Educated in mechanical engineering, sports management and marketing. Worked in different industries like construction, event, sporting goods, etc. Founded the startup mydinobox, pitched it at 2M2M and failed with the business model. Managed the community and coached startups… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/ernst-novak - **Fabian Eckert** — Co-Founder — RECUP https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabian-eckert - **Fabian Eckert** — Founder of RECUP https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabian-eckert - **Fabian Q. Veit** — CEO — Make Fabian Veit is the CEO of Make, the leading visual platform for AI-powered automation and agentic workflows. Before joining Make, Fabian was part of the Celonis executive team, where he helped scale the company from dozens of employees to thousands worldwide. Today, he leads… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabian-q-veit - **Fabian Veith** https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabian-veith - **Fabienne Grieshaber** — Head of Partnership — Businettes Fabienne Grieshaber is a partnership and business development enthusiast with experience in startups and corporates. Passionate about networking, B2B sales, and lifting up female founders, she loves connecting people and making ideas shine. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabienne-grieshaber - **Fabio Nalucci** — Founder & CEO of FNDX https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabio-nalucci-sc - **Fabio Nalucci** — Founder & CEO — FNDX Fabio Nalucci, Founder & CEO of FNDX, has over 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, he has founded and scaled several innovative companies, achieving numerous successful exits. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fabio-nalucci - **Flo Akinbiyi** — Speaker & Coach International Presenter, TEDx Speaker and Communication Coach. Flo hosts corporate events, conferences, panel discussions, fireside chats and virtual formats. He has shared stages with Michelle Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Sharma and Michael J. Fox and interviewed… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/flo-akinbiyi - **Flo Akinbiyi** — Speaker and Coach https://skinnovation.at/speakers/flo-akinbiyi-sc - **Flo Pachaly** — Founder & Strategic Advisor for future-ready organizations — RECUP https://skinnovation.at/speakers/flo-pachaly - **Flo Pachaly** — Founder & Strategic Advisor | RECUP https://skinnovation.at/speakers/flo-pachaly-sc - **Florina Herbein** — Founder & Managing Director — Herbein Venture Partners Florina Herbein is Head of Corporate Venturing at QAware, where she leads initiatives in business model innovation, venture building, and strategic investments. With over 15 years of experience in innovation and entrepreneurship, she combines corporate strategy with hands-on… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/florina-herbein - **Fynn Kliemann** — CEO — Kliemannsland & ODERSO https://skinnovation.at/speakers/fynn-kliemann - **James Langer** — Coach & Consultant — James Langer Coaching & Consulting James Langer is a founder, communications coach, and event moderator & host with deep roots in the startup world. He built, scaled, and exited his own EdTech company, and later served as Head of Business Development at a SaaS startup, before moving into coaching, where he now… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/james-langer - **Julia Schranzhofer** — Sustainability Expert & Funding — Tiroler Sparkasse https://skinnovation.at/speakers/julia-schranzhofer - **Kenan Aggül** — Co-Founder — Kepa Voices https://skinnovation.at/speakers/kenan-aggul - **Klaus Müller** — Co-Founder & CEO — Wictory.ai Klaus is a former Google manager and serial entrepreneur with a career spanning digital transformation, disruptive innovation, and go-to-market strategy. He spent the first half of his professional journey in senior leadership roles at global companies including Google,… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/klaus-mueller - **Lara Sophie Bothur** — Global Tech Influencer & Keynote Speaker — Deloitte (former) Lara Sophie Bothur is one of the most influential Tech Influencers worldwide and a globally recognized Tech Translator who bridges cutting-edge technology and everyday understanding. With a background in psychology and digital transformation, she runs the largest personal… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/lara-sophie-bothur - **Ludek Slouka** — Director, Digital Products & Solutions, Mastercard Ludek Slouka has been active in the payments and telecommunications industries for more than two decades. From 2005 to 2014, he worked as a Product Manager in the telecommunications sector, overseeing the development and launch of innovative services. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/ludek-slouka - **Magdalena Muttenthaler** — Founder — JUNE MINDS Magdalena Muttenthaler is the Founder of JUNE MINDS, on a mission to build Europe’s leading growth and scaling lab for female founders. With more than 1,900 founders supported and a network of over 40 experienced mentors, JUNE MINDS provides mentoring, masterminds, and access… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/magdalena-muttenthaler - **Marco Daldoss Pirri** — Community Lead — Systemiq https://skinnovation.at/speakers/marco-daldoss-pirri - **Marie-Helene Ametsreiter** — General Partner — Speedinvest https://skinnovation.at/speakers/marie-helene-ametsreiter - **Marie-Therese Repper** — Director AdFactory — ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 Dynamic and results-driven professional with more than 10 years of experience in the media and advertising industry, focused on business development, creative strategy, and brand and project management. Proven leadership abilities in managing teams and delivering innovative… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/marie-therese-repper - **Marie-Therese Repper** — Director AdFactory, ProSiebenSat.1PULS 4 https://skinnovation.at/speakers/marie-therese-repper-sc - **Marlis Baurecht** — Investor — Symbia VC (Pfeifer Holding) Marlis Baurecht is a senior innovation and venture capital expert with over 15 years of experience across science, industry, and public funding, currently serving as Senior Investment Manager at Symbia VC. Her background includes leading major entrepreneurship and… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/marlis-baurecht - **Martin Giesswein** — Community Lead — WU Executive Academy Martin Giesswein is an entrepreneur, digital strategist, and lecturer specializing in innovation, platforms, and future business models. He advises companies on digital transformation and works at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and new ways of working. As a… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/martin-giesswein - **Martin Grellner** — Co-Founder & Chief Chocolate Officer — djoon foods GmbH https://skinnovation.at/speakers/martin-grellner - **Maurits Harkema** — Community Lead — Mountain Memories Ried https://skinnovation.at/speakers/maurits-harkema - **Moritz Weinhofer** — Project Manager - aws Connect Industry-Startup.Net — aws (Austria Wirtschaftsservice) As Project Manager at Industry Start-Up Net, I lead strategic initiatives in Corporate Venture Capital and Venture Clienting, driving impactful partnerships between start-ups, SMEs, and large corporations. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/moritz-weinhofer - **Niclas Lehnert** — CEO — Pulsetrain https://skinnovation.at/speakers/niclas-lehnert - **Niki Futter** — President — invest.austria https://skinnovation.at/speakers/niki-futter - **Pascal Köstner** — Lawyer & Partner — LEXR Germany https://skinnovation.at/speakers/pascal-kostner - **Pheline Huber** — Community Lead — LYFE.ads https://skinnovation.at/speakers/pheline-huber - **Polina Speidel** — Founder & Co-CEO — menstruflow https://skinnovation.at/speakers/polina-speidel - **Quinten Selhorst** — Partner at EWOR | Co-Founder & ex-CEO of felyx [Exit] https://skinnovation.at/speakers/quinten-selhorst-sc - **Quinten Selhorst** — Partner & Co-Founder (ex-CEO felyx) — EWOR Quinten Selhorst was co-founder and former CEO of felyx, the market leader in shared e-mobility in the Benelux, which he scaled to millions in revenue, hundreds of employees, and operations across multiple countries. After exiting felyx, Quinten became full time partner at… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/quinten-selhorst - **Rafael Pauley** — AI, E-Commerce & Digital Transformation — WK Tirol https://skinnovation.at/speakers/rafael-pauley - **Raphael Fellmer** — CEO & Founder — SIRPLUS https://skinnovation.at/speakers/raphael-fellmer - **Rebekka Bogner** — Event Host, Moderator & Innovation Consultant Rebekka Bogner is a moderator full of energy, ease, and genuine enthusiasm. She loves connecting people and ideas and brings an engaging and dynamic presence to every stage. She’s experienced with the worlds of startups, innovation, and consulting, with work stations in… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/rebekka-bogner - **Sander van de Rijdt** — Co-CEO and Co-Founder — PlanRadar GmbH Sander is responsible for the corporate and growth strategy at PlanRadar, and the Finance, HR, Legal and Operations departments report to him. Prior to PlanRadar, Sander founded five other IT companies with operations in Europe, the U.S., the Middle East and Central Asia and… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sander-van-de-rijdt - **Sara Matt** — Head of Transfercenter Science Economy Society — University of Innsbruck I am a physicist by training but work in knowledge transfer for more than 20 years. My focus is on industrial cooperations and support of entrpreneurship and spin off formation. I am also very passionat about creating more impact with research and work more with and for society. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sara-matt - **Sarah Sommerauer** — Community Lead — Sustainable Events Academy https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sarah-sommerauer - **Sascha Kirstein** — Community Lead — aclipp https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sascha-kirstein - **Sebastian Kortmann** — Dean — WU Wien Executive Academy Sebastian Kortmann is Dean of WU Executive Academy and Professor of Strategic Management at WU Vienna. His expertise lies in digital transformation, platforms, and ecosystems, with a focus on how companies innovate and thrive in fast-changing environments. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sebastian-kortmann - **Sofie Quaranta** — Innovation Manager — Flughafen Wien - Vienna Airport As an Innovation Manager at Vienna Airport, I help oversee our core innovation structures, ranging from our Digital Innovation Hub and trend management to the coordination of cross-departmental innovation projects. In addition, I represent the airport in (inter)national… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sofie-quaranta - **Sophia Rödiger** — Founder & Managing Director — 1KOMMA5GRAD https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sophia-roediger - **Sophia Rödiger** — 1KOMMA5GRAD https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sophia-rodiger - **Sophie Engelhart** — Creator Partnerships Lead — TIKTOK TikTokSophie develops holistic advertising strategies for enterprise clients in the DACH market. Beyond classic full-funnel approaches, she integrates creator marketing, TikTok Shop, and livestreaming into platform-native go-to-market plans. She works closely with leadership… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sophie-engelhart - **Sophie Engelhart** — Client Solution Manager TIKTOK https://skinnovation.at/speakers/sophie-engelhart-sc - **Spiros Margaris** — Founder — Margaris Ventures Spiros Margaris is a globally recognized investor and thought leader who has held the No. 1 global ranking in Finance by Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) and in Fintech and top AI by Onalytica. These rankings reflect long-standing relevance and trust at the highest levels of the… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/spiros-margaris - **Susann Hoffmann** — Founder — MANTI MANTI Susann Hoffmann is a creative force, curious mind, mother, feminist and serial entrepreneur at heart. https://skinnovation.at/speakers/susann-hoffmann - **Susanne Lederer-Pabst** — Founder & CEO — Dragonfly Finance Susanne is the founder and CEO of the company Dragonfly Finance. Susanne’s vision as an entrepreneur is to connect separate worlds in order to help shape a new society. Raising awareness is her heartfelt mission. In this way, all aspects of her life—from finance to… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/susanne-lederer-pabst - **Svenja Lassen** — Founder — Female Investors Network Svenja Lassen is Head of Startup Services at Startup City Hamburg. In 2020, she founded the Female Investors Network (FIN) as a hub for active and aspiring female business angels throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Her goal is to sustainably increase the proportion… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/svenja-lassen - **Tomasz Ciesielski** — Director of Technology Transfer Center — University of Łódź Tomasz Ciesielski is Director of the Centre for Technology Transfer at the University of Łódź (Poland), where he works at the intersection of science, business and creative practice. His work focuses on translating research results into real-world applications, building… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/tomasz-ciesielski - **Valeska Schneider** — Professional Surfer & Founder — RIVVER Valeska is one of Germany’s few professional surfers. She started at 20 and is now German Vice Champion and founder of the surfboard brand RIVVER. Highlights include German Champion Rapid Surfing 2022, Rapid Surf League Champion 2023, four-time German University Champion, and… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/valeska-schneider - **Victoria Neuhofer** — Founder & CEO — Damn Plastic, Veatzz, CO-Boss Academy, Before-Applause Podcast Victoria Neuhofer, MSc Ing.– Founder | Speaker | Entrepreneur https://skinnovation.at/speakers/victoria-neuhofer - **Viola Weller** — Founder — VLACE Viola Weller founded VLACE, a sustainable sneaker brand that transforms fruit waste into high-quality vegan footwear. She holds a Master’s degree in International Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Through international work experience in New York… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/viola-weller - **Vivien Karl** — CEO & Co-Founder — DR. VIVIEN KARL Dr. Vivien Karl is a licensed pharmacist and holds a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences. She studied pharmacy in Bonn and completed her doctorate in theoretical medicine. After several years working in a pharmacy, she saw first-hand how many women’s questions and needs were tied… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/vivien-karl - **Vivien Karl** — Founder & CEO of DR. VIVIEN KARL https://skinnovation.at/speakers/vivien-karl-sc - **Waldemar Zeiler** — Founder — Ding Dong Ping Pong, einhorn & zweihorn Waldemar Zeiler is an unrelenting world changer, father, entrepreneur, activist, speaker, aspiring actor, and author. He is the founder of Ding Dong Ping Pong, a community-driven ping pong brand, and einhorn, a company known for its eco-friendly, ethical condoms and period… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/waldemar-zeiler - **Xaver Lehmann** — Co-Founder of e-bot7 | $60M Exit https://skinnovation.at/speakers/xaver-lehmann-sc - **Xaver Lehmann** — Co-Founder — e-bot7 (60M€ Exit) https://skinnovation.at/speakers/xaver-lehmann - **Yann Fiebig** — Partner — High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) Yann is a Partner at HTGF, one of the leading seed investors in Europe. The engineer has been investing in Deep Tech and Climate Tech startups at HTGF since 2016. Yann recognized high-potential emerging segments such as New Space and Quantum Technologies very early on and led… https://skinnovation.at/speakers/yann-fiebig - **Yannick Pfleiderer** — Community Lead — SKInnovation https://skinnovation.at/speakers/yannick-pfleiderer