Having lived in Linz these past six months, taking classes and sitting in on lectures at the technical university, I was recently enlightened with how this area's economy, infrastructure, and even political system collaborate so well.
Earlier this month I sat in on a seminar at the Johannes Kepler University. The seminar was part of a larger round of lectures, referred to as the "Gründercafe" or entrepreneur café, focused on entrepreneurship in Upper Austria and how university students can get involved. Speakers among others included Professor Norbert Kailer, Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship at the university, Mr. Josef Hader, spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce for Upper Austria (WKOÖ), and Mr. Dietmar Kirchweger, from tech2b, a high-tech business incubator centered in Linz.
Throughout the morning, the lecturers highlighted several aspects of entrepreneurship, starting with the initial stages of how to establish your own business, where one should go for funding and outside investment; local entrepreneurs even spoke about their own experiences in starting their companies. Unique to the Upper Austrian chamber of commerce is it's role in helping start ups gain ground. In addition to providing information to local businesses about trends in the regional economy, this chamber also provides funding to newly-formed companies as well as technical training to their employees. You can find out more about the chamber here.
Enjoy!
-SB
