Why connected startup ecosystems matter for Europe’s future

 

“Build together. Grow together. Strengthen Europe together.”, this was the theme of this year’s INiTS Sommerfest, held in the historic Arkadenhof of the University of Vienna.

As our biggest event of the year, the Sommerfest is always an opportunity to celebrate. But this year’s theme also reflected something much bigger: the need to strengthen the connections that allow innovation to grow not only in Vienna or Austria, but across Europe.

 

 

 

 

Europe has innovation worth building on

 

Europe has strong universities, excellent research institutions, highly qualified talent and a growing community of ambitious founders. It is particularly strong in areas where scientific expertise and technological innovation come together (from life sciences and climate technologies to artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing).

The latest figures underline this potential. European startups attracted about €55,9 Mrd in venture capital in 2025. European deep-tech startups alone raised €17,8 Mrd. This is approximately 32 percent of all European startup investment that year.

These figures are encouraging. They show that investors recognize the potential of technologies emerging from European research, engineering and entrepreneurship.

However, investment figures alone do not tell the whole story.

Europe’s central challenge is not a lack of ideas. It is ensuring that promising ideas can move from research to application, from an initial market to international growth, and from a strong startup to a globally competitive company.

The European Commission therefore identifies a thriving startup and scaleup ecosystem as an important driver of productivity, high-quality jobs, talent and investment. At the same time, its Startup and Scaleup Strategy points to persistent barriers, including fragmented regulatory frameworks, limited access to later-stage finance, difficulties in accessing talent and infrastructure, and uneven conditions for entering markets across the EU.

 

A single market that does not always feel like one

 

For startups, expanding into another European country can still mean entering a substantially different market.

National regulations, administrative requirements, procurement processes, financing structures and business cultures vary. A solution that works in Austria cannot automatically be introduced in France, Sweden or the Netherlands using exactly the same approach.

This is particularly challenging for deep-tech startups. They often require specialized infrastructure, regulatory expertise, patient capital, research partnerships and industrial pilot customers long before they can scale commercially.

Strong startup ecosystems cannot remove all these structural barriers. They cannot replace regulatory reform or solve Europe’s scaleup financing gap on their own. But they can help founders navigate complexity, find the right partners and gain access to knowledge and resources that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

That’s why cross-border networks are so valuable.

 

Networks turn individual strengths into shared opportunities

 

A strong ecosystem is more than a collection of startups, investors and support organizations. Its value lies in the quality of the connections between them.

Trusted networks can help startups:

• understand the realities of a new market before investing significant time and capital;
• connect with local mentors, investors, research institutions and potential customers;
• access specialized infrastructure and expertise;
• identify suitable partners for pilot projects and market entry;
• learn from founders and ecosystem organizations in other countries;
• gain visibility beyond their domestic market.

For incubators and innovation hubs, European cooperation also creates opportunities to exchange methods, share experience and develop joint approaches to recurring challenges. What works well in one ecosystem can inform and strengthen another.

The purpose is not networking for networking’s sake. The purpose is to make Europe’s distributed strengths more accessible and to help good ideas reach the people, markets and resources they need.

 

Let’s contribute to a more connected Europe

 

INiTS is involved in several European and national networks that address different parts of this challenge.

 

Rise Europe: connecting leading startup ecosystems

 

Rise Europe brings together startup ecosystem builders from 14 European countries. The network was formed at its first summit in May 2023 to strengthen cooperation between leading entrepreneurship hubs and help European startups scale across borders.

INiTS has been part of the alliance since that first summit and is currently the only Austrian institution listed among its members.

Through Rise Europe, startup and entrepreneurship hubs combine their experience, networks and local market knowledge. This cooperation creates stronger links between European startup regions and supports the shared ambition of helping more European technology companies grow into sustainable global players.

 

EuroIncNet: supporting international market entry

 

INiTS is also a partner of EuroIncNet, a European soft-landing network established in 2015.

Its focus is practical: helping technology startups explore and enter other European markets. Through trusted local incubators and accelerators, startups can gain access to market knowledge, experienced mentors, industrial partners and potential investors.

This kind of support matters because successful market entry requires local understanding, relevant contacts and a realistic assessment of whether and how a business model can be transferred.

 

AI Factory Austria: linking infrastructure, expertise and application

 

As a consortium partner of AI Factory Austria, INiTS is also involved in a nationwide initiative that forms part of the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking.

AI Factory Austria combines AI-optimized computing infrastructure with expertise, support services and a physical innovation hub. It is designed to support businesses, startups, public institutions and applied research organizations along their AI journey (from identifying relevant use cases to practical implementation).

The initiative illustrates why ecosystems matter: advanced infrastructure alone is not enough. Its value increases when it is connected with scientific expertise, entrepreneurial talent, real-world applications and organizations capable of translating technology into viable solutions.

 

From individual ideas to European impact

 

Europe’s startup ecosystem does not need to become more uniform. Its diversity is one of its strengths. Different regions contribute different research capabilities, industries, talent pools and areas of expertise.

The real opportunity lies in connecting these strengths more effectively.

When knowledge moves more easily between research and industry, when startups can access partners across borders, and when infrastructure, capital and market opportunities become easier to reach, individual ideas have a better chance of growing into meaningful impact.

That is what this year’s INiTS Sommerfest stood for.

Not only celebrating entrepreneurship in Austria, but celebrating the relationships that allow innovation to travel further.

Thank you to all our partners, friends and supporters who joined us in the Arkadenhof of the University of Vienna.

We truly enjoyed celebrating with you.

The Truth Detective: How to Uncover Real Customer Needs (Without Getting Lied To)

 

Building a startup without qualitative customer interviews is like trying to navigate a dense fog with a compass that only points toward what you want to hear. You think you’re heading North, but you’re actually walking off a cliff.

To navigate safely, you don’t need a map of where you want to go.
You need a tool that shows you what your customers’ lives are really like.

If you walk up to a stranger and ask, „Would you use an app that organizes your grocery list?“ they will likely say „Yes.“ Not because they need it, but because humans are social creatures programmed to be polite.

This is the „Mom Test“ trap: your friends, family, and even potential customers will lie to you just to avoid hurting your feelings.

To find the truth, you have to start being a detective.

 

1. The Mom Test: Stop Pitching, Start Probing

 

The core principle of The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick is simple: you aren’t allowed to tell people what your idea is, and in return, they aren’t allowed to tell you what they think of it.

When you pitch your idea, you trigger a psychological response where the other person feels obligated to give you positive reinforcement. You get „compliments,“ which are the most dangerous form of data. Compliments feel like validation, but they are actually empty noise.

To pass the Mom Test, your conversation must stay focused on the customer’s life and not your solution. Instead of asking about your product, ask about their problems.

If you are building a productivity tool, don’t ask „Do you think people need better time management?“. Ask „Walk me through how you planned your tasks yesterday.“

 

2. The Art of the Question: Fact over Fiction

 

The difference between a breakthrough insight and a wasted afternoon lies in the phrasing of your questions. You are looking for behavioral facts, not hypothetical opinions.

 

The „Bad“ Questions (The Hypothetical Trap)

 

• „Would you use a tool that does X?“ (Hypothetical)
• „Is this a good idea?“ (Fishing for compliments)
• „How much would you pay for this?“ (Guesswork)
• „Do you think this is important?“ (Opinion-based)

These questions invite fluff, the mental equivalent of cotton candy.
It’s sweet, but it has zero nutritional value for your business.

 

The „Good“ Questions (The Behavioral Anchor)

 

• „Tell me about the last time you encountered [problem].“ (Specific past behavior)
• „What are you currently doing to solve this?“ (Identifies existing competition/effort)
• „What was the hardest part about that process?“ (Pinpoints specific pain)
• „How much time/money do you currently spend on this?“ (Quantifies the actual cost of the problem)

By anchoring your questions in the past, you force the customer to provide evidence rather than promises.

 

3. Recruiting Your Informants: Finding the Right Voices

 

A detective is nothing without informants.
If you’re talking to the wrong people, you may gather plenty of opinions, but little meaningful evidence.

Finding the right interview partners requires targeted research. Focus on people who have firsthand experience with the problem you want to understand.

• Search strategically:Use LinkedIn, professional directories, industry associations, or company websites to identify people with relevant roles and experience. Don’t pitch your solution. Ask for 15 minutes to learn how they currently handle a specific task or challenge.
• Go where your target group meets:Explore relevant online communities, conferences, trade fairs, meetups, workshops, and networking events. Observe which topics and problems repeatedly come up. Then approach individuals for a short, focused conversation.
• Use trusted introductions:Ask colleagues, friends, mentors, or industry contacts to connect you with suitable interview partners. Be specific: “Who do you know who regularly deals with X?” is far more effective than “Do you know anyone I could interview?”
• Look beyond the obvious:Depending on your target group, you might find valuable interview partners through professional associations, coworking spaces, universities, local businesses, or even at the places where the problem occurs in practice.

 

The goal is not to interview as many people as possible. It is to speak with people who have recently experienced the problem and can describe what they actually DID (and not what they think they might do!).

 

 

The Big Takeaways

 

1. Kill the Pitch:
   If you mention your idea during the interview, you’ve already lost.
   Focus entirely on their current reality and past actions.
2. Hunt for Friction:
   Ignore compliments and „would you“ questions.
   Seek out the specific, messy details of how they currently struggle.
3. Evidence over Intent:
   A customer saying „I would pay for that“ is a guess.
   A customer showing you a spreadsheet they built to solve the problem themselves is a fact.

Start this week: schedule 5 Mom Test interviews and let real customer behavior (not polite opinions!) guide your next move.