#glaubandich-Challenge 2026: Apply now for Austria’s largest startup contest!

The year 2026 is fast approaching – and the question remains: Who will be the best Austrian startup?  The country’s best founders can register for the  #glaubandich Challenge, Austria’s largest startup competition, until October 31, 2025. As every year, Erste Bank and Sparkasse, together with Trending Topics and the Founders Service of the Chambers of Commerce, are searching for the “Startup of the Year.”

The competition will once again be held in all nine federal states, where the finalists in 10 categories will emerge from the city pitches. These champions in their respective fields will then pitch to a top-class jury and renowned investors at the grand finale in Vienna in April 2026. This is where the “Startup of the Year 2026” will be crowned.

Submit by October 31, 2025

Interested startups can register for one of the challenge’s 10 categories (see below) by October 31, 2025. The winners of the City Pitches and the final will receive significant media attention as well as cash and non-cash prizes from Erste Bank and Sparkasse, and selected partners. The winners of the City Pitches will be announced in early 2026.

In recent years, since its launch in 2018, the #glaubandich Challenge has established itself as an event that has become an integral part of the Austrian startup scene. Previous winners have been:

• SpeedPox (2025)
• NOSI  (2024)
• ReeDUCE  (2023)
• HydroSolid  (2022)
• inspired  (2021)
• UpNano  (2019)
• Surgebright  (2018)

They represent the more than 2,000 innovative projects submitted so far. Participation is worthwhile even for those who don’t achieve overall victory. Since their participation in the #believeityou challenge, more and more alumni startups have raised investments and even made it to an exit.

The federal state tour with the city pitches for the individual categories and their dates have already been set:

The requirements for participation

What do applicants need to bring to the table to make it into the #believeinyou challenge? We’re looking for cool ideas, solutions to real problems, and innovations for socially relevant topics that can benefit business and society, especially in these difficult times.

In order to participate, the start-up companies must meet the following criteria in addition to being a fit for the relevant categories:

• The startup idea must be mature, and at least a working prototype must exist. For a service, the service creation process must already be in place.
• The product must   solve  a relevant problem or  represent an innovation
• The startup must not be older than 5 years, or the  product must not have been on the market for longer than 5 years, and there must   be a plausible business plan
• Current or planned  company headquarters in Austria

The following are required for registration:

• Short description of the product, the idea, and the company’s purpose
• Description of the business model and the founding team (as a short presentation including images)
• How does the company generate revenue? What resources are required to achieve this? What special technology or expertise does it possess?
• Company valuation: What is the valuation based on? How was it validated?
• Which possible verticals (product bundles) are being considered?
• Financial plan with forecast (previous year, current year, and 5 further years)
• Company logo (vector graphic)

The following will be assessed during the pre-selection process:

• Business model
• Team
• Creativity
• Degree of innovation
• Social and economic role model, effect, and relevance