欧洲初创企业和扩大规模记分牌：国家报告

Reportfor Austria2026 ●High-performing Startup/Scaleup Country Austria SummaryESSSindex (indexed to EU in 2025): 113.8 Austria is a High-performingcountry, performing at 113.8% ofthe EUaverage in 2025. It ranks 10th among EU MemberStates. Relative strengths •Number ofscaleups per millionpopulation•VC-backed companies with anangel round Relative weaknesses• Insurance andpension VC fund commitments as a share of GDP• Local VC funds as a share ofGDP• Seed, start-up and other early-stage VC investments as a share Highest ranked indicatorsamong EU Member States•Virtual helpdesk for regulatoryissues•Satisfaction with businessinfrastructure• Valuation of startups founded inthe country with HQs currentlyoutside of the EU as a share ofGDP Lowest ranked indicatorsamong EU Member States • Employment share of young highgrowth enterprises• Share of women-founded VC-backed companies EU average in 2025. Relative strengths(purple) and weaknesses (red) refer tothe three indicators where the country’sscores are furthest above or below theEU average in 2025. These highlightthe areas where the country standsoutmost positively or faces the greatestrelative challenges compared to the EU.The highest (purple) and lowest (red)ranked indicators are those where the Austria shows a mixed performance compared to the EU, combining relatively strongstartup andscaleupdensity with weaker investment outcomes. The number of startupsper millioninhabitantsexceeds the EU, indicating a solid early-stage entrepreneurial base. However, the number of Financial conditions appear to be a key constraint. Both early-stage and later-stage venture capitalinvestments are significantly below the EU as a share of GDP, highlighting weaker access to riskfinance across the lifecycle. Overall, Austria demonstrates strong startup creationand scalingbut Austria isa high-performing startup/scaleup country with performances aboveEUaverage for mostof theESSSdimensions.The strongest area is access to infrastructure, networks and services, whichis driven by very strong performances in the indicators on startups, scaleups and entrepreneurssatisfied with the infrastructural business environment and the share of VC-backed companies withbusiness angel rounds. Fast market uptake and expansion also performs above average,which can In contrast, better financeisslightly below average, indicating that outcomes in terms of high-growthfirms and economic effects lag behind inputs and framework conditions. Austria’s innovation-friendly regulation index remainsconsistently above the EU average over 2020–2025, though it shows a gradual decline after 2022, converging closer to the EU by 2025. Thisindicates a still supportive but slightly weakening relative position compared to peers.The downwardtrend is mainly driven by the indicator on government support policies, which declines from114%of The regulatory environment is broadly stable and predictable, underpinned by long-term strategiessuch as the RTI Strategy 2030 and the National ERA Action Plan 2022–2025, which provide a clearpolicy framework for innovation and startups. Overall, Austriacombines strong strategic policy Austria’sperformance in the talentdimension shows a strong and improving trajectory over 2020–2025, rising from an already high level (around 117%of EU average) to approximately 127%of EUaverage, consistently well above the EU average, which increases more moderately. This indicates The country benefits from a large and highly skilled talent pool, particularly in STEM and technicalfields, supported by strong tertiary education outcomes and a high share of researchers per capita.Austria also performs well in attracting internationalstudents and researchers, with a comparatively Austria performs particularly well in the number of founders permillion population, with almost 145%of the EU average.In terms of talent attractiveness, Austria offers high quality of life and strongresearch conditions, but challenges remain regarding labour market flexibility and administrative Austria’sAccess to infrastructure,networks and services index shows strong but volatileperformance over 2020–2025. After a slight dip in 2021, the index rises sharply to a peak in 2023,declines in 2024, and recovers again in 2025, remaining well above the EU average throughout. This Austria’s participation in European Research Infrastructure shows an increasing and strongperformance in the last years, while the indicator onVC-backed companies with an angelround is Austria benefits from high-quality business infrastructure, including advanced digitalconnectivity,well-developed logistics, and access to specialised research and testing facilities.Startup supportservices are comprehensive and widely available, with strong roles played by institutions such as theAustrianResearch Promotion Agency(FFG)and cluster initiatives that facilitate mentoring,incubationand scaling.However,regional disparities persist,with support services more