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AWS Preseed
Austria Wirtschaftsservice was established in 1954 by the Republic of Austria as the primary public body charged with strengthening the domestic business...
AWS Preseed
Austria Wirtschaftsservice was established in 1954 by the Republic of Austria as the primary public body charged with strengthening the domestic business location. The agency operates AWS Preseed to deliver capital across seed, start-up and growth phases. AWS Preseed allocates across private equity, venture and grant instruments with a current 20 percent weighting to private equity. It targets early-stage companies in Austria and provides ticket sizes between 0.1 million and 0.35 million USD. Confirmed holdings include BehaviorQuant Behavioral Finance Technologies, Captic, NodeVenture, ONDEWO, aitiologic, Lightning Company, consola.finance, Oxygen Scientific and Legitary. Geographic reach centers on Austria with additional program activity in the European Union. The agency employs an undisclosed number of professionals and maintains its headquarters at Rechte Wienzeile 225 in Vienna. It runs two foundations: Best of Biotech, an international life-sciences business-plan competition, and LISA – Life Science Austria, which supplies grants and networking inside the Austrian biotech and medtech sectors. In June 2024 the agency sponsored Technology Talks Austria on the topics of research and technology policy. AWS Preseed functions as a 100 percent subsidiary of the Republic of Austria with the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism acting as owner representative and primary funding source. This ownership structure channels public capital directly into private-company equity and milestone-based grants without intermediary fund vehicles.
General information
Firm type
Government / Public Body
Year founded
1954
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Austria
City
Vienna
Corporate office
Rechte Wienzeile 225, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who owns AWS Preseed?
The Republic of Austria owns 100 percent of Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH, the entity that runs AWS Preseed.
What asset classes does AWS Preseed deploy into?
The program allocates to private equity, venture capital and non-repayable grants with a disclosed 20 percent current weighting to private equity.
Does AWS Preseed take direct equity positions?
Yes. The agency holds direct ownership stakes in twelve Austrian startups through AWS Preseed and AWS Preseed – Deep Tech vehicles.
What is the typical investment size at AWS Preseed?
Ticket sizes range from 0.1 million to 0.35 million USD with an investment horizon of one to two years.
Which ministries fund AWS Preseed?
The Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism serves as primary funding source; the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology partners on GreenTech initiatives.
Does AWS Preseed maintain philanthropic or competition vehicles?
Yes. It manages Best of Biotech, an international life-sciences business-plan competition, and LISA – Life Science Austria, which provides grants and networking for biotech and medtech startups.
How does AWS Preseed source deals?
Deal flow arrives through direct applications, co-funding relationships with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, and participation in events such as 4YFN Barcelona and SALZ.
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