Entrepreneurship and founding

Self-employment means, among other things, the ability to motivate yourself and those around you to do extraordinary things, to believe in the idea and to keep going after setbacks. Entrepreneurial thinking and action is also a way of life. In order to live up to this credo, we work together with nationally and internationally renowned researchers, practitioners and experts in research and teaching. We deal with questions such as "What contributes to the success of a start-up?" and "Are you born a founder or can you learn to become one?". Current research projects in this area include

• Startup Barometer: The Graz Startup Barometer provides a picture of the mood of the Graz startup scene. This annual survey is carried out in collaboration with Science Park Graz and IdeenTriebwerk Graz and aims to track the development of the Graz start-up scene. Answers to questions such as "What potential for improvement do you see in Graz?" or "What is missing in Graz as a start-up location?" provide key pointers for further development for external stakeholders such as educational institutions, universities, business and politics.

• Start-uptest: The start-up test is a project to determine and shape start-up skills. A questionnaire is currently being developed to help people interested in starting a business to determine where their own skills and development potential lie. The questionnaire is based on the assumption that the success of founders depends on three aspects: 1. the person of the founder, 2. the founding idea and 3. the situational framework conditions that exist during the founding period. This study determines what makes start-ups successful, which people can imagine starting a business and how those interested in starting a business can be identified.