SMARTUP Scholarships 2025
Three outstanding teams and ideas from St. Pölten
Recently, the SMARTUP Scholarship was awarded for the seventh time at an evening celebrating outstanding teams, innovation, and the development of young startups. Out of ten applicants, three teams received scholarships worth €5,000 each.
The teams impressed not only with their innovative ideas but also with compelling pitches at St. Pölten City Hall. In addition to the financial support for the winners, all applicants benefit from a network of experts, institutions, and companies.
Winners of the SMARTUP Scholarship 2025
- Christina Liess – LOCI (Modular Furniture):
LOCI develops modular play furniture that allows children to independently create and explore a variety of play scenarios. - Antun Primorac, Viktoria Schelberger, Mateo Primorac – Slice | News in Motion:
SLICE offers young people a smart, mindful, and playful approach to current information, addressing the decline in usage of traditional media on social platforms. - Miriam Pratter, Filip Dovracek, Angeliki Sitara – Brewcycle:
Brewcycle combines brewing and recycling by transforming brewery waste into high-quality garden products. It provides an integrated circular solution that creates added value for breweries, gardeners, and the environment.
Following the welcoming remarks by Vice Mayor Michael Kögl, Gabriele Permoser guided the audience through the program.
Valuable Support for Creative Minds
Vice Mayor Michael Kögl stated:
“With the SMARTUP Scholarship, we as a city clearly commit to supporting creative ideas and courageous founders who deserve a real opportunity. We specifically help young visionaries further develop their ideas, build networks, and create genuine added value for our business location – from St. Pölten to the world. I congratulate all participants on their courage, from which these great ideas emerged, and warmly congratulate the winners on their success. On behalf of the city, we wish them and their promising projects continued success.”
“The event offered an inspiring platform for exchange between established companies, innovative startups, and the local startup community. The diversity of the presented ideas and the lively discussion following the pitches clearly demonstrated the potential that exists in St. Pölten. The SMARTUP Scholarship once again reinforces the dynamic development of St. Pölten as an innovation hub and creates valuable connections that extend far beyond financial support. I am pleased that our university, through coordinating this initiative, can make a meaningful contribution,” said Hannes Raffaseder Managing Director of USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten.
Selection Criteria
The selection was carried out by an independent jury of experts, evaluating in particular the level of innovation and growth potential of the concepts, the clarity of the business plans, the added value for the city of St. Pölten, planned local collaborations, and the strategic use of the scholarship.
The 2025 jury consisted of Matthias Weiländer (Marketing St. Pölten GmbH), Petra Fischer (ESG im Fokus), and Robin Gerl (rizup Startup Services).
SMARTUP St. Pölten is an initiative dedicated to promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups in the city of St. Pölten. The initiative was developed on behalf of the City of St. Pölten by USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten and is managed by the university.
