Being a first-time founder comes with both exciting opportunities and significant challenges. This masterclass will guide you in setting realistic goals as you embark on the journey of starting your own business. Our aim is to equip you with the knowledge to develop clear expectations and leverage the outcomes of your research when taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

Since experience is one of the best teachers, we have invited two founders from TU Wien-affiliated companies who have walked this path. From writing their first business plan to securing investment and scaling up, Maria and Christian will share their journeys, lessons learned, and practical insights.

Spinning off a company requires time, financial commitment, and a passionate team that truly believes in its technology. This masterclass will help you prepare for what lies ahead—so you can navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities with confidence.

At the end of the talk, you will:

– have gained some insights on how to strategize your next steps into spining off
– have a good overview of what obstacles to avoid when founding an academia-derived venture

About the speakers

Christian Weilach:
Christian holds a PhD in Chemistry from TU Wien and has over a decade of experience in the industry, where he led R&D projects and scaled a disruptive textile recycling technology. Now, he has returned to his entrepreneurial roots as the Co-founder and future CEO of “Cool catalyst”, a pioneering company dedicated to transforming CO₂ emissions into valuable methanol, helping to defossilize the chemical industry.

With expertise in managing strategic projects and collaborating with international teams and partners, Christian brings firsthand insights into the challenges and opportunities of launching a deep-tech startup. As an inventor, he has filed 18 patents, showcasing his drive for innovation.

Check Christian Weilach on LinkedIn., öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster

Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner:
Maria was born in Graz, Austria. Growing up, she was frequently exposed to the construction industry through close family members who owned construction companies. This made studying civil engineering a natural choice for her - one that turned out to be a perfect fit from the very beginning.

Maria completed her studies in Innsbruck and Vienna, Austria, as well as in Melbourne, Australia. After graduating, she worked as a structural engineer on international industrial construction projects across the DACH region.

During her master’s program, she participated in a research project that ultimately led to the founding of her company. Now, with “factorymaker”, she and her team are developing a cloud-based design agent for industrial building projects. factorymaker provides engineers, project developers, and building owners with automatically generated designs, supporting informed decision-making for more sustainable and efficient industrial sites.

Check Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner on LinkedIn., öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster

About the Entrepreneurship for Scientists Series

The Entrepreneurship for Scientists Series organized by the TU Wien Innovation Incubation Center (i²c) is targeting scientists who would like to enrich or develop a personal entrepreneurial skillset & business competencies, know more about opportunities how to navigate innovations from „the lab“ to society or who would simply like to engage in entrepreneurial thinking. These workshops are free of charge to scientists from all faculties and institutes of TU Wien. Registration required.