It was a strong showing for TU Wien’s entrepreneurial ecosystem at this year’s PHÖNIX Gründungspreis, with former i²ncubatees earning recognition across multiple categories.
Standing out among roughly 130 submissions, factorymaker – a TU Wien spin-off developing an AI-powered platform for automated industrial facility planning – was named among the top three spin-offs and received the award in the Female Entrepreneurs category. The platform helps manufacturers analyze and compare factory designs across efficiency, cost, and sustainability metrics. Co-founders and i²c alumni Julia Reisinger and Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner just recently set another major milestone by raising €1.1M in pre-seed funding.

“TU Wien has a responsibility to ensure that more women find their way from an initial idea to a successful company,” said Vice Rector Ute Koch, celebrating the team’s achievement.

NeverDrift Recognized as Top Prototype

Adding to TU Wien’s presence at the awards, NeverDrift – a precision stabilization technology developed at the Institute of Applied Physics – was selected as a finalist in the Prototype category. The technology enables real-time compensation of thermal drift and vibration at the nanometer scale, with applications in semiconductor manufacturing, microscopy, and nano-fabrication. The NeverDrift team also went through i²c’s Pre-Incubation Program to evaluate the technology’s market potential and develop an initial business case.

Both ventures reflect the momentum building at i²c, which continues to support TU Wien researchers and founders on their path from lab to market. The double recognition at PHÖNIX is yet another testament to why the Innovation Incubation Center has recently been recognized by the Financial Times among Europe’s best start-up hubs.