Focus on the Rot-Weiß-Rot Fund-of-Funds – Austrian Business Angel Day 2025
Yesterday, the Austrian Business Angel Day 2025 took place at Schloss Esterházy – a strong testament to Austria’s spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. The event, organized by Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland in cooperation with aws and AplusB, brought together around 150 investors as well as leading representatives from politics and business.
I was invited to share my expertise on the panel “Red-White-Red Fund-of-Funds: Strengthening Venture Capital in Austria”, alongside Oliver Holle (Speedinvest), Alexander Thees (KfW Capital), and Bernhard Sagmeister (CEO of aws). The discussion was expertly moderated by Nataša Deutinger (Startup Salzburg | Innovation Salzburg GmbH).
The Fund-of-Funds initiative announced by the Austrian government – led by State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner in collaboration with invest.austria – marks a milestone for Austria’s venture capital landscape. To fully realize its potential, it will be crucial to bring institutional capital on board – particularly from insurance companies, pension funds, and banks.
Drawing on my background in portfolio and asset management, I highlighted the specific requirements of institutional investors. Key challenges include the fund’s legal structure, regulatory frameworks under Solvency II and IORP II within the remit of EIOPA (the European supervisory authority for insurance and pension funds), capital requirements for venture capital (SCR/MCR), as well as risk management, governance, and disclosure obligations.
It will be essential to involve all relevant stakeholders from the very beginning – from policymakers and regulators to institutional investors.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Business Angel of the Year 2025 Awards. The winners were Katarzyna Renata Pichler, recognized for her outstanding commitment to entrepreneurship education (became.ai at TU Wien, with over 490 participants), and Philipp Kinsky (Herbst Kinsky), honored for legal excellence and his key role in the creation of the FlexCo. Congratulations to both awardees.
My sincere thanks go to all guests, speakers, and the entire organizing team.
Photos: VOGUS
