WeAreDevelopers Opens Its Silicon Valley Stage to Austrian Startups in Partnership with WKÖ AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA

‍Twelve selected Austrian startups will get a fully supported pathway into the US tech market, including exclusive access to the WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America in San José this September. Applications open until May 22, 2026.

13 May, 2026, San Francisco, CA / Vienna, AT: WeAreDevelopers, the world’s leading platform for developers and tech leaders, and WKÖ AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA today announced a strategic collaboration to bring Austrian startups to the heart of Silicon Valley this September, timed deliberately to coincide with the WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, taking place September 23–25, 2026 at the San José McEnery Convention Center.

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As part of the GoUSA Silicon Valley 2026 initiative, WKÖ AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA’s Startup Landing Zone program will select twelve Austrian startups for a fully supported market entry experience in the San Francisco Bay Area, including exclusive access to the WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America. Four startups have already been confirmed. 

The program offers selected startups access to high-level keynotes, hands-on workshops, and individual coaching and mentoring sessions. Crucially, participants will have the opportunity to present themselves at three of the most influential tech events in the world: the WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, San Francisco Tech Week, and TechCrunch Disrupt, providing direct access to VCs, business angels, and key players across the Silicon Valley ecosystem.

For WeAreDevelopers, the timing is no coincidence. As the company brings its flagship event to North America for the first time, it is also opening the door for the next generation of European tech founders to be part of that moment. As the global home for developers and tech builders, WeAreDevelopers is committed to ensuring that talented founders, regardless of where they come from, get access to the rooms, the conversations, and the networks that matter. 

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“We are bringing the world’s best developers and tech leaders to San José this September, and we want Austrian founders in that room. Talent and ambition don’t stop at borders, and neither do we. This is our way of making sure the next big thing doesn’t go unnoticed just because it started in Austria”, says Benjamin Ruschin, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of WeAreDevelopers.

“Austrian founders combine tech excellence with global ambition. Through GoUSA Silicon Valley, we help some of Austria’s most innovative startups scale into Silicon Valley, the world’s leading ecosystem where great ideas meet capital, talent, and opportunity. The program challenges our Austrian entrepreneurs to think bigger, move faster, and compete globally, while positioning Austrian startups on the international stage,” according to Michael Dobersberger, Austrian Trade Commissioner in San Francisco.

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The collaboration represents a natural win-win: Austrian startups gain a cost-effective, structured pathway into one of the world’s most competitive tech markets, while WeAreDevelopers strengthens its commitment to supporting global startups and emerging founders at the same stage as the world’s biggest tech companies.

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Austrian tech founders interested in applying for one of the remaining eight spots can do so until May 22, 2026 at: wko.at/veranstaltungen/7b556528-8eb2-4c33-9c87-7ff218f44e3a

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