goUrban – Startups: more present than ever

Questions posed to Jonathan Gleixner, CEO and co-founder

You launched the company with the goal of not only changing urban transport but also rethink it from scratch. What prerequisites does the Austrian business location offer to support you in realising this ambitious undertaking? 

Due to its comparatively manageable size, Austria is not only a market which can be effectively developed, but it is also well connected. This results in a homogeneity which is optimal for a test market. There are 700,000 registered passenger cars in Vienna alone, 70% of which are from companies. Even a fraction of these vehicles would not only be sufficient to cover the entire needs of private transport, but also to avoid traffic jams and a lack of parking spaces.

Spacious green areas and meeting areas could sustainably change the urban landscape. Our guiding principle for perfect mobility is to get away from ownership and move in the direction of service. We focus on the question of how perfect mobility will look like as a means of reconceiving an ancient industry which is sluggish with respect to innovation. The result: it must always be available, comfortable and sustainable.

On the basis of the recently concluded financing from Elevator Ventures, aws Founders Fund and UNIQAniqa Ventures, you want to particularly increase the team from 60 to 160 people. How do you rate the qualifications and motivation of Austrian employees in an international comparison?

The Austrians are not only very highly educated and offer international professional experience, but they also stand out due to their strong hands-on mentality. These are essential factors in the current development phase and are indispensable for us. Particularly in the last few years, one can see that startups further develop themselves from simply being a trend to being common practice. The bottom line is that startups are more present than ever before. The startup scene in Austria radiates optimism and the players display innovative and creative thinking and showcase solution-oriented approaches, visionary ideas and single-mindedness. Moreover, employees have a strong impact on decisions and are not only interchangeable numbers, as is the case in large corporations. 

Starting in 2023, you would like to be the largest software company in the field of shared mobility and evolve into a global software-as-a-service platform. Will research and development work be mainly carried out in Austria?

In part. Development work will primarily take place in Austria, but research will be done on a global basis. 

What are the most important underlying conditions and strengths of Austria as a business location for your type of company? What is its unique selling proposition? 

Austria offers a wide range of attractive framework conditions. Austria provides a broad spectrum of innovation-oriented funding programmes for companies in addition to numerous, very good educational opportunities. Furthermore, the quality of life in other countries can hardly be compared to the high level in Austria. This alone is an incentive to lure international employees to Austria. The combination of these factors as well as an excellent healthcare system, public transportation network and recreational opportunities comprise a USP for the business location.

What are the next steps planned by Was plant goUrban in Austria? Can you already tell us something about this today? 

At present, our focus is on ensuring a coordinated and strategic growth of the workforce. We are devoting a lot of time to this goal so that we have the right people with the right skills in the right phase of our development. This means that healthy growth with the right people supporting us along the way is more important than simply just growing. In addition, as goUrban we would like to forge ahead with our vision and make access to the new mobility more well-known to all Austrians. This should mainly take place via public providers as well as municipalities and cities.

Do you have any wishes with respect to the Austrian business location or Austrian Business Agency?

More incentives for companies could be created to not only accelerate and sustainably secure growth but also innovation. Greater emphasis should also be put on inducements for investors and network expansion abroad. 

And finally, one last question: what do you personally value the most about Austria?

As a German, I particularly appreciate the Mediterranean-like lightness of being in Austria as well as the high quality of life and the Viennese wit.