What
A conference on skis
Take a normal startup conference. Add snow, ski lifts and mountain air. Two and a half days for startups, investors, corporates and innovators from every industry.
ABOUT
SKINNOVATION'S HISTORY
Origin
From an African venture bus to the Alps
Before moving to Innsbruck at the end of 2014, Kathrin Treutinger organized the AMPION Venture Bus - a startup event that took around 30 people across West Africa, from Nigeria to the Ivory Coast via Benin, Togo and Ghana. By day the group worked on startup ideas while travelling, in the evenings they pitched them at local hubs and accelerators. The idea she carried home was simple: a Moving Event, where people build things together while they are literally in motion.
Innsbruck came next, for a doctorate with Prof. Johann Fueller at the University of Innsbruck. In Tyrol, motion means skis. Fueller had a regular round-table with people from WKO, Standortagentur and CAST (today Startup Tirol). A friend at CAST put it plainly: "Cool idea, Kathrin - here's 1,000 EUR, you know your way around ski buses and lift tickets. Go make it happen."
In 2015, the first SKInnovation ran as a single day with just over 20 students, plus a handful of mentors and speakers, moving from hut to hut. The guiding question was clear from day one: how can Innsbruck become more innovative and attractive for the startup scene - internationally, not just locally.
The idea
A serious conference in an unusual setting
Why
Fun environment, serious business
Inspiration shows up where people laugh, move and get outside. We use the mountain to shortcut small talk and get straight to the real conversations.
How
Gondolas beat conference rooms
Gondola rides, ski runs and shared meals replace the plenary hall. The results are real connections and the deals that grow out of them.
Honest note: skiing is not for everyone, and the ecosystem around it can look elitist. We use skis as a door-opener, and we deliberately push impact, sustainability and empowerment at the core of the program.
Growth
2013 -> 2027
2013
The seed in West Africa
Kathrin's idea of a Moving Event that brings people together while they travel is born.
2015
20 people
20 students, three ski huts
The first edition in Innsbruck. One day, just over 20 students in teams of four, one mentor each, three huts, and 1.000 EUR of seed money.
2016 - 2019
~200
From student pitch to institution
A pitch to the Chamber of Commerce brings 25,000 EUR instead of the 5,000 EUR asked for. Hosted by the University of Innsbruck, the format scales to three days across several ski areas, with nearly 200 participants and around 20 nationalities from day one. From the very beginning, it was a truly international event, welcoming people from across Europe, with around 20 different nationalities represented right from the start. Even in that early edition, the event drew remarkable speakers-among them Jochen Engert, co-founder of FlixBus.
2020 - 2022
~100
Covid reset
After growing to around 300 people, the 2020 edition is cancelled two days before opening, 2021 is off entirely, and 2022 returns as a single day with 100 people. The community kept showing up.
2023
~300
All in
Back to 300 participants - and a turning point: over the summer the team is rebuilt and the event professionalized in earnest: Kathrin goes full-time, Valentin joins.
2024
~600
Breakout year
The format finds its audience across DACH and beyond, now focused on a single ski area to make the on-mountain setup work at scale.
2025
~950
Peak scale
950 international SKInnovators, 150 startups, 100 investors, 70 corporates - and a participant cap, since the venues can't hold more. The kick-off moves to the larger Agnes Heller Haus.
2026
~900
Quality over quantity
New strategy, more commitment, higher quality, but the same energy at 2,340 m. After more than ten years of Kathrin leading alone, Valentin joins as Co-Lead in summer 2026.
2026 / 2027
Italy Edition + Innsbruck 2027
Second edition abroad in Madonna di Campiglio, followed by SKInnovation Innsbruck on 10 - 12 March 2027.
Impact 2025
What the last edition looked like
- 950
- SKInnovators from across Europe
- 150
- Startups (mostly Pre-Seed & Seed)
- 100
- Investors (VCs, angels, CVCs)
- 70
- Corporates on the mountain
- 150
- Additional attendees
- 90
- Volunteers keeping it running
- 70 / 30
- % from DACH vs. rest of Europe & US
Topics span every industry, with a focus on impact, empowerment, AI, software, health, manufacturing, products, sports tech and corporate innovation.
Who shows up
The room, in names
Speakers on stage
- Jochen Engert (FlixBus)
- Waldemar Zeiler (einhorn)
- Benedikt Boehm (Dynafit)
- Markus Hallermann (Komoot)
- Michael Brehm (Redstone VC)
- Anastasia Barner (FeMentor)
- Lara Sophie Bothur
- Valeska Schneider (RIVVER)
- Quinten Selhorst (EWOR)
Corporates & partners
- SAP
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Mastercard
- Accenture
- Canon
- Deutsche Telekom
- N26
- Erste Bank
- FlixBus
- Red Bull
- Komoot
- aws
- Raiffeisen
- Oesterreich Werbung
- EIT Manufacturing
Investors on the mountain
- Redstone
- Seven Ventures
- Bayern Kapital
- UVC
- Symbia VC
- Gateway Ventures
Universities in the room
- TUM
- ETH Zuerich
- WU Wien
- TU Graz
- Cambridge
- Copenhagen Business School
What people take home
Jan Gutknecht
Director SAP for Startups
„SKInnovation truly stands out as an event, bringing together startup founders, investors, and ecosystem professionals from all over Europe. The pleasant atmosphere in the alps guarantees meaningful, even spontaneous, connections throughout the entire event. The ideal target group positioning 'SAP for Startups'-services'.“
Michael Brehm
Founder Redstone VC & former CEO StudiVZ
„Top-notch participants, inspiring talks, and a unique atmosphere - I'll definitely be back at SKInnovation! As a Partner VC, we appreciated the relaxed setting that made meaningful networking easy. We met promising startups and formed connections that go beyond the event.“
Whats Waiting for all SKInnovators
New chapter
SKInnovation Italy
May 2026
Our second edition abroad, hosted in Madonna di Campiglio. Same formula, new mountain, growing community.
Visit websiteNext up in Innsbruck
10 - 12 March 2027
Two and a half days at 2,340 m in the Axamer Lizum, plus the kick-off evening in Innsbruck.
Come up the mountain with us.
Join SKInnovation 2027 in Innsbruck - 10 to 12 March.
Organized by transfercenter Wissenschaft - Wirtschaft - Gesellschaft, University of Innsbruck.