Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Danube Cup (DC) 2026 International Pitch Competition took place in the Austrian capital city as part of the official program of the Entrepreneurship Avenue Conference 2026. The prestigious event brought together student startup teams from 9 universities across 4 countries along the River Danube, providing a platform for young entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative ideas before an international jury.

The first prize was awarded to Terraformer, from WU Vienna. Second place went to Prinity from OTH Regensburg, Germany, while third place was secured by TraceQ representing Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary.

Following a dedicated pitch practice session in the morning, which was reserved for participating teams, the Entrepreneurship Avenue Conference 2026 officially kicked-off at 1 PM with welcoming remarks by Rudolf Dömötör, Managing Director (ECN) and Monique Schlömmer, Head of Operations (EC WU) in Vienna. Additional speeches were delivered by Dr. Péter Fehér, Head of International Affairs at Corvinus University of Budapest, and Dr. Sarolta Tóvölgyi, Vice Dean for International Affairs at Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

The pitch competition featured 10 startup teams representing 9 universities from 4 countries. While the jury deliberated on the results, attendees listened to a keynote speech by Ali Mahlodji, internationally award-winning entrepreneur, global keynote speaker, and bestselling author. 

Following the award ceremony, participants continued to enjoy the broader Entrepreneurship Avenue conference program, including a partner fair, startup fair, additional pitch competitions, keynote speeches, and panel discussions.

Congratulations to the winning teams and well-done for all the other finalists:

HomeLab (HU) Corvinus University of Budapest, CipherCell (GE) University of Passau, Twenty Two (SK) Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Telefonagent (AT) Vienna University of Economics and Business, SkillsPals (HU) Széchenyi István University, Fireops (HU) Johannes Kepler University, CoBoarding (HU) Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Oxystick (GE) University of Regensburg

Stay tuned for more updates on the DC network.