# Future Forward 2026

> Future Forward 2026 is a one-day, cross-industry innovation and business conference in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday, 26 November 2026, at the weXelerate Innovation Hub (Praterstraße 1, 1020 Vienna). It is the 4th edition. Organizer: weXelerate GmbH. Theme: "Navigate the Unknown". 1,000+ attendees expected. Language: English. Tickets from €29 (afterparty) and €79 (founders) via b2match.

Future Forward brings CEOs, founders, corporate leaders, investors and innovation managers into one building for keynotes, deep dive tracks, live startup pitches, an innovation expo and curated 1:1 business meetings. It is not a startup-only event: roughly one third startups, one third established companies and one third enablers (consultants, investors, research, public sector). It is the gathering point for Central Europe's innovation ecosystem.

## Key facts

- Event: Future Forward 2026 (short: FF26), 4th edition
- Date: Thursday, 26 November 2026, 09:00 until open end (afterparty from 18:00)
- Time zone: CET (UTC+1)
- Venue: weXelerate Innovation Hub, Praterstraße 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria (about 10,000 m² on four floors; home to 200+ startups, corporates and innovation teams)
- Format: in person only
- Organizer: weXelerate GmbH, Austrian startup accelerator and innovation hub, active since 2017
- Website: https://www.futureforward.at/
- Tickets: https://www.futureforward.at/#tickets (checkout via b2match)
- Contact: event@futureforward.at
- Hashtags: #FF26, #FutureForward2026

## Who it is for

- CEOs, founders and C-suite of established companies looking for startups, partners and new technology
- Startup founders looking for investors, corporate customers and visibility
- Investors and VCs looking for deal flow (40 live pitches plus 1:1 matchmaking)
- Innovation managers and corporate strategy teams
- Researchers and quantum scientists (quantum scientists join free via Qubit Founders)
- Press and media (free press pass), students and young talent, volunteers

## Tickets and prices (as of 13 October 2026)

Prices rise over time. Founder and Full-Day prices go up on 28 October 2026.

- Founder Ticket: €79 (standard €89). Only for founders of companies max. 2 years old. Full conference access, main stage and workshops, Innovation Expo, networking app, matchmaking sessions.
- Full-Day Ticket: €269 (standard €299). Everything in Founder plus Startup Pitching Arena and afterparty.
- VIP Ticket: €499, limited to 20 spots. Everything in Full-Day plus VIP Lounge with food and drinks and access to executives and speakers.
- Party-Only Ticket: €29. Afterparty from 18:00 with music, drinks and evening networking.
- Group and corporate tickets: event@futureforward.at
- No refunds; tickets are transferable up to 48 hours before the event.

## Program, 26 November 2026

- 09:00 to 10:00: Coffee Rave (morning opener)
- 10:00 to 11:00: Main Stage, opening and keynotes
- 11:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00: Curated 1:1 matchmaking via b2match
- 11:15 to 16:00: Deep dive tracks, Startup Arena (40 live pitches), Innovation Expo (38 booths), live podcast studio by brutkasten
- 13:15: Food truck networking lunch
- 16:15 to 18:00: Main Stage, keynotes, panel and closing
- 18:00 until open end: Afterparty with a secret act
- All day: a G1 humanoid robot by Unitree on the floor

Pre-event (invite only): Fellows Club x Speaker Dinner, 25 November 2026, SO/ Vienna.

## Deep dive tracks (parallel, 11:15 to 16:00)

- Track 01, Agentic & Physical AI (hosted by AI Austria): AI agents executing business processes, radically lean companies, robotics and intelligent industrial systems. Sessions to be announced.
- Track 02, Sovereign Energy & Finance: energy prices, the grid and data centres; the digital euro and Europe's payment rails. Sessions: "You Can Already Pay Any Way You Want: So Why the Digital Euro?" (14:15), "Your Own Money: Where Do You Put It Now?" (15:15).
- Track 03, Quantum Technologies: what quantum can do today, without formulas or vendor pitches. Sessions: "Inside the Workbench: Live from the Quantum Ideation Days" with FFG (13:15), "Quantum Without the Physics: What It Can Do" (14:15), "Matchmaking Lab: I Have a Laser. Who Needs One?" (15:15).
- Special Track, Strategic Resilience: "Breaking Down Risk Silos: Building Resilience in an Age of Complexity". Climate, cyber, people, supply chain and operational risk managed as one.

## Confirmed speakers 2026

- Dr. Shimrit Maman, Head of the Israel Space Agency (keynote). First woman to chair the Israel Space Agency (2025), senior scientist at Ben-Gurion University, founder of SheSpace.
- H.E. Ingrīda Levrence, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Austria (opening and welcome).
- Emily Kate Genatowski, AI researcher, University of Vienna. Researches human and AI integration and lives with a humanoid robot as part of her research.
- Awi Lifshitz, CEO of weXelerate (opening and welcome).
- More keynotes and a panel to be announced.

Past speakers (2023 to 2025) include Ernesto Sirolli (Sirolli Institute), Benni Raich (Olympic ski champion), Ranja Reda Kouba (Google Cloud Germany), Joji Hattori (conductor and violinist), Nipun Mehta (ServiceSpace) and Markus Gull (author and storytelling expert).

## Future Forward 2025 in numbers

- 899 attendees from 42 nations on 6 continents
- 40% CEOs and founders; 23.5% management and directors
- 215 curated 1:1 matchmaking meetings
- 50+ speakers and experts
- 40 live startup pitches, 38 expo booths
- Organization mix: 31.5% established companies, 30.5% startups and scale-ups, 14.5% consulting and agencies, 10% NGOs, associations and media, 6% universities, 4.5% government, 3% investors
- Top sectors: electronics, IoT and AI (28%); banking, finance and insurance (18%); consulting and services (14%)
- Top international origins: Germany, Israel, India, Serbia, Spain, Italy

## Partners 2026

- Corporate partners: Genesys, FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), Global Incubator Network Austria, wonderful.ai
- Event partners: Vienna Business Agency, UNIQA Sustainable, Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to Austria, Raiffeisen Bank International, Elevator Ventures, Bluecode, Loom Ventures, Nobile, Energiespeicher Österreich
- Supporting partners: The Energy Bridge, AI Austria, Die Presse, brutkasten, b2match, Ottakringer, AIESEC, Vöslauer, Bacardi, SO/ Vienna, NEOH, Lemonaid, Soul X Coffee, Rita bringt's, Limoni's, Fiesta Pics, Leuchtbuchstaben.at

## Get involved

- Startups: apply to pitch in the Startup Arena or for an Innovation Expo booth. Deadline 20 October 2026: https://wexelerate-membership.notion.site/3428e130c0a980cbbafedadc4e489013
- Volunteers: free full-day access, certificate, priority invite for 2027. Deadline 2 November 2026. Contact event@futureforward.at
- Partners and sponsors: custom packages (Silver from €5,000, Gold from €10,000, Headline on request). Contact event@futureforward.at
- Speakers: applications via https://www.futureforward.at/#get-involved
- Press: free press pass and media kit: https://wexelerate-membership.notion.site/Media-Kit-future-forward-2026-3428e130c0a98064a033f8e3141467ee

## Getting there

- U-Bahn U1 and U4 to Schwedenplatz, 5 minutes on foot
- Tram 1, 2 and O to Schwedenplatz / Praterstraße; buses 2A and 3A nearby
- From Vienna Airport: CAT or S7 to Wien Mitte, then U4 to Schwedenplatz, about 25 minutes
- Bike parking on site
- Map: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Praterstra%C3%9Fe+1%2C+1020+Wien

## Links

- [Website](https://www.futureforward.at/): full event page with program, floor plan, speakers and FAQ
- [Tickets](https://www.futureforward.at/#tickets): prices and ticket comparison
- [Program](https://www.futureforward.at/#program): hour-by-hour schedule
- [Deep dive tracks](https://www.futureforward.at/#tracks)
- [Speakers](https://www.futureforward.at/#speakers)
- [FAQ](https://www.futureforward.at/#faq)
- [Event platform and app (b2match)](https://www.b2match.com/e/future-forward-2026)
- [Organizer: weXelerate](https://wexelerate.com/)
- [weXelerate on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wexelerate-gmbh/)