Vienna is quietly becoming one of Europe’s most interesting cities for climate and ESG innovation. While Berlin, London, and Paris often dominate the headlines, Austria’s capital is building a strong reputation for producing startups that tackle climate risk, renewable energy, circular economy challenges, and ESG compliance often with deep technical expertise and real-world application. From climate data platforms and carbon-reduction technologies to circular manufacturing and clean energy solutions, Vienna’s ecosystem reflects a broader shift: sustainability is no longer a niche, but a business imperative. 10 Vienna-based Climate and ESG startups shaping the future in 2026.
1. refinq – Turning Climate Risk Into Actionable Intelligence
refinq helps companies understand where climate risk truly lies down to specific locations and assets. Its platform combines geospatial data, climate models, and ESG frameworks to help organizations comply with emerging regulations such as ESRS and TNFD. Rather than overwhelming users with raw data, refinq focuses on clarity: what risks matter, where they exist, and what to do next.
2. Cosmotaics – Solar Energy That Produces Water
Cosmotaics addresses two global challenges at once: energy and water scarcity. Its technology enables solar panels to harvest clean drinking water from the air while generating electricity. In a warming world where droughts are becoming more frequent, solutions like this could be transformative especially for regions with abundant sun but limited freshwater access.
3. EnergyTrack – Making Energy Consumption Visible
EnergyTrack believes that sustainability starts with awareness. Its software provides real-time insights into energy usage, helping households and businesses identify inefficiencies and reduce emissions. By turning complex consumption data into simple, understandable insights, EnergyTrack empowers users to make smarter, greener decisions every day.
4. WilsonGuide – Reducing Waste in Global Logistics
Packaging waste is one of the least glamorous but most pressing climate issues. WilsonGuide tackles it head-on with reusable and durable packaging solutions designed for modern logistics. Its approach supports the circular economy while also reducing costs and environmental impact for companies shipping goods worldwide.
5. BeResilient – Building Climate-Ready Businesses
BeResilient focuses on helping organizations prepare for climate disruption, not just report on it. The startup develops digital tools that assess physical climate risks and resilience strategies across supply chains and infrastructure. As extreme weather events become more common, resilience is quickly becoming a core ESG pillar and BeResilient is positioning itself at the center of that shift.
6. SolPure – Getting More Power From the Sun
SolPure works on increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic systems using advanced materials and surface technologies. The goal is simple but powerful: generate more clean energy from the same amount of space. In densely populated cities and industrial areas, where space is limited, this kind of innovation can make renewable energy adoption far more practical.
7. co2ol catalyst – Turning Emissions Into Resources
Instead of treating CO₂ as waste, co2ol catalyst treats it as a raw material. The startup develops catalytic processes that convert industrial carbon emissions into useful chemicals such as methanol. This approach doesn’t just reduce emissions it helps close the carbon loop, making heavy industry more compatible with climate targets.
8. 2nd Cycle FlexCo – Circular Economy for Solar Panels
As solar installations age, waste is becoming a growing concern. 2nd Cycle FlexCo addresses this by refurbishing and re-processing used solar modules, extending their lifecycle and reducing environmental impact. It’s a reminder that clean energy must also be circular to be truly sustainable.
9. BergWind Energy – Smarter Wind Power
BergWind Energy develops technologies that improve the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines. By optimizing performance and reducing downtime, the company helps wind farms generate more power with fewer resources. Incremental improvements like these play a crucial role in scaling renewable energy across Europe.
10. Hakara – Real-Time Environmental Intelligence
Hakara combines sensors, data platforms, and analytics to monitor environmental conditions in real time. Its tools support climate-aware decision-making for cities, infrastructure projects, and industrial operators. As urban areas adapt to climate change, solutions that translate environmental data into action will become increasingly valuable.
Why Vienna’s Climate Startup Scene Matters
Vienna’s strength lies in its balance of deep tech, practical application, and long-term thinking. Supported by strong public institutions, universities, and climate-focused accelerators, startups here tend to focus less on hype and more on durable impact. With ESG regulation tightening across Europe and climate risks becoming impossible to ignore, the startups emerging from Vienna are well-positioned to scale beyond Austria and play a meaningful role in the global transition to a low-carbon economy.
