Open Austria

03/13/2026

2️⃣ days into GDC Festival of Gaming and the energy around the Austrian corner of the expo floor is already fantastic! 🇦🇹🎮 🎵

At Booth 2227, the Austrian Play Arcade   and the Austrian Sound Station   are buzzing with energy. ✨ 🇦🇹 Throughout the first two days, a steady stream of GDC visitors has been stopping by, with long lines forming to try out the games and experience the sound installations firsthand. Together with Pioneers of Game Development Austria, we are proud to showcase the creativity, talent, and growing momentum of Austria’s game development community.

Yesterday we hosted a lively  networking afternoon together with Swissnex in San Francisco, bringing together Austrian, Swiss, and German companies attending GDC. The event was supported by ReFocus Austria and turned into exactly what we had hoped for: great conversations, fresh insights from the show floor, and new connections across the game dev community.

A special highlight this morning: Simon Schneider, Board Member of PGDA Austria, took the stage at the GDC Arena to speak about the Austrian game industry and its growing international presence. 🎤

If you are at GDC, stop by Booth 2227 and say hello. The Austrian arcade is open! 🇦🇹🕹️

03/11/2026

Meet us at Festival of Gaming at the 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄: starting tomorrow until Friday at booth 2227!

Step into the 🎮 Austrian Play Arcade: and the 🎵 Austrian Sound Station: to experience a curated showcase of Austria’s most exciting game developers and game music creators.

⚡️𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 ⚡️
(For more detailed information, please see the link in the comments.)
🎮 Mi‘pu‘mi Games
🎮 Flathead Head Studio
🎮 stillalive studios
🎮 Redox Interactive
🎮 We Cure Boredom
🎮 Belvedere Museum (with Art Leap)
🎮 Accidently Awesome
🎮+🎵 Trimond Studios by Philipp Lehner
🎵 Vienna Synchron Stage
🎵 Happy Donkey Music by Raimund Hepp

🤝 In partnership with Pioneers of Game Development Austria, Austria’s national game development association!

03/06/2026

We are absolutely thrilled that the Austrian national team will play their first match in the SF Bay Area!

In preparation for the big game (and the even bigger ones to follow), OPEN AUSTRIA‘s co-directors met with Lennart Coerdt from the (Austrian Football Federation) to exchange ideas about how to make it a memorable experience for everyone - the fans coming to and those already living in the Bay Area.

Really looking forward to the game on June 16th at .
Stay tuned for updates as the date approaches!

03/03/2026

Viennese elegance, Stanford energy, Bay Area sparkle ✨

The 48th Viennese Ball at Stanford brought a true piece of Austrian 🇦🇹 tradition to California and what a night it was.

With more than 450 balls taking place each season in alone, this cultural ritual is very much alive and traveling far beyond Austria’s borders. Seeing it celebrated with such care and authenticity here in the San Francisco Bay Area makes us proud!

From the graceful opening Polonaise in black and white, to the waltz orchestra guiding couples across the dance floor, to the beloved midnight Quadrille that brings everyone together, the evening captured the spirit of a classic Viennese ball beautifully.

A special thank you to the Stadt Wien for sponsoring this wonderful tradition abroad, and to the dedicated Ball Committee for their attention to detail, including a German welcome by Austrian MC Sebastian Marsoner that truly set the tone and opened the ball with the famous words „Alles Walzer!“.

It was an honor for the OPEN AUSTRIA team to attend and celebrate Austrian culture in the Bay Area together with this vibrant Stanford University community.

A little Vienna in Silicon Valley. We love to see it. 🇦🇹❤️🇺🇸

AustrianCulture BayAreaEvents

02/14/2026

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day from OPEN AUSTRIA ❤️
We‘re sending a little love from Silicon Valley ➡️ Boston ➡️ Austria and back.

To our founders, partners, community members, and friends who show up, share ideas, and support each other every day: we appreciate you more than you know.

Our favorite kind of love story?
🇦🇹Austria 🫶USA 🇺🇸

02/05/2026

Yesterday we joined the 2026 Botstiber Lecture in Austrian Studies at  University of California, Berkeley, where Consul Isabella Tomás delivered welcoming remarks to mark this special academic tradition.

This year marks the 5th for Austrian-American Studies Lecture held at Berkeley and the 4th time Consul Tomás had the pleasure of welcoming the visiting professors to the Bay Area. A wonderful testament to the strength and continuity of Austrian Studies in California.

We were honored to welcome Thomas Ertl, Professor of High and Late Medieval History at Freie Universität Berlin, who presented his lecture:
“The Jewish Community of Vienna in the Middle Ages: A Turbulent History and its Material Remains.”

Professor Ertl offered insights into the history of Vienna’s Jewish community, highlighting its cultural achievements, the profound challenges it faced, and the importance of material remains such as the medieval synagogue at Judenplatz in preserving memory and understanding daily life in the Middle Ages.

The event, moderated by Jeroen Dewulf, brought together scholars, students, and members of the community for a thoughtful discussion on history, resilience, and cross cultural understanding.

Thank you to the Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley, and all partners who made this event possible.

We are proud to support academic exchange and dialogue that deepen the connections between Austria and the Bay Area.

01/26/2026

Join us this Wednesday as we launch a new year of , , and !

​The Kickoff 2026 brings together our OPEN AUSTRIA community and the inaugural cohort of Austrian executives embarking on the first-ever learning journey "OPEN AUSTRIA Executive Learning: AI, Innovation & Leadership".

​We are also excited to welcome 'BOLD Minds' in the San Francisco Bay Area, a curated group of innovators from diverse sectors and offers an opportunity to engage in cross-industry exchange and discussion.

​Expect an evening of inspiration, new perspectives, meaningful connections, and forward-looking conversations on technology, AI, leadership, and organizational transformation.

Please RSVP here: https://luma.com/6u6w3nn5!

We are looking forward to see you there! 👋

​ 👉 Delegation of Austrian Executives Includes:
​Industrial & Engineering: ​​Andritz, ​​Microinnova Engineering​​
Automotive & Mobility: ​​AVL List
​Facility Services: ​​Dr. Sasse Facility Management
​Tech & Digitalization: ​​Specific-Group, ​​Inflex, ​Vconsult
​Consulting & Leadership: TrainUS, ​​ICG Integrated Consulting, ​​TOVOP, ​​petrichor
​Sustainability: ​​Ernst & Young denkstatt
​Finance & Tax: ​​Raiffeisen Bank International, ​​Tributaria, Hermann Fried (Industry Leader & Serial Entrepreneur)
​Tourism: Restplatzbörse

01/26/2026

We are happy to introduce Alma von Malottke, who is joining our team for a 10-week internship at OPEN AUSTRIA, running from mid-January until the end of March.

Alma is currently studying International Sustainable Business and is taking this opportunity to gain hands-on international experience alongside her academic background.

Driven by a strong interest in global collaboration, sustainability, and innovation, she is eager to contribute her business and sustainability-oriented perspective to the dynamic environment of the Bay Area.

In her free time, Alma enjoys going for walks, drinking coffee with friends, and staying engaged through her work as a paramedic and various voluntary activities.

Looking ahead, she aspires to build a career in international business with a focus on sustainability and strategy, where she can combine analytical thinking with creative and purpose-driven approaches.

We are excited to welcome Alma to our team and look forward to an inspiring exchange!

12/31/2025

We wish our Open Austria community on both coasts and throughout the country a happy New Year 2026! ✨ Thank you for being part of a network that spans borders, disciplines, and time zones. We look forward to continuing our work at the intersection of innovation, tech, and diplomacy in the year ahead! 🍀🐷🍄

11/21/2025

Join us for an festive evening with the OPEN AUSTRIA community! 🎄👼 Let us come together to celebrate the season, reflect on an inspiring year and enjoy a taste of home in the heart of San Francisco.

10/26/2025

Happy National Day to all Austrians!

🇦🇹 Happy Austrian National Day 2025!

Today, we celebrate October 26, marking the day in 1955 when the Austrian Parliament adopted the Constitutional Act on Austria’s permanent neutrality – a defining moment in our nation’s postwar history. 🕊️

Since 1965, Austrians have observed this day as National Day, reflecting on our enduring commitment to peace, freedom, and international cooperation. 🌍

Austria remains militarily neutral and firmly committed to defending the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.