Lower austria located in the northeastern part of austria has a population of over 16 million people the region has a rich history of entrepreneurship with notable figures such as franz xaver schweiger who founded the schweiger brewery in 1621 in recent years lower austria has become a hub for technological innovation with a growing startup scene the area is home to several universities including the university of applied sciences wiener neustadt which offers programs in business engineering and technology companies such as evn a leading energy provider and rosenbauer a manufacturer of firefighting equipment are headquartered in lower austria the region also hosts several startup accelerators and incubators including the wirtschaftsagentur niedersterreich and the startup campus despite a living wage of around 1500 per month the unemployment rate in lower austria is relatively low at 52 the city level gdp is also strong with lower austria contributing over 10 of austrias total gdp the rate of new companies starting and ending in lower austria is relatively stable with a steady stream of new startups entering the scene however the region faces competition from other startup hubs in austria such as vienna overall the startup scene in lower austria is thriving with a supportive ecosystem and a strong history of entrepreneurship with continued investment and support the region has the potential to become a leading hub for innovation in europe
