News
factorymaker wins Startup World Cup Austria 2026
factorymaker won the Austrian finale of the Startup World Cup on 18 May 2026, taking the ticket to represent Austria at the global finals in Silicon Valley this November. The Startup World Cup, hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures, is the largest startup pitch competition in the world, with more than
Wiener Wissen krone.tv Interview
factorymaker co-founders Julia Reisinger and Maria Antonia Zahlbruckner appeared on Wiener Wissen on krone.tv for a 45-minute interview with Gerhard Koller. The conversation looked at one of the larger unresolved challenges in industry: manufacturing keeps getting more digital, yet industrial capacity planning still works much as it did decades ago,
“Heute entschieden, morgen schon umgesetzt” – Wiener Wissen podcast
factorymaker’s co-founder and CEO Maria Zahlbruckner joined the Wiener Wissen podcast for a conversation with host Elisabeth Oberzaucher about building a deep-tech startup and bringing AI into the early planning of industrial buildings. A civil engineer by training, Maria walks through how factorymaker works upstream in the planning process, where
Human-in-the-loop workshop with IAAC
factorymaker hosted a workshop last week with students from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia’s Master in AI for Architecture & Business Innovation, together with Angelos Chronis (infrared.city). The TU Wien Innovation Incubation Center (i²c) opened the session with an introduction to TU Wien’s innovation ecosystem. The workshop centred
factorymaker wins Female Entrepreneur Prize at the Austrian Gründungspreis PHÖNIX 2026
factorymaker was nominated in two categories at this year’s Gründungspreis PHÖNIX – Spin-off and Female Entrepreneurs – and was awarded the Female Entrepreneur Prize in the ceremony on 12th March. The PHÖNIX is Austria’s national startup award, organised by the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET), the Federal
factorymaker joins NVIDIA Inception Program
factorymaker has joined NVIDIA Inception, NVIDIA’s program for startups building with AI. Inception supports AI startups from prototype to production, helping them discover new AI opportunities, build with world-class technologies, and grow their business. The program brings together AI startups across industries, from robotics and healthcare to industrial automation, into
factorymaker raises €1.1 million to transform industrial facility planning with AI
factorymaker has closed a €1.1 million pre-seed round to accelerate the development of its AI-powered platform for industrial facility and production layout planning. The round was led by Berlin-based 2bX and joined by XISTA Science Ventures, closing in January 2026. The investment comes at a pivotal moment. European manufacturers are
AI for the Industry: Trending Topics Podcast
We’re excited to share our co-founders Julia Reisinger and Maria Zahlbruckner on the TrendingTopics podcast, following factorymaker’s win in the FinTech / App Support category at the #glaubandich Challenge in Graz. They dive into their origin story, how factorymaker’s cloud solution works, and — most importantly — why AI and
Curing Frustration with Innovation — factorymaker’s Founding Story
Female Founders profiled factorymaker’s origins with co-founders Julia Reisinger and Maria Zahlbruckner. The article traces the initial problem space, early development steps and formative experiences that shaped the company’s direction. It reflects on the practicalities of building from first principles while staying close to real-world planning needs. The piece offers
brachflächen dialog webinar: efficient use of space through vertical densification
Maria Zahlbruckner, co-founder of factorymaker, contributed to webinar series, hosted by brachflächen dialog, on how existing retail and industrial sites can be intensified without additional land take. The session examined practical planning constraints, neighbourhood considerations and infrastructure limits that shape feasibility. Maria outlined typical study steps and coordination points across
What does circular economy mean in the industrial building sector? Talk with Julia Reisinger
The online event, ‘Kreislaufwirtschaft im Industrie- und Gewerbebau’ (‘Circular economy in industrial and commercial construction’), hosted by Ressourcen Forum Austria, focused on circular construction in industrial and commercial projects. Julia Reisinger, factorymaker co-founder and Assistant Professor at TU Wien, ran a session titled ‘Was bedeutet Kreislaufwirtschaft im (Industrie)Gebäudesektor? – Erkenntnisse aus