Is Sodex Innovations a "Born Global Champion"?

This Tuesday, I had the chance to pitch Sodex Innovations at the Born Global Champion competition in Vienna – a national-level event hosted by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) to honor companies that are successfully scaling their innovations across borders.

Being selected as one of the Top 3 finalists and advancing to the grand finale is a great recognition for our entire team – and a clear signal that real-time surveying and automation in construction are not only relevant but urgently needed on a global scale.

Part of Connect Day 25 – Austria’s Leading Startup Matchmaking Event

The semi-final pitch took place as part of Connect Day 25, a central event during ViennaUP – Austria’s biggest startup festival. With hundreds of founders, investors, corporates, and public institutions coming together, Connect Day is more than just a pitching platform – it’s a matchmaking hub for innovation, partnerships, and international growth.

It was incredible how many familiar faces I was able to meet here at the event and see how some career paths had developed incredibly or changed completely. But everyone was highly motivated - a clear sign that we can also innovate here in Austria and go global with our solutions!

Real Use, Real Sites, Real Value – Across Three Continents

Our systems are already in use on three continents, helping major players in construction and mining get precise, real-time data directly from their machines. Sodex technology creates a continuously updated 3D model of the site – no drones, no delays, no manual uploads. This gives teams on the ground and in the office full visibility, automates documentation, and enables data-driven decisions on the fly.

Whether in North America, Europe, or soon even more regions, we’re proud to show what Austrian engineering can achieve when you combine hardware, software and great customer feedback!

The competition showed that all good solutions quickly internationalize in order to approach large customers, but the fact that there is such a high density of great start-ups here in Austria, especially in the industrial sectors, was also new to me. But it's a great sign: We are not alone, Austria is a good country for outstanding developments!

Western Austria Represented – And in Great Company

Joining me on stage were some of the most exciting startups in Austria right now. Congratulations to fynk and Senseven for also being selected as Top 3 finalists.

And a special shoutout to tree.ly, another innovative company from Vorarlberg. It makes me especially proud that two of the finalists in this year’s Born Global Champion selection are from Austria’s westernmost province. Proof that you don’t need to be based in Vienna to think internationally.

Surveying the Future – With Allies Like qapture

One of my personal highlights of the day was meeting Dominik Koll from qapture – another innovator in the world of digital twins and construction. It’s always refreshing to speak with others who understand the challenges of surveying, automation, and spatial data – and who are equally passionate about fixing them.
After only seeing them online, I was finally able to have a deeper conversation and understand their challenges and customer problems and had the opportunity to discuss what common problems we have.

It was a really refreshing conversation that proved that even in surveying, innovation can and is born in Austria!

See you at the final pitch on June 2nd. Let’s build the future, one real-time insight at a time.

Photo credit: Marko Kovic