For many entrepreneurs, having a strong business idea is only the beginning. Understanding how to finance it, navigate regulations, build the right networks and identify the institutions that can support its growth can be just as important.
These challenges can be even more pronounced for entrepreneurs from diaspora communities who are building businesses in a new economic and administrative environment.
It was against this backdrop that African Diaspora Connect 2026 brought together entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, business-support institutions and diaspora organisations in Vienna on 23 September 2026.
Held at the Expat Center in Vienna, the event was conceived as a meeting point for African diaspora business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Its aim was to create a trusted space where participants could strengthen their networks, improve their visibility, access relevant support and explore opportunities for sustainable business growth in Austria and beyond.
At the heart of the evening was a fireside conversation on “Building and Growing a Business in Vienna,” followed by an interactive panel discussion and audience Q&A. The programme brought together representatives of the Vienna Business Agency, Austria Business Agency, Self-Employed, Diaspora Business Hub and TKC Africa.
From knowing support exists to knowing how to access it
One of the central themes running through the discussion was a deceptively simple question: where does an entrepreneur actually begin?
For African entrepreneurs living in Vienna, the challenge is not necessarily an absence of institutions or programmes. Sometimes, it is knowing which institution to approach, understanding what support is available and determining whether a particular business or entrepreneur qualifies.
Jan Riepl, Team Leader at the Vienna Business Agency, addressed the role of the Agency in supporting startups and entrepreneurs in Vienna. The conversation explored the journey from the earliest stages of a business idea through establishment and growth, including access to grants, coaching, business-development programmes and other forms of support.
But financing was only part of the conversation. Equally important was the question of what allows a small business to move beyond survival and build sustainable growth.
For an entrepreneur who has never interacted with Vienna’s business-support ecosystem, the discussion highlighted the importance of taking that first practical step: learning what assistance exists and beginning a conversation with the relevant organisations rather than attempting to navigate the entire ecosystem alone.
Austria as a base for international business
The discussion also looked beyond starting a business in Vienna to a broader opportunity: using Austria as a platform for international expansion.
Jakob Cencic, Director of Strategic Investment for Africa and the Middle East at the Austria Business Agency (ABA), brought an international investment perspective to the conversation.
For African entrepreneurs, particularly those who already have commercial relationships and professional networks across African markets, establishing a presence in Austria can raise important strategic questions. How can existing African networks become business assets in Europe? How can entrepreneurs connect Austrian businesses with opportunities in African markets? And what should an established African company understand before choosing Austria as its European base?
These questions reposition diaspora entrepreneurship as more than local entrepreneurship. Diaspora entrepreneurs can potentially operate as connectors between markets, bringing knowledge, relationships and commercial experience from different regions into the same business ecosystem.
Making the Austrian system less intimidating
Starting a business also requires entrepreneurs to deal with legal, regulatory and administrative responsibilities.
Miglena Hofer, a business consultant with a legal background, focused on the practical realities of becoming self-employed in Austria.
The discussion addressed some of the fundamental questions entrepreneurs face at the beginning of their journey: What should someone understand before registering or formalising a business? What mistakes should new entrepreneurs avoid? When is it appropriate to seek professional advice instead of attempting to navigate administrative requirements independently?
For newcomers in particular, unfamiliar procedures can make entrepreneurship appear more complicated than it needs to be.
The conversation therefore brought the issue back to practical action: understanding the basic requirements, identifying reliable sources of guidance and seeking professional assistance when necessary.
Turning diaspora networks into business opportunities
African diaspora communities often possess extensive personal and professional networks spanning Austria, Europe and African markets. Yet having a large network is not automatically the same as having a commercially useful one.
That distinction shaped the conversation with Rilwan Mogaji of Diaspora Business Hub.
His segment focused on how entrepreneurs can move beyond networking for networking’s sake and build relationships capable of generating partnerships, clients, referrals and other tangible opportunities.
It also raised another significant issue: visibility.
Entrepreneurs can have strong products, services and expertise while remaining relatively invisible within the wider Austrian business ecosystem. Building credibility therefore requires more than attending events. Entrepreneurs need to establish strategic relationships, communicate their value clearly and become visible in the networks where business opportunities and partnerships are created.
African Diaspora Connect itself was designed to contribute to that process by connecting entrepreneurs not only with one another but with institutions and ecosystem partners that they may otherwise struggle to access.
Becoming investment-ready
Access to finance remains one of the most persistent challenges facing entrepreneurs, making the contribution of Hannah Acquah, CEO of TKC Africa, particularly relevant.
Her segment focused on unlocking financial opportunities between Africa and Austria, as reflected in the official programme.
The conversation examined a crucial distinction between wanting investment and being ready for investment.
Entrepreneurs often begin fundraising by asking where they can find investors. But an equally important question is whether the business is sufficiently prepared for external financing.
What does an investor or financier need to see? What must an entrepreneur be able to demonstrate about the business, its market and its potential? And which financing mechanisms might be available beyond conventional bank lending?
The discussion opened the door to alternatives including investment, strategic partnerships and other financing structures, while also encouraging entrepreneurs to think carefully about what type of capital is appropriate for their particular stage of development.
For African entrepreneurs based in Austria, this conversation also carried a cross-border dimension: how businesses positioned between Europe and Africa can identify opportunities and build investment relationships across both markets.
A conversation shaped by entrepreneurs themselves
African Diaspora Connect was deliberately structured to make the audience part of the conversation.
Following the fireside sessions, all speakers came together for an interactive Q&A. Participants were given an opportunity to put their own questions to the panel, exchange perspectives and explore ideas for strengthening diaspora entrepreneurship.
The programme also incorporated creative and cultural elements, including a cultural performance by Awoba and a creative spotlight featuring a video presentation by Audrey Kodjo of Diaspora Creatives.
The evening concluded with networking among speakers, entrepreneurs, ecosystem partners and community members—extending the discussion beyond the formal programme and creating space for participants to make direct connections.
From connections to opportunity
Perhaps the most important message emerging from African Diaspora Connect is that entrepreneurship does not happen in isolation.
Capital matters. So do legal knowledge, market understanding and a viable business model. But entrepreneurs also need access—to information, institutions, professional networks, potential partners and people who understand how the ecosystem works.
For African diaspora entrepreneurs in Austria, there is an additional asset that should not be overlooked: their ability to connect different markets, cultures and business networks.
African Diaspora Connect created a space in which those connections could become more intentional.
And that may ultimately be where its greatest value lies: helping entrepreneurs move from simply knowing that opportunities exist to understanding how to access them, prepare for them and turn them into sustainable businesses.
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