Fractional CFO services in Austria

Forschungsprämie (R&D premium)

Austria's R&D premium refunds 14% of qualifying R&D expenditure as a cash payment from the tax authority, with no cap. One of the most generous R&D incentives in Europe and a core part of every Austrian tech startup's funding stack - typically paid 12-18 months after the financial year-end.

AWS (Austria Wirtschaftsservice)

AWS is the Austrian federal promotional bank. Provides grants, guarantees and equity investments for innovative SMEs through programmes including aws Preseed, Seedfinancing, Double Equity and aws Gründerfonds. Often the first institutional capital in Austrian tech rounds.

FFG R&D project funding

FFG (Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft) administers thematic and open R&D grants across federal, EU and bilateral programmes. Funding rates of 35-50% on qualifying R&D project costs depending on programme and company size. Slow but materially valuable for deeptech and life sciences.

Regional venture fund participation

Austrian Länder operate regional financing vehicles (WK NÖ, FFG-region links, ICS Wien, Tecnet Equity, B&C Innovation Investments) that co-invest at seed and Series A. Concentrated in Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Styria and Tyrol where each region runs its own variant.

Austrian VC ecosystem

Austria has a tight VC scene anchored by Speedinvest, 3VC, Lakeside Partners, Hatchet Ventures and a long-running corporate venture scene (Erber Group, Andritz, OMV Ventures). Cross-border participation from German, Swiss and US investors is common at growth stage.

Venture debt

Less developed than the broader DACH market but functional. Kreos Capital, Claret Capital Partners and HSBC Innovation Banking operate in Austria alongside AWS lending products. Typically deployed against ARR or contracted revenue from Series A onwards.

FlexCo (Start-Up-Mitarbeiterbeteiligungsgesetz)

The 2024 FlexCo regime allows qualifying Austrian startups to grant employee shares with deferred taxation - taxed only at sale, with 75% taxed as employment income (at reduced rate of 27.5%) and 25% as capital gains. Requires FlexCo-eligible status (size and age thresholds) and qualifying employee conditions.

Standard stock options (pre-FlexCo regime)

Stock options outside FlexCo are taxed at exercise on the spread as employment income at marginal rates (up to 55% plus employer social contributions). Materially less attractive than the FlexCo regime - most newly-formed venture-backed Austrian startups now structure for FlexCo eligibility.

Phantom shares and SARs

Cash-settled equity-like instruments - the holder receives a cash bonus equal to the value of a notional option at exit. Taxed as employment income at payout. Used historically by Austrian startups that fell outside the favourable regimes; less common since FlexCo introduction.

Direct share grants

Direct grants of GmbH shares require notarisation for transfer - slow and expensive in Austria. Austrian AGs are simpler for direct share grants but rare among startups. The FlexCo company form (introduced 2024) is designed to make employee equity easier without the GmbH notarisation overhead.

FlexCo and option valuation

FlexCo employee grants require fair market value at grant, typically pegged to the most recent priced round. Independent valuations are useful for material grant programmes to support the Finanzamt position on the tax base.

Reporting and Finanzamt

FlexCo and option events are reported through Austrian payroll (Lohnsteuer) and the annual employer summary (L16). Worth aligning between cap-table tool, Austrian payroll provider and tax advisor at each material equity event.

Accounting

• •BMD - the Austrian standard at established accounting firms.
• •RZL Software - alternative widely used at Austrian SMEs.
• •DATEV - used by Austrian companies with German parents or cross-border activity.

Payroll

• •BMD Lohn or RZL Lohn - common Austrian payroll engines at traditional accountants.
• •Personio - German-built HR + payroll platform widely used in Austrian startups.
• •Deel or Remote - for hiring contractors and staff outside Austria.

Business banking

• •Erste Bank, Raiffeisen or BAWAG - for treasury, FX and traditional debt facilities.
• •Bank Austria (UniCredit) - alternative for larger Austrian SMEs.
• •N26 Business - for early-stage simplicity.
• •Wise Business - for multi-currency operations.

Cap table & equity admin

• •Ledgy - strong DACH coverage; common at Austrian venture-backed startups.
• •Carta - for Austrian companies with US investors or a US parent.
• •Pulley - modern alternative at later stage.

Expenses & corporate cards

• •Pleo - European default; clean integrations with Austrian accounting tools.
• •Spendesk - strong approval workflows for larger teams.
• •Erste card / Raiffeisen Card Complete - traditional corporate card alternatives.