Vienna, August 7, 2013 — The Pioneers Festival will bring together well-known national and international entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists, tech-enthusiasts, media representatives, and pioneers in a variety of fields to celebrate a new age of pioneering in Austria’s capital city. The event gathers more than 2,500 participants, focuses on entrepreneurship and innovative future technologies, and provides an event location that has housed some of the most powerful people not only in Austrian, but also in European history — the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna.

• Pioneers Festival gathers future thinkers, innovators and troublemakers at Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna 30-31 October
• Confirmed guests include Adam Cheyer (Siri), Chris Barton (Shazam), Dave McClure (500startups), Eric Migicovsky (Pebble Watch) and many more
• Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, will be joining the Festival; two participants will have the chance to take the stage to discuss their questions with him
• Startups can apply to be part of the Pioneers Challenge until August 31

This is all about real pioneers from software to hardware – makers, developers, hackers, explorers, innovators, creators, business heroes and great achievers.

Innovation Wonderland: Enter the world of Pioneers
60 high-class speakers such as Siri-Founder Adam Cheyer, Chris Barton (founder of music recognition service Shazam ), 500 Startups founding partner and serial investor Dave McClure, and Eric Migicovsky (founder of Pebble Watch) will share their knowledge and speak about their personal experiences, provide insights into new and exciting developments, and put new technologies – including robots – into the hands of the audience to try out themselves.

Not only will there be speakers when it comes to robotics, but lots of these intelligent contraptions will be present at the Imperial Palace for a hands-on experience. For instance, an ambassador from Ekso Bionics will provide a live demonstration demonstrating how people bound to a wheelchair can benefit from its technology, namely, standing and walking!

Phil Libin Meet & Greet
Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote and one of the most respected and influential people in the startup economy, will also be joining the selection of international speakers at the Pioneers Festival. The festival emphasizes bringing the established founders and rookies – sometimes called “troublemakers” – together. For this reason, Pioneers has decided to bring two participants together live on stage with Libin.

Ticketholders can apply online by posing their three top questions for Libin. After the selection of the best questions, participants will battle for the two stage slots in a “Facebook-’like’ competition”. The entries with the most likes will take the stage to discuss their questions with Libin.

Startups: Application Deadline 31 August!
It’s not only about speakers, but also about the entrepreneurs of the future. The application phase for the Pioneers Challenge – the startup competition of Pioneers Festival – is drawing to an end. Startups from all over the world can apply until 31 August to secure the sought-after positions in the Top 50.