With an idea from university to business entrepreneur

Together with two friends, Gerald Eder founded the start-up 'solbytech', which specialises on communication solutions for decentralised energy systems. The idea was triggered by a gap in the market that the student identified during his Master's studies at the FH Salzburg.

The energy transition with the switch to renewable sources such as sun, wind and water is one of the greatest challenges our society faces. This was also the reason why Gerald Eder chose the Master's programme Smart Buildings in Smart Cities - Energy Infrastructure and District Renovation at the FH Salzburg. "The future energy supply is one of the big questions of the time. That appealed to me immediately," says Eder. He enrolled in the then brand new Master's programme in 2016.

During his part-time studies, he worked - like many of his colleagues - in the field of digitalisation at large Salzburg companies. These experiences and questions from practice were a great added value for him, not only in terms of content. During exciting discussions with the other students and the lecturers, he also got a good feeling for what the market needs. And there he located a topic that would later lead to the founding of solbytech GmbH: solbytech links energy industry issues with innovative IT solutions and deals with the unstable communication and IT security of decentralised energy generation plants such as photovoltaic or wind power plants.

Together with two friends, Manuel Dorfer, whom he has known since childhood, and Florian Dodegge, whom he met during his bachelor's degree, Eder pushed the initial idea to market maturity. The three developed a software and hardware solution that enables secure and stable communication with decentralised energy generation plants as well as centralised maintenance. They were accompanied from the idea through the start-up phase by the FHStartup Center. "We benefited immensely in terms of content and entrepreneurship," says Eder. The network that was created during the studies is also a great advantage for the young entrepreneur.

Last year Salzburg AG joined solbytech as a strategic investor - another sign that Eder was right on target with the idea that emerged during his Master's degree at FH Salzburg.