At 9am, the café terrace in front of the Congress Center in Alpbach was already alive with the sound of hikers gathering. The morning air was crisp, the mountains still bathed in soft light, and more than thirty of us set off together. Backpacks on, hiking boots laced, conversations buzzing. We weren’t just there for the fresh mountain air – we had chosen this hike to ask a harder question: what happens when we leave the comfort zone of familiar alliances and start building with unlikely partners?
Everyone – at the European Forum Alpbach and elsewhere – talks about collaboration. But too often, partnerships remain in safe circles: within our own sectors, among organizations with similar cultures, or with those who already share our worldview. We at Impact Hub have learned that the real breakthroughs happen elsewhere – in the friction of working across differences, with actors you might not naturally choose. It can be uncomfortable, sometimes messy. But it is precisely there that transformation becomes possible.
This belief shaped our hike session “Unlikely Allies: From Friction to Transformation”, co-hosted by Impact Hub Vienna, the Climate Lab, the Future Health Lab, and the Education Lab. Together, we brought voices from politics, business, civil society, and public administration into dialogue along the trail. Three speakers led the way with stories of unexpected partnerships that turned challenge into innovation.
Nadina Ruedl, founder of Die Pflanzerei, produces plant-based alternatives to Austrian classics. But her entrepreneurial journey was anything but straightforward. In search of production partners, she ended up working with Austrian butchers – a surprising but ultimately successful collaboration that gave her venture the credibility and scale it needed. Nadina shared how hard it is to establish a plant-based social business in Austria, and how crucial the Impact Hub community has been in backing her – from supporting her early product distribution in our space to accelerating her through the Greenstart program. Her next mission? To reach beyond industry and engage Austrian agricultural policymakers in dialogue about the future of nutrition.
Anja Hintermeier, Head of New Business & Venture Building at Wien Energie, told us how Austria’s largest energy provider chose a bold path: opening half of its office tower in Vienna to climate innovators. That’s how the Climate Lab was born, a space where startups, corporates, and public institutions co-create solutions to the climate crisis. From sourcing new technologies for Wien Energie’s value chain to building cross-sector decarbonization projects, Anja highlighted how unlikely alliances are not just an experiment – they are becoming central to corporate transformation.
Jon Alexander, co-founder of the New Citizen Project, invited us to zoom out to a broader shift: from seeing people as passive consumers to active citizens. He shared global best practices where governments empowered citizens to co-create solutions, such as Taiwan’s pioneering approach to public participation during COVID-19. Linking back to Austria, Jon pointed to our work at the Future Health Lab, where patients are beginning to be recognized as contributors rather than mere consumers of healthcare. Similarly, at the Education Lab, we put teachers and pedagogues at the center of our systems work – activating them as co-creators of a better education system rather than passive recipients of policy. Jon’s message was clear: when we include those who are usually left out of the room, we tap into entirely new possibilities.
When we reached the Rossmoos restaurant, our hike’s destination, conversations continued over food and drinks on the terrace. Participants shared their own stories of unlikely alliances, testing ideas with each other and discovering connections across sectors. The atmosphere was both relaxed and charged with possibility.
Finally, on the lawn in front of Rossmoos, we closed the session in silence, standing together in a wide circle. After hours of dialogue, we each turned inward to reflect on one simple question:
“What new alliance or conversation do I want to start today?”
If we want to create systemic change, we must be ready to step beyond what feels comfortable. Partnerships that stay too close to home may be easy, but they rarely shift the status quo. True innovation emerges when we allow friction, embrace difference, and dare to work with those we least expect.
At the European Forum Alpbach, we were reminded once again: don’t be afraid of the unknown – have the courage to build unlikely alliances.
So we leave you with the same question we asked ourselves in the mountains: What unlikely alliance do you want to start today?
About the Author: Jakob Detering is our Managing Director, leading the portfolio of Impact Hub, Climate Lab, Future Health Lab, and Education Lab. A recognized impact entrepreneur and organization builder, Jakob also has been a key driving force in transforming the Social Impact Award into the world’s leading community of early-stage social entrepreneurs. He brings extensive experience in scaling social ventures and driving systemic change across Europe and beyond.
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