February 2026
ELVF: When good educational ideas are allowed to grow
How can we ensure that educational programs that are proven to work reach not just individual children, but many? And exactly where they are needed: in Viennese kindergartens, schools and in the direct environment of children and young people.
This is precisely where the Education Lab Venture Fellowship (ELVF) comes in: a joint program between the Education Lab and The Things We Learn and works. Our goal is to support non-profit educational organizations in Vienna in strategically developing and scaling their impact step by step.
Because there are many good approaches. But growth needs structure, time, reflection and an environment that thinks along with you.
Our ELVF programme is aimed at educational organizations that already have a functioning approach (“proof of concept”). In other words, initiatives that have been able to show that Their idea, their initiative works. What is often missing, however, is not the quality of the idea, but a strategic framework for taking the next step:
- Where exactly does impact arise and how can it be measurably strengthened?
- Which target groups are in focus (children, young people, teachers, schools)?
- How do we turn a good idea into a format that is sustainable and widely accepted in practice? How do we take the step from pilot to implementation in many schools?
- Which next steps suit the organization and its resources?
The ELVF is deliberately not a funding program with financial support, but a program that focuses on content sparring, strategic support and community power.
From the "baptism of fire" to the pilot phase: this is how the ELVF worked
The first event was the baptism of fire on June 23, 2025: a starting moment that made it clear what the fellowship is all about, not perfect pitches, but real development, honest feedback and the question: How can we make an impact across the board?
Phase 1: Strategy work (June to September 2025)
In the first few months, the ventures worked together with support from the Education Lab of wirkt. and The Things We Learn on key strategic building blocks, including:
- Objectives and priorities
- Your “Theory of Change”
- Impact targets and indicators
- Positioning and focus for the next steps
In short: the things that are often neglected in everyday life, but are crucial if you want to grow.
Retreat: Three days focus on growth (September 2026)
In September, a joint retreat took place at the foot of the Rax, three days of intensive work on growth strategies. On site, the Ventures worked together with Julian (works.), Adib (The Things We Learn) and Theresa from the Education Lab worked on their next development steps in a concentrated setting. This time was particularly valuable: out of the operational, into perspective, structure and joint further development.
The closing in January 2026 was a moment to look back and forward. The ventures showed what has happened since the start, what developments they have initiated and what plan they have for the next phase. This conclusion was not an end point, but a visible sign that strategic work in educational innovation makes a difference: when ideas become clearer, when impact becomes more measurable and when growth happens in a targeted manner rather than by chance.
What happens next?
Preparations for the next round are already underway. Exactly when the next Venture Fellowship will start is still open, but one thing is clear: another round is planned for 2026. And something else is important to us: for us, the fellowship does not mean “finished”, but “next”. The six ventures remain part of a network that grows with each round, as mentors, as sparring partners and as a valuable point of contact for new ventures that join.
Because sustainable impact is created where organizations do not work side by side, but together.
Interested in the Venture Fellowship?
If you would like to be part of the next Education Lab Venture Fellowship or know of an educational initiative that should definitely benefit from it: Subscribe to our newsletter and we will keep you up to date on the next steps.
We are convinced that what works on a small scale should become bigger. And benefit more children and young people in Vienna!