The envisaged new company form – Austrian Limited – is currently a hot topic in Austria. Representatives of the economy and especially from the start-up sector, emphasise the importance of a foundation-friendly and unbureaucratic company form which should have elements of the Austrian limited liability company, as well as a joint stock corporation. The main elements of this form should be (i) the simple participation of employees; (ii) simplified capital increases in order to promote the scalability of start-ups; (iii) the creation of different share classes; and (iv) easier transferability of shares in the company. The ball is currently in the court of the Ministry of Justice, and it will be interesting to see which demands from the business and start-up sector make it into the bill. We will update you on any material news.
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