MCI Alumni Johannes Kirchmair and Thomas Wurm secure the prestigious EY "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in the category "Innovation & Hightech | Rising Stars" with their scale-up Single Use Support. As hidden champions in the Austrian start-up scene, the two founders are revolutionizing the biopharma supply industry with their industrial process solution provider.
Johannes Kirchmair and Thomas Wurm met while completing their studies in Business & Management at the MCI. In 2015, they founded the company together. After years of experience in international distribution and the pharmaceutical supply industry, the two MCI alumni launched Single Use Support GmbH, based in Tyrol. Together they develop innovative transport solutions for the internal and international shipment of pharmaceutical products, especially in the field of liquid biopharmaceuticals.
What distinguishes the two founders is above all their enormous drive for innovation and progress. In the following interview, Johannes Kirchmair and Thomas Wurm give insights into their path from MCI students to Austria's most successful entrepreneurs.
Single Use Support is the rising star of the Austrian start-up scene and pharmaceutical industry, what makes your scale-up so successful?
The clear focus on solving customer problems! In addition, the company was and is 100% designed for growth, from the mindset of the management team to company processes and to all decisions that are made.
You graduated in Business and Management from the MCI, how did you benefit from your studies when founding your company?
Thomas and I (Hannes), we met while studying and then founded the company years later. That was the biggest cash back. Learning the content and especially the short stay in the USA during the exchange was then a perfect foundation.
So you met your co-founder Thomas Wurm during your studies at the MCI, how did the joint foundation come about?
We stayed in touch privately and knew that we wanted to start a company at some point. We tossed a coin whether to found a company in Biopharma (Hannes' world) or in Oil&Gas (Thomas' world). It looks like we made the right decision.
The path to founding a company is usually accompanied by some challenges and hurdles, how would you describe your path?
Only challenges and hurdles! Then luck and diligence came together and then it worked out.
You have just recently started building a second location of Single Use Support here in Tyrol, what are your hopes and fears for the future of Single Use Support?
I hope that our company will continue to grow as we envision. We respect and maybe even fear a dilution of our corporate culture, towards corporate thinking.
What advice would you give to students who want to take the step towards entrepreneurship themselves?
Only do it if you are ready to give 200%. All the way or not at all.
The MCI | Entrepreneurial School® congratulates on this incredible award and achievement! Johannes Kirchmair and Thomas Wurm are role models for our students and show that hard work, dedication, ambition and courage lead to great success. We wish our MCI alumni all the best for the upcoming election for EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 as well as for all future steps of Single Use Support!
