Tamsweg, April 7, 2020 Today marks the official opening of Lungau's first online department store. It is a joint project of the recently founded Lungau start-up VIABIRDS Technologies GmbH and the Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg. For the first time, the online department store allows customers to shop online at various regional stores, such as a bakery, the regional organic farmer, a bookstore, but also at the branches of the Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg in St. Michael and Tamsweg. All goods can be picked up on the same day at a so-called flyby Station and are either loaded directly into the trunk or simply handed over without a long wait. This saves customers time and kilometres, reduces social contacts and thus the risk of contagion, and strengthens the regional economy. Here, these two partners balance and complement each other perfectly. VIABIRDS Technologies GmbH provides the technology and manages the online store, while the Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg is responsible for the relationships with the other stores as well as the operational implementation, i.e. the compilation of the purchases as well as their handover. "The idea was born ten months ago at the first Creators Camp of the Biosphere Lab Lungau. We are happy that we now have the opportunity to implement our idea in Lungau so quickly together with the Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg. Also, a big thank you to the Lungau business owners who participated right away. We are already working on expanding the range of goods with other regional partners and constantly improving our offer. We are still at the beginning!", says Martin Macheiner, Managing Director of VIABIRDS Technologies GmbH. "For us as the Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg, it was clear from the first conversation that this is an exceptionally innovative approach. We were enthusiastic right from the start and entered this partnership with VIABIRDS, where a young and dynamic team very quickly set up the online department store technically and we were thus able to start immediately in this critical phase of the Corona crisis. In a very short time, we succeeded in creating a new sales channel for our businesses, but also for many smaller stores, which would otherwise involve a high operational effort and very high costs. We are pleased to have created another significant contribution to strengthen the regional economy with this online department store," says Heimo Prodinger, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsverein Tamsweg. "The technology company, which was only founded in January 2020, clearly demonstrates the high level of innovation we have in Lungau and shows what can be achieved when there is cooperation at a regional level. I am particularly pleased that this company emerged from our Biosphere Lab initiative in May 2019 and that this possibility has been created for the entire Lungau region. Now this is the first multi-networked online store in the district with two pick-up stations (flyby Stations) in Tamsweg and St. Michael," notes Manfred Sampl, chairman of the Lungau Regional Association. "VIABIRDS is an outstanding example of the fact that innovation and regionality do not have to be mutually exclusive. For small businesses as well as for established trading companies, VIABIRDS is a new distribution channel that will last beyond the current crisis. This strengthens the business location Lungau. The size of the companies alone is no longer decisive; speed and flexibility are the prevailing criteria. I trust the VIABIRDS to have a great future," says LAbg. Wolfgang Pfeifenberger, Lungau Chamber of Commerce. "As a UNESCO biosphere park, it is of great concern to us that new ideas are not only developed on paper in our region, but that they are also put into practice with courage and confidence. With this Lungau online store, for the first time all regional providers can easily offer and sell their products and services online. This not only makes our regional diversity even more visible, but also makes it available via new media, which in the age of digitalization is an important contribution to Lungau as a business location. I congratulate these young initiatives and wish those responsible all the best for its successful implementation," said Markus Schaflechner, Managing Director UNESCO Biosphärenpark Lungau. "Raiffeisenbank Lungau supports the first Lungau online department store because it provides a new impulse for the regional economy, especially in these tough times. I know the founders of VIABIRDS Technologies GmbH and am pleased that we can accompany the young Lungau company as a partner. Together we look forward to running a successful online network in our region," says Georg Eberharth, Managing Director of Raiffeisenbank Lungau. “I am immensely proud that the Silicon Castles team was able to support the VIABIRDS launch during these most difficult weeks of the Corona crisis. It was an unusual situation for all of us, but the sheer commitment, energy and speed with which this project got off the ground certainly shows its outstanding potential, which will prevail this crisis and rise to great heights. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to our Lungau partners for their great support!", says Andreas Spechtler, Managing Director of Silicon Castles and member of the Supervisory Board of VIABIRDS Technologies GmbH.