It’s a well-established truth that one’s place of origin neither defines their future nor hinders them from building a successful path anywhere in the world. This is precisely the case for Asetila Koestinger von Sonneland — a woman of Mirdita-Viennese heritage — widely recognized by communities, organizations, startups, and export companies for her innovative approach to business consulting.
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| Asetila Koestinger |
Renowned among professionals as an international expert in innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, Asetila has lived and worked in Moldova, Ukraine, and Turkey before settling in Vienna, where she now leads multiple international businesses, projects, and initiatives.
Turning Challenges into Strength
The road to success hasn’t been without hardship. Asetila’s journey shaped her into a resilient entrepreneur, keeping money in mind but never in her heart. Leading various innovative companies with social and environmental impact, she persevered through challenging times that demanded unwavering dedication, countless study hours, and relentless determination.
When she first moved to Vienna, despite her extensive skills and work experience, she found that her achievements seemed to vanish like writing on a sandy shore — washed away by the waves of unfamiliar systems and expectations. Employers overlooked her degrees, work history, and multilingual abilities.
Faced with two choices — to sit by the shore mourning her misfortune or to paint a new canvas from scratch — Asetila chose the latter. She learned German, restarted university, found a job, and immersed herself in Austrian culture. She built friendships, integrated, and engaged actively in her new community. Within seven years — a period filled with excitement, exhaustion, and sacrifice — she constructed an entirely new, vibrant, and dynamic life. So transformative was this period that Asetila often felt she was living the lives of three people at once.
True Success Lies in Inspiring Others
Asetila’s growth didn’t stop there. She continues to expand her knowledge and skills each year, earning new certifications and embracing personal and professional development. This tenacity has earned her seats as a shareholder, supervisory board member, and angel investor in several Austrian companies.
For Asetila, genuine success isn’t measured by personal achievements but by the inspiration she imparts — especially to women, girls, and young people. Her mission extends to Albania, where, thanks to her network and shared knowledge, at least five Albanian students study in Austria each year.
“When I’m on stage speaking or leading workshops and conferences, there are always three to five young women who approach me afterward, saying they aspire to be like me. This brings me immense joy, but it’s also a significant responsibility — one I take very seriously. I consistently encourage them to set ambitious life goals and work smartly and diligently to achieve them. Every expert, including me, was once a beginner.”
In addition to running her innovation company, Köstinger, based in Vienna and Tirana — which helps European SMEs remain innovative, sustainable, and globally competitive — Asetila has spearheaded numerous projects to support ideas and businesses led by young people and women worldwide.
Nurturing Startups: The GoodStartup School
One of her flagship initiatives is the GoodStartup School (GSS), founded in 2019. GSS offers tailored programs for high school students (14-18 years old), university students (18-23 years old), and adults (23+). The program helps budding entrepreneurs evaluate and refine their ideas to determine whether they have startup potential.
Asetila affectionately calls GSS a “startup garden,” where ideas and entrepreneurs begin their journey before progressing to school and then university. Notably, at least 50% of participants and mentors are women entrepreneurs, ensuring gender balance and diverse representation.
In 2022, Asetila brought GSS to Albania, piloting the project in Shkodër with support from Albania’s Ministry of Entrepreneurship. The initiative continued in 2023-2024 in collaboration with the University of Shkodër, funded by the EU4 Innovation program and GIZ Albania, aiming to strengthen Shkodër’s startup ecosystem.
Additionally, in 2022, she launched the AGRO Incubator Tirana, in partnership with the Agricultural University of Tirana. This pilot project serves as the first point of support for students and faculty across five faculties, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. The incubator focuses on sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 14 and 15, promoting economic practices aligned with environmental sustainability.
Albanian Businesses: Dancing Between Technology and Nature
More recently, Asetila collaborated with EIT Climate KIC (European Institute of Technology) to implement Clim Accelerator Albania — a business acceleration program focused on Albanian companies in decarbonization, energy efficiency, material effectiveness, and circular economy.
Despite her global commitments, Asetila remains deeply invested in Albania, believing that Albanian businesses, standing on Europe’s doorstep, hold immense potential to become strong partners for European companies. As an innovation expert, she urges Albanian companies to embrace innovation and explore new business models to secure their future. She boldly predicts that 50% of today’s Albanian companies may no longer exist by 2050 unless they adapt.
“The twin transition — digitalization and sustainability — is vital, not only for European companies but for Albanian ones integrated into the value chain. This concept isn’t an academic fantasy or fleeting trend; it’s a blueprint for our collective future — a delicate dance between technology and nature that can lead to unprecedented prosperity, ensuring a thriving legacy for generations to come.”
Asetila’s boundless curiosity, passion for learning, and joy in empowering others fuel her diverse, human-centered, and forward-thinking journey. For this successful Albanian-Austrian woman, who makes us proud with her constant support and projects back home, life is 20% luck and 90% what we do with that luck. And for her, her colleagues, and the countless Albanians she’s supported, 110% is always better than 100%.