Commitment to Tyrol: Why tech startup 21energy is swimming against the tide and deliberately manufacturing in Tyrol

Innsbruck, February 4, 2026. While many European hardware startups are outsourcing their production to Asia, Tyrolean company 21energy is sending a clear signal in favor of Austria and Tyrol as a business location. With the launch of Ofen 2, a revolutionary Bitcoin heater, the startup is proving that technology “Made in Tyrol” is not only competitive, but also forms the foundation for the new “Crypto Valley of the Alps.”

Against migration: quality over low wages

In times of fragile supply chains and geopolitical uncertainties, 21energy has made a conscious decision to focus on local value creation. According to founder Maximilian Obwexer, the decision to manufacture our Bitcoin heaters in Tyrol from the very beginning is not merely an act of nostalgia, but a strategic necessity:

“Innovation needs proximity. By manufacturing right on our doorstep, we can massively shorten development cycles, guarantee the highest quality standards, and at the same time minimize CO2 emissions through short transport routes. Anyone building technology for the future must not relinquish control over their own production,” explains Obwexer.

Furthermore, we are convinced of the merits of Tyrol as a location and will also manage the upcoming 2026 employee recruitment drive in the areas of marketing, logistics, information technology, and economics regionally.

The “Crypto Valley Alps” as a vision

Tyrol has quietly and secretly developed into a center for cryptographic hardware and energy innovation. 21energy sees itself as the spearhead of a new generation of companies that combine traditional Tyrolean engineering with the decentralized world of Bitcoin. The Ofen 2, a heater that generates heat through computing power and, in the best case scenario, finances itself through Bitcoin mining, is the flagship of this symbiosis.

Economic policy signal to the location

With this commitment, 21energy is also calling for a rethink of regional economic policy. In order to establish the “Crypto Valley Alps” in the long term, the following is needed:

1. Promotion of decentralized energy concepts: Recognition of mining hardware as a controllable load for grid stabilization.
2. Strengthening local hardware production: Removal of bureaucratic hurdles for manufacturing startups. 
3. Technological openness: Promotion of blockchain applications in the area of sector coupling (heat and electricity).

About 21energy

21energy develops and distributes innovative heating systems based on high-performance computers, known as Bitcoin miners, for end customers: 100% of the electrical energy is converted into 100% heat and, at the same time, 100% computing power. The latter is used for the so-called “mining” of bitcoins and thus generates direct income for customers in line with the motto: “Heat that pays off.”

Customers not only heat their homes, but also effectively save heating costs and, when switching from oil or gas, reduce carbon dioxide emissions accordingly.

The entire value creation process, from development to production and distribution, takes place in Tyrol, Austria. Founded in October 2022, the start-up has already sold around 3,000 units of its heating system across Europe.