Symflower Blog
All about software, testing and startups
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What is the cost of missing tests? Part 3: Growing technical debt
As many teams know, skipping adequate testing can result in growing technical debt. That’s what we dive into in part 3 of our series on the costs of missing software tests. In previous parts of …
Kristof Horvath
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How to get started with Test-Driven Development
Test-Driven Development (TDD) is gaining traction in the industry. This blog post introduces our white paper which helps you and your team get familiar with TDD. The post also mentions some of the key …
Kristof Horvath
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What is the cost of missing tests? Part 2: Increased development time
Inadequate software testing is known to result in longer development times, leading to delays in time to market. That’s what we dive into in this article, part 2 of our series on the costs of …
Kristof Horvath
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Debugging part 3: Using unit tests to debug software applications
This guide to using unit tests to find and fix bugs in software applications is part 3 of our debugging series, focusing on the practical side of debugging. In part 1 of this series, we gave a general …
Simon from Symflower
Kristof Horvath
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The top Java unit testing frameworks & tools
Most developers today are familiar with unit testing: it has become a fundamental, and increasingly widely used technique to check logically isolated, small bits of software code (e.g. a specific …
Kristof Horvath
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What is the cost of missing tests? Part 1: Bugs and errors
Missing or skipping adequate testing can lead to drawbacks and risks that could endanger the success of any software project. Naturally, with rampant digitalization everywhere, software quality is a …
Kristof Horvath
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Debugging part 2: Tools and approaches for debugging
In part 2 of our post series on debugging, we’re covering the practical aspect, providing some useful workflows and tools that you can use to put the TRAFFIC principle into action when debugging …
Simon from Symflower
Kristof Horvath
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The best IntelliJ IDEA productivity plugins for Java developers
IntelliJ IDEA is one of the most popular IDEs, with almost 30% of all professional developers using it. Among Java developers, it reigns supreme: 72% of Java developers claim to use it. IntelliJ IDEA …
Kristof Horvath
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Running JUnit 5 tests with Gradle
If you’ve encountered build tools in the context of Java, you have definitely come across Maven and Gradle. While Maven is by far the most popular build system (with 76% of Java developers …
Evelyn Haslinger
Kristof Horvath
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TreeSitter - the holy grail of parsing source code
As a software analysis company we have an inherent need for parsing source code. Until recently we used the maybe most prominent tool for parsing Java code which is JavaParser. JavaParser works …
Andreas from Symflower
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Debugging part 1: A guide to fixing bugs in software applications with the TRAFFIC principle
Debugging a piece of software can drive the most well-tempered developer nuts – yet, sadly, it’s also inevitable, as no one writes bug-free code. Trying to find out what is wrong with faulty …
Simon from Symflower
Kristof Horvath
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A more robust way to install VS Code for extension testing
Through testing our VS Code extension – Symflower for VS Code – we’ve stumbled over some interesting issues and edge cases. One of them was that the copy of VS Code, which was automatically …
Mica from Symflower
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How to write JUnit test cases: advanced techniques
In Part 2 of our unit testing guide with JUnit, we’ll dig deeper and present some advanced techniques that will be useful once you start applying unit tests in your projects with JUnit 5. In …
Evelyn Haslinger
Kristof Horvath
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Modifying a VS Code installation in extension tests
The starter template for VS Code extensions gives you a lot of flexibility when it comes to testing. By default, the extension under test is loaded in a special development mode, but this can be …
Mica from Symflower
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Generating unit tests for Java projects with Maven dependencies
Symflower allows you to analyze and automatically generate unit tests for Java projects which rely on Maven dependencies. Let us have a look at how that plays out in practice. Project Setup We are …
Andreas from Symflower
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Timeout-based checks in VS Code extension tests
When testing VS Code extensions, you might run into scenarios where you want to test a condition which is not expected to be true immediately and you cannot know when that condition will be met. For …
Mica from Symflower
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How to write JUnit test cases (a tutorial with examples)
As unit tests become mainstream, many frameworks that support unit testing for Java have gained more popularity. Java testing frameworks such as JUnit describe the guidelines for test scripts, and …
Evelyn Haslinger
Kristof Horvath
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How to make VS Code extensions: guide & best practices
Aiming to start writing extensions for Visual Studio Code? You’re in the right place to kick things off! This series of blog posts will provide you with fundamental information on getting started with …
Mica from Symflower
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A better X server setup for IntelliJ plugin tests locally and in your CI
When you test an IntelliJ plugin using UI automation, you need to have an instance of IntelliJ running that hosts the plugin under test. That instance needs a graphical environment to run in, such as …
Mica from Symflower
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Testing IntelliJ plugins on Windows in your CI using GitLab Runner
At Symflower, we subject all of our software components to mandatory automatic test suites before release, which is implemented using a GitLab-based CI/CD workflow. One of those components is our …
Mica from Symflower
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Smart Java Unit Test Generation for VS Code and IntelliJ
Performing unit testing has become standard practice in modern software development. Doing adequate unit testing is simply necessary if you’re aiming to shift-left your testing and fix bugs as …
Kristof Horvath
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Isolating IntelliJ plugin tests using temporary project directories
When testing a plugin for IntelliJ-based IDEs using a UI test, the plugin gets to operate within a fully-featured instance of the IDE. Most tests will therefore require a project to perform their …
Mica from Symflower
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Accessing IntelliJ plugin classes in UI tests
When testing an IntelliJ plugin, you’ll likely reach for UI tests to verify that both the user interface as well as the code behind it functions correctly. In UI tests, your plugin runs in a …
Mica from Symflower
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All you need to know for IntelliJ plugin development
So you’re interested in writing plugins for a Jetbrains' IntelliJ-based IDE such as IntelliJ IDEA, GoLand, or Android Studio. You’ve come to the right place! Our blog post series will …
Mica from Symflower
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What is new in Java 20?
Java 20 has been released on 21st March 2023, and it introduced a range of changes and new functionality. The current version is a non-LTS release, while the following version 21 is set to be a …
Kristof Horvath
Evelyn Haslinger
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Create JUnit tests more productively with Symflower
Symflower fully supports you when writing Java tests with JUnit 4 and JUnit 5. There are two ways to use Symflower to streamline your unit testing activities: Instantly generate boilerplate testing …
Markus Zimmermann
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Software development trends for 2023
As software is taking over the world, the development strategies we use have to evolve in lockstep to keep pace. With development teams constantly looking to innovate and improve their efficiency, …
Kristof Horvath
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Integrating a language server (LSP) in a VS Code extension
If you’re working on developer assistance tooling such as auto-completion or error highlighting for a particular programming language, you probably want the functionality with more than one code …
Mica from Symflower
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Software testing trends for 2023
With software becoming the main value driver and the primary interface between developers and customers, focus on software quality is growing. The need to deliver high-quality, bug-free products in …
Kristof Horvath
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Incremental development with short iterations for more productivity and less frustration
Implementing new features and thinking up the best way to get everything just right is part of what makes software development exciting. In addition, being able to apply our problem solving skills …
Lydia Lichtenberger
Markus Zimmermann
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Programming principle "YAGNI": you ain't gonna need it
The programming principle YAGNI (You aren’t gonna need it) originates from extreme programming, which is an agile software development methodology that advocates frequent releases with short …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Java Fuzzing with Jazzer compared to Symflower
Fuzzing is a testing technique where random values are generated as inputs to find unexpected behavior such as crashes and security issues. Previously we looked at the new Golang release 1.18 which …
Simon from Symflower
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Getting started with plugin development for JetBrains IDEs like IntelliJ, Goland, and Android Studio
No matter what your technical background as a developer looks like, you’ve probably come across or even used an IDE from JetBrains. Their product line features IDEs for various languages and …
Mica from Symflower
Martin from Symflower
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Reusing a software development workflow for creative work
Creating illustrations on conceptual issues is a very tedious task which is often required when working on a product for software developers. Though tedious, illustrating those abstract concepts well …
Evelyn Haslinger
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What is the testing pyramid and how to use it? [+Example]
In the software world we have an ever growing collection of testing technologies at our disposal. Mainly there are three levels on which testing is commonly performed: the unit-, integration- and …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Rapidly write tests in IntelliJ IDEA and Goland with test templates
Test templates help you write and maintain manually-written unit tests more easily and quicker than doing it entirely by hand. The test template generator in our IntelliJ plugin takes care of …
Mica from Symflower
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The software testing jungle
There are hundreds of different kinds of software testing types around. Why is that? Because every functional and non-functional requirement of a software product needs to be tested, otherwise one …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Review generated unit tests, instead of writing them by hand
Unit tests are essential for fast but safe development. They freeze intended behavior, and therefore let us find bugs due to changes or refactoring hiccups with ease. This saves us a lot of time which …
Andreas from Symflower
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The essential guide for SEO using meta tags
Why should you care about meta tags? Well, meta tags help ensure your website works as intended. They present your page in the optimal way to search engines and social media websites, thus helping …
Florian Winkler
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Using custom CSS to change websites to your desires
Do you have a website or web application that would be more readable if the style would just change a little bit? We faced the same problem at Symflower with GitLab because the names of our CI jobs …
Andreas from Symflower
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Programming principle "DRY": Don't Repeat Yourself
This article offers a fresh perspective on the programming principle Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) and showcases how we embrace DRY internally at Symflower. DRY is most commonly applied in the following …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Switch between unit test styles of Go and Java
Have you ever asked yourself how to name and structure your automated tests, which assertions you should use and how to implement sub-tests? The answers to these questions make up your test style. …
Vanessa Fediuk
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Best practices for Java and Go unit tests: naming and storing test files
When applying unit testing on your software, you’ll likely end up with lots of unit tests. In order to stay organized so that your structure is transparent and easy for other collaborators to …
Evelyn Haslinger
Markus Zimmermann
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Programming principle "Chesterton's Fence": Understand the current state before changing it
Programming principles (also called coding principles or conventions) are guidelines that help us prevent making “unfavorable” design decisions during coding. That is why every developer …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Java unit test templates: Reducing boilerplate code
Unit tests are not just a nice-to-have, but a must-have in most projects. They let you focus on your implementation as the existing behavior can be freezed with a good unit test suite, that is, there …
Andreas from Symflower
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Symflower finds small reproducers, the smart way
A software component that gracefully handles every possible input is an asset. Such strong guarantees greatly benefit a system’s security and maintainability, but the implementation of a robust …
Johannes Altmanninger
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A COMPLETE guide on how to make Docker images even smaller
These days everything is either moving or already running in containers when it comes to software infrastructure. The very first container of Symflower was not for our product, some service or our …
Markus Zimmermann
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How to auto-generate advanced forms using Formly
Nearly every programmer has experienced long and confusing code at least once in their lives. Such complexity often happens naturally during development, by adding new code to improve the product. …
Vanessa Fediuk
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Writing better table-driven tests: pros and cons of different unit testing styles
Ever wondered what the best style for writing unit tests is? We at Symflower have a certain take on that. We developed a test style optimized towards debuggability, readability and understandability. …
Andreas from Symflower
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How real-time autonomous unit testing can help you develop better software
Having to deal with code quality issues deep in a project’s life-cycle is a shared nightmare between all developers. There is nothing worse than being knee-deep in development – or, in a worst-case …
Markus Zimmermann
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Getting started with Visual Studio Code extension development
Most developers have used Visual Studio Code at some point in their careers. It has been voted the most popular IDE of 2021 by respondents of the StackOverflow developer survey, and its appeal is …
Mica from Symflower
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Methods for automated test value generation
In the first blog post of our blog series on Symflower’s Core Technology, we explained how symbolic execution works and how we apply it to test source code, and generate unit tests. In this …
Lydia Lichtenberger
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Go 1.18 - native Fuzzing and Dinosaurs
Last month, the Go language team released the Go 1.18. It contains the much awaited generic support, which we’re very excited to try out. We also noticed some other interesting changes in the …
Simon from Symflower
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How to set up a MacOS CI for Gitlab
With Symflower CLI, a major part of our product is required to run as a binary on the local machine. Since we use Linux in the company, the first version of Symflower was first and foremost designed …
Markus Zimmermann
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Debugging flaky infinite loops
There are tons of great open source solutions that help us every day to develop, test, and debug our software products — Symflower CLI, Visual Studio Code, the Delve debugger, or the testify unit …
Simon from Symflower
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Secret features in your Unix shell: CDPATH
Have you ever noticed that when you type a single letter in your browser’s address bar, it will automagically suggest the website you want to visit? In essence, websites are just visually …
Johannes Altmanninger
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Social activities for your team during lockdown: Meme of the Month
There’s no way around it: regardless of the specific market or sector, practically every kind of company has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic happening in the past two years. Most of us …
Evelyn Haslinger
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What is the Static Single Assignment Form (SSA) and when to use it?
When coding, we are used to reassigning variables repeatedly. Just take for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) { } as an example, where the value of i changes a hundred times after its initialization. But …
Lydia Lichtenberger
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Testing network requests with Cypress
We’ve covered the general reasons why we’ve chosen to use Cypress in our previous blogpost about testing. In this next article, we will go into details about how Cypress can be used to run tests for …
Markus Zimmermann
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Design guidelines for startups: why you should have one too
Out of all the factors that influence a business' success, brand image is perhaps one of the most impactful ones. The way your company is perceived by potential users, customers, and business partners …
Markus Zimmermann
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Recap: B2B Software Days 2021 QnA
As part of our efforts to be active in the software development and testing community and meetup space, we took part in the 2021 B2B Software Days event during May 10-12, 2021. To bring our readers a …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Why do we need software testing?
More often than not, software testing is perceived as necessary evil by developers. Coding new features is more fun and is also often thought to require more skill than testing, which is why in many …
Evelyn Haslinger
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What is symbolic execution for software programs?
While the concept of symbolic execution (SE) was introduced in the 1970s, it has mostly been relevant for scientists in the decades since. In essence, symbolic execution provides a way to analyze a …
Lydia Lichtenberger
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UI system tests with Cypress
At Symflower we started off writing our UI system tests with Jasmine, but switched later on to Cypress. This blog post summarizes our experiences with Jasmine and why it pays off to switch to a …
Markus Zimmermann
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How to solve a 40-year-old riddle with a few lines of code
Bring light into your math problems by modeling them and letting a solver do the heavy lifting. In this blog post we will show you a clever way to solve a riddle. For that end, we will model it as a …
Lydia Lichtenberger
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What are the different code coverage types?
In certain GitHub repositories, e.g. Apache ShardingSphere, you can find so-called code coverage badges provided by services like codecov.io. You might have an intuitive understanding of what code …
Andreas from Symflower
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Secret tricks for path-independent Angular apps
Or: How I spent a whole week removing a slash from a URL. Suppose you’re writing an Angular app and you want it to be available regardless of what URL you host it under. This is often desired …
Mica from Symflower
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Frictionless code review workflow using the GitLab API
Like many software development teams, we use GitLab to manage our product’s lifecycle, from milestone planning to CI/CD. We heavily rely on code review to catch potential problems before they …
Johannes Altmanninger
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A complete guide to software testing
We’re kicking off Symflower’s series of blog posts about fundamental software testing strategies and insights. Our guide to software testing series will help you understand key concepts …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Finding test values: it's not black magic, it's simply math
We are solving math problems on a daily basis since we were little children. Starting with the pressing question of how many sweets we can buy with our weekly pocket money, finding the perfect …
Lydia Lichtenberger
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Using git-autofixup to effortlessly correct your Git commits
The version control system Git gives us powerful tools to orchestrate collaborative software development. Developers use code reviews to catch many issues long before a customer would notice them. To …
Johannes Altmanninger
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Try Symflower for free
Symflower employs deep source code analyses and mathematical models to fully automatically write, run and analyze unit tests, covering all interesting paths through your software programs. These high …
Evelyn Haslinger
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How new ways of retrospectives improve the productivity and well-being of your team and company
At Symflower we strive for continuous improvement at all levels and areas. From our point of view this principle is only possible through joint reflection and an open feedback culture throughout the …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Interns: the hidden treasures of your summer months
Over the course of my education I (Evelyn Haslinger) did several internships. The disillusioning reality of most of these internships was that I would have spent my summers better off by doing …
Evelyn Haslinger
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What are Integer Overflows and how to detect them automatically?
Ariane 5, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and a 105-year old swedish lady who has to go to preschool. All these events have one thing in common – they were caused by software errors. Today we show you …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Hiring and onboarding during the Covid19 lockdown
Since March 16 most of Austria’s companies are obliged to switch to remote work. The transition from on-site work to pure remote work went really smooth for Symflower. Mostly because many of our …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Symflower is part of the latest campaign of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber #schaffenwir
The Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO) has launched with #schaffenwir its latest campaign to put a stronger focus on local companies and their employees. From now on Symflower and its team will …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Symflower at the Ingram Micro Top 2019
Innovation meets tradition at the Ingram Micro Top. With it’s 17th edition the event has traditional character in the IT industry. Annually the latest innovations are represented in the course …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Symflower is moving
After 18 months in the Tech2b startup incubator, it is time for us to move to our own office. We really enjoyed our time at Tech2b and we wish our mentors and colleagues all the best. Thank you for …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Symflower at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona
Symflower looks back at the #MWC19. After 8 weeks we have finished our post-processing and are able to look back on a successful and exciting Mobile World Congress 2019. Let me start by concluding …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Symflower's tech2b graduation
Symflower at its tech2b graduation. Startups who have successfully completed their incubation with tech2b are honored in a graduation ceremony. We were honored with the “winner diploma” by …
Evelyn Haslinger
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TECHCENTER trifft NEUE WERFT - Interview
TECHCENTER meets NEUE WERFT is a (still) young format that regularly conducts interviews with founders of innovative companies. Our co-founder, Evelyn, was interviewed about Symflower as part of this …
Evelyn Haslinger
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JKU Founder's Breakfast
We have been invited to introduce Symflower at the Founder’s Breakfast of the Johannes Kepler University Linz. This event took place for the 10th time and attracted numerous visitors. Space …
Evelyn Haslinger
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IaaM 5 - Kubernetes Talk and Workshop
We held a Kubernetes talk and workshop at the fifth Infrastructure as a Meetup (IaaM). Why Kubernetes?" Kubernetes has become the leading framework for container orchestration, deployment and the …
Markus Zimmermann
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i2b Business Plan Competition
We attended the final of the i2b business plan competition of the Austrian-Federal-Economic-Chamber. Only 15 business plans out of 232 entrants received an invitation to the final. We won the shared …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Tech2b Scale-up
We got accepted into the tech2b Scale-up program. Tech2b is an incubator in Upper Austria which supports technology- and design-orientated startups. Why Should You Attend? The tech2b funding offers …
Evelyn Haslinger
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Edison der Preis of 2017
We attended the final of the Edison der Preis idea contest! Out of 60 entrants only 6 teams were invited for the technical category. Why Should You Attend? Entering the second phase of the contest …
Evelyn Haslinger