The portal Für-Gründer.de examined all startup competitions in Germany and found that the number of startup competitions has been growing steadily for years. One in six top startups comes from the Munich area.
In the third year of the study, the number of startup competitions reached a record high of 163 in 2016. In previous years, this figure had been 145 (2015) and 124 (2014). Around €3 million in prize money went to 750 winning startups. The study expects a further increase for the current year: around 190 startup competitions have already been announced for 2017. René Klein, Managing Director of Für-Gründer.de, says:
“The increasing number shows the importance of start-up competitions, which make an important contribution to promoting start-ups,”
and adds:
“In addition to prize money, founders benefit primarily from network access, feedback, know-how and media attention.”
One in six top startups comes from Munich
In addition, the study authors searched for the 50 startups that performed best in the competitions examined. The criteria included the number of awards, the amount of prize money, and the size of the competitions. Celonis and Landpack Two startups from the Munich area are among the top 10. Also among the top 50 are Terraloupe, Social Bee, PreOmics, Toposens, Ferrosens and ParkHereAlmost one in six top startups comes from the greater Munich area. Even when compared to the German federal states, Munich leads the field. Hesse alone also has eight top startups. Berlin and Baden-Württemberg follow, each with six of Germany's 50 leading competitive startups.
The top 50 in detail
Two-thirds of the 50 top-ranked companies target business customers with their products. The vast majority focus on medical technology and Industry 4.0. The top 50 startups alone employ a combined 620 employees and have 172 founders. More than half (58%) operate internationally, and 14% are aiming for international expansion this year. More than two-thirds (68%) are seeking fresh growth capital.
