The jury of the KfW Award Gründen evaluates applicants' business ideas based on their degree of innovation and creativity, and examines whether they demonstrate social responsibility. Successful handling of the challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis is also considered in the evaluation – including the impact of the pandemic on sales and company results. Furthermore, the environmentally conscious implementation of the idea and whether jobs and training positions were created or maintained are decisive factors for the award.
One company from each German state will be honored, with prize money of €1,000 each for the state winners. They will compete for the national title, which comes with an additional €9,000 in prize money. The jury will also award a special prize of €5,000. All state winners also have the opportunity to receive an additional €5,000 as the "Audience Choice" winner.
Process of the KfW Award Gründen
The application phase for the award began on April 1. Among other things, sales, profit, and employee numbers will be assessed. Companies can also be nominated. The winners will be announced on October 28, 2021. Any company based in Germany that was founded after January 1, 2016, or acquired as part of a succession process is eligible to participate. Only companies that have already been founded can participate in the competition.
In the past, the Bavarian state winners of the award also included Munich startups, such as Toposens (2017) and E-bot7 (2020).
