This year, the Hamburger Gründerpreis (Hamburg Founder's Award) went to entrepreneur, honorary citizen and benefactor Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, the Quickborn-based games publisher D&R Denkriesen and the cleantech startup 1KOMMA5°. The awards, initiated by Hamburger Sparkasse and Hamburger Abendblatt, in the categories of startup, rising star and lifetime achievement were presented at a gala in the Fischauktionshalle.
1Komma5° wins in the startup category
The price for the most successful startup founder was awarded to Micha Grüber and Philipp Schröder of 1KOMMA5°. The company, founded in Hamburg in 2021, offers solar systems, electricity storage, heat pumps and charging infrastructure for electric cars, as well as the "Heartbeat" energy management system. It installs the technology at customers' sites and ensures long-term optimized operation. It also acquires stakes in leading companies in the electrical sector and in return offers the use of its own software solutions, central services, bundled purchasing and growth capital. In 2023, the startup expects sales of between 500 and 600 million euros and an operating profit of around 10 percent. After a financing round of 215 million euros, 1KOMMA5° belongs to the exclusive circle of "unicorns", startups with a valuation in the billions.
Prof. Dr. Michael Otto honored for lifetime achievement
Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, the Otto Group has developed into the largest e-commerce company with European roots. Today, it is a globally successful trading and services group with 30 companies in 30 countries and a turnover of around 16 billion euros. Michael Otto is a convinced family entrepreneur with a high level of social commitment and a strong sense of responsibility. As early as the 1980s, he declared environmental protection and socially responsible business activities to be an essential part of his corporate strategy. He is also the initiator and founder of various charities in the environmental and sustainability field.
Rising star in 2023 is the game publisher D&R Denkriesen
Ricardo Barreto and Denis Görz, the founders and managing directors of D&R Denkriesen, are on a growth course with party and drinking games. The first game, "Klattschen", which is still the most successful to this day, became a Germany-wide bestseller with over one million copies sold. The "Stadt-Land-Vollpfosten" series has also conquered the games market and shown that old classic games in a contemporary guise fill a gap in the market. Denkriesen currently has twelve titles in its range. With 1.6 million games sold, sales climbed to 12.5 million euros in fiscal year 2022. Denkriesen donates two percent of its annual profits to social projects.
