Startups have until 1 July to apply for the KfW Award Gründen 2026. With this competition, the KfW Banking Group is reaching out to startups from all over Germany to recognise them for their ideas and courage. The competition is open to companies founded in 2021 or later. A total of 35,000 euros in prize money will be awarded.
16 state winners compete for the KfW Award Gründen
The jury recruits its members from KfW, other development banks, politics, and business. It evaluates the business ideas based on their degree of innovation and creativity. Another key criterion is social value. Economic success, environmental sustainability, and the promotion of an inclusive, diverse work environment are also factored into the assessment. One startup is initially selected from each federal state. The prize money for the state winners is 1,000 euros each. In 2025, MonsterShack won for Hamburg with an app that helps children manage neurodermatitis in a playful way. The overall victory went to the AI startup Qdrant Solutions from Berlin.
The 16 state winners qualify for the national finals, where the grand prize is 9,000 euros. In addition, the jury awards a special prize of 5,000 euros. All finalists also qualify for an online vote, in which the audience award - worth 5,000 euros as well -is up for grabs. The award ceremony will take place on 4 November and will be covered by the television station n-tv in a special broadcast. The startups will be supported by a PR agency in their marketing efforts, and selected companies will have the opportunity to appear in a TV segment.
