German Startups Awards: Pia Wülfing is Female Impact Entrepreneur of the Year 2026
On 21 May, the German Startup Awards were presented for the seventh time in Berlin. The German Startup Association honoured the best founders and investors of 2026 across a total of eight categories. One of the prizes went to Hamburg: in the Female Impact Entrepreneur category, Dr Pia Wülfing, founder of PINK! gegen Brustkrebs, took the award.
Pia Wülfing owes her success to an online poll in which she received the most votes in her category. She thus follows in the footsteps of another female founder from Hamburg: in 2025, Dr Julia Freudenberg, CEO of the Hacker School, was voted Impact Entrepreneur of the Year. This year’s winner is a gynaecologist specialising in breast cancer and founded her startup PINK! to support patients during their treatment. The core product is an app that acts as a companion through everyday life, helping with tips and exercises. It is an approved digital health application (DiGA), with costs covered by health insurance providers. PINK! also offers courses and webinars and organises an online conference once a year.
The other winners of the German Startup Awards 2026
Female Newcomer of the Year
Ruth Bosse, CEO & Founder of Ark Software GmbH (Munich)Male Newcomer of the Year
Christian Ninstel, CEO & Founder of Droidrun (Osnabrück)Female Founder of the Year
Julie Lepique, CEO & Founder of Femtasy (Berlin)Male Founder of the Year
Dr Jarek Kutylowski, CEO & Founder of DeepL (Cologne)Female Investor of the Year
Judith Dada, General Partner at Visionaries Club (Berlin)Investor of the Year
Simon Schmincke, General Partner at CREANDUM (Berlin)
In addition, the economist Prof. Dr Ann-Kristin Achleitner received a special award for her long-standing commitment to the German start-up ecosystem.
