Deutscher Gründerpreis

What Deutscher Gründerpreis does

Deutscher Gründerpreis (German Founder Prize) is Germany's longest-running entrepreneurship recognition award, founded in 1997 and operated as a non-commercial multi-partner initiative by Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e.V. (DSGV) together with three other core partners: ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, and since February 2025 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), which replaced stern after more than 20 years. The initiative annually recognizes German founders across five categories — StartUp (companies aged 1–3 years), Aufsteiger (companies up to nine years old with exceptional growth), Lebenswerk (lifetime achievement), Sonderpreis (special prize), and Schüler:innen (a student business plan competition launched in 1999 that has engaged over 95,000 students). It serves founders, scaling companies, veteran entrepreneurs, and students as awardees rather than paying customers.

The core "product" is the annual award cycle, supported by a digital nomination database (gruenderpreis-nominierung.de) where roughly 300 expert nominators from companies, technology centers, ministries, and Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe submit candidates, and where companies can also apply directly. Award packages for finalists include individualized consulting from Porsche Consulting, two-year mentorship from a 27-member Kuratorium of prominent German business personalities, media training from ZDF, and broadcast visibility through the September award ceremony at ZDF-Hauptstadtstudio in Berlin. Additional supporting sponsors include Bertelsmann, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Versicherungen der Sparkassen, and the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection) as a cooperation partner.

The initiative has no commercial revenue model — participation is free and the program is funded entirely by its institutional partners and sponsors. Its go-to-market is nomination- and event-driven: candidate sourcing flows through the expert network, finalists are selected by a partner jury, and visibility is delivered via ZDF broadcast and partner media. The operating geography is restricted to Germany, with organizational presence at DSGV's Berlin headquarters (Charlottenstraße 47) and partner locations in Mainz, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt am Main.

Name

Deutscher Gründerpreis

Legal name

Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e. V.

Website

https://deutscher-gruenderpreis.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutscher Gründerpreis is Germany's longest-running entrepreneurship recognition award, founded in 1997 and operated by Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e.V. together with ZDF, Porsche, and FAZ. It serves German founders across five annual categories and provides mentorship, consulting, and broadcast visibility to finalists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Award & Recognition

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship award
• Business plan competition
• Startup recognition
• Founder prize
• Business mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Deutscher Gründerpreis is a non-profit award initiative without a commercial revenue model. It is funded by its institutional partners (Sparkassen, ZDF, Porsche, FAZ) and supported by additional sponsors (Bertelsmann, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Sparkassen Versicherungen) with the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz as a cooperation partner.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Deutscher Gründerpreis is a non-profit, annual entrepreneurship award initiative that recognizes outstanding founders in Germany across five categories: StartUp (companies 1-3 years old), Aufsteiger/Rising Star (scaling companies up to 9 years old), Lebenswerk/Lifetime Achievement, Sonderpreis/Special Prize, and Schüler:innen (student business plan competition). Winners and finalists receive individualized consulting from Porsche Consulting, two-year mentorship from Kuratorium members, media training from ZDF, and public visibility through ZDF broadcasts and partner media coverage.

Product overview

Deutscher Gründerpreis is an annual entrepreneurship award platform organized by Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e.V. with partners Sparkassen, ZDF, Porsche, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The offering consists of the core award program with five categories (StartUp, Aufsteiger, Lebenswerk, Sonderpreis, and Schüler:innen), supported by a nomination database platform, mentorship services through the Curatorium, advisory services via Porsche Consulting, and media training from ZDF. The platform connects approximately 300 experts who nominate outstanding companies, with finalists receiving personalized consulting and two-year mentorship programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StartUp: Award category for startups that are one to three years old and have successfully established their business idea in the market.
• Aufsteiger
• Lebenswerk
• Sonderpreis
• Schüler:innen

Products and services

• Deutscher Gründerpreis - Kategorie StartUp Annual award category for outstanding startup founders whose companies are 1-3 years old and have successfully established their business idea in the market.
• Deutscher Gründerpreis - Kategorie Aufsteiger Annual award category for companies not older than nine years that have achieved exceptional growth and demonstrated outstanding entrepreneurial performance.
• Deutscher Gründerpreis - Kategorie Lebenswerk Lifetime achievement award for experienced entrepreneurs who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime achievements in building successful businesses.
• Deutscher Gründerpreis - Sonderpreis Special award category for extraordinary entrepreneurial achievements that do not fit into the standard StartUp, Aufsteiger, or Lebenswerk categories.
• Deutscher Gründerpreis für Schüler:innen (DGPS) Germany's largest business plan competition for school students, conveying entrepreneurial competencies and encouraging self-employment among young people.
• Gründerpreis-Nominierungsdatenbank (Nomination Database) Online platform where companies can apply for nomination and experts can submit candidates for consideration in the award selection process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95,000 students have developed entrepreneurial skills through the competition
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2025Newest partner joining in February 2025, replacing stern. FAZ brings economic expertise and educational engagement to the initiative, contributing journalism and business coverage.
• Sparkassen (Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the four founding partners of Deutscher Gründerpreis since 1997. The Sparkassen organization provides nationwide distribution through its regional branches and expert network for candidate identification.
• ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the four founding partners. ZDF hosts the annual award ceremony at its Hauptstadtstudio in Berlin and provides broadcast coverage, media training for finalists, and television exposure.
• Porsche (Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the four founding partners. Porsche provides individualized consulting services through Porsche Consulting for all finalists.
• Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und KlimaschutzminorOthersFederal ministry serving as a cooperation partner supporting the Deutscher Gründerpreis and Deutscher Gründerpreis für Schüler:innen initiatives.
• Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaAminorOthersAdditional supporter of the Deutscher Gründerpreis providing funding and organizational support.
• Süddeutsche ZeitungminorOthersAdditional supporter providing media partnership and coverage support.
• Versicherungen der SparkassenminorOthersAdditional supporter representing the insurance companies within the Sparkassen group.
• Porsche ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides individualized consulting services to all finalists of the Deutscher Gründerpreis as part of the award package.
• Kuratorium des Deutschen GründerpreisescoreOthers27 prominent German business personalities (including Dr. Stella A. Ahlers, Dr. Michael Otto, Prof. Dr. Martin Viessmann, and others) who serve as mentors for finalists and winners over a two-year period.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Munich Startup: Munich-based platform and ecosystem hub for German startups. Comparable as a recognition/discovery channel for early-stage German founders, though narrower in geographic scope and operating more as a media/community than an award.

Broad incumbents

• Handelsblatt / WirtschaftsWoche Founder Rankings: Major German business media outlets that publish regular founder rankings and entrepreneur recognition features. Comparable as established recognition platforms with deep German business readership and brand-driven prestige signaling.
• FORTUNE '40 Under 40': FORTUNE's annual list of the most influential young business leaders. Comparable as a large, globally recognized recognition platform with media amplification, though broader in scope than founder-specific awards.
• Inc. 'Best in Business': Inc. magazine's annual recognition list for entrepreneurs and companies. Comparable as a broader, US-anchored incumbent that overlaps in awarding entrepreneurial excellence but is not German-specific.

Others

• Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V. German startup industry association representing founders and venture actors. Not a direct award competitor but a closely related ecosystem organization; many Deutscher Gründerpreis winners and nominees overlap with its member base.

Direct peers

• Deutscher Startup-Pokal / German Startup Award: Another established German startup recognition award. Comparable as a direct competitor for prestige and visibility among German early-stage founders across multiple categories.
• EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (Germany): EY's flagship global entrepreneurship recognition program with a dedicated Germany edition. Closest direct peer: awards outstanding founders across multiple categories, backed by a Big Four firm with strong brand and network access.
• Forbes '30 Under 30' (Germany): Annual Forbes list recognizing young entrepreneurs and innovators in Germany. Comparable as a high-visibility, nomination-driven recognition platform with media amplification and prestige signaling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DGP.DeutscherGruenderpreis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutscher-gr%C3%BCnderpreis
• Instagraminstagram.com/deutscher_gruenderpreis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deutscher Gründerpreis