With the Gipfelstürmer Award, the SZ honors in cooperation with UnternehmerTUM on the SZ Economic Summit Outstanding startups. The award is aimed at companies in the fields of artificial intelligence, mobility, and deep tech whose ideas will significantly influence the future of the German economy. Both technological breakthroughs and sustainable business practices play a crucial role.
The top three startups in each of the three categories will receive an invitation to the SZ Business Summit in Berlin. The category winners will be announced during a celebratory awards ceremony. In addition to recognition, the award also offers the finalists the opportunity to increase their visibility and establish valuable contacts. The winning startups can expand their network in a targeted manner, thus strengthening their position in the industry.
Who can apply to be a summit climber?
The SZ has set the following application requirements. Companies must:
- already be founded,
- not be older than five years,
- be in a stage between startup and Series B,
- have their headquarters in Germany,
- be assigned to one of the categories AI, mobility or deeptech.
The selection criteria
The winners of the Gipfelstürmer Award are decided by an expert jury, which evaluates the startups and their founding teams based on five dimensions:
- Summiteer Fit: Do the applicants fit into their respective category?
- Impact Pioneer: Does the product or concept promote positive social and environmental change?
- Innovative strength & market potential: How innovative and at the same time marketable is the idea?
- Market response: Are there already positive reactions and acceptance from customers?
- Strong team: Is the founding team characterized by competence, collaboration, goal orientation and diversity?
The procedure
The startups compete against each other within their categories. In the first step, UnternehmerTUM evaluates all submissions based on defined criteria. The top 10 startups in each category are then evaluated by a high-profile jury. This jury selects three finalists for each category, who will travel to the SZ Economic Summit in Berlin in November. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 12.
Interested founders can apply via an online form. The complete application documents include key facts and figures, a pitch deck in PDF format, and the completed questionnaire. The deadline for submission is October 6.
