KfW has once again honored outstanding young companies from across Germany as part of the KfW Award Gründen 2025. One startup from each federal state was awarded as a state winner and received prize money of €1,000. In Bavaria, the award went to the Munich startup Reverion, which impressed the jury with its innovative energy solution.
The KfW Award Gründen honors startups that advance the German economy through innovative approaches, sustainable thinking, and entrepreneurial courage. At the festive award ceremony in Berlin, KfW recognized 16 state winners and also presented a national award as well as special prizes.
Stefan Wintels, CEO of KfW, describes the award:
“With the KfW Award Gründen, we honor entrepreneurs who pursue innovative paths with creative ideas, great commitment, and a clear vision, and thus set important impulses for the economy and society.”
State award for climate protection and energy efficiency
The state winner Bavaria, Reverion, develops modular systems that convert biogas into highly efficient, CO₂-negative electricity and heat. The technology uses reversible solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), which can generate electricity and bind CO₂ from the atmosphere. In doing so, the company contributes to a climate-neutral energy future while offering economic benefits for biogas plant operators.
In addition to the state winners, the 2025 national award was given to Qdrant Solutions from Berlin. The company develops an open-source vector database that processes unstructured data in a context-based manner, enabling more precise AI applications. The special prize “Succession” was awarded to Schreinerei Hodapp from Saarbrücken for its successful digital generational change.
Popular vote award and further honors
All 16 state winners are also nominated for the popular vote award. Voting runs through November 30, 2025 at www.fuer-gruender.de/kfw-award-gruenden-publikumspreis. The jury evaluated the submitted projects based on degree of innovation, creativity, and social and ecological responsibility.
In addition to the main competition, KfW Capital also presented the awards Best Female Investor, Best Impact Investor, and VC Game Changer in Berlin. Among the award winners was Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, CEO of UnternehmerTUM and Vice President Entrepreneurship at the Technical University of Munich, a representative of the Munich startup scene.
