Students of all school types are eligible to participate, either individually or in teams, as well as student companies and already established projects. The only requirements are that they attend school in Germany and that applicants must have been between 14 and 19 years old by May 6, 2021. However, multiple submissions are not permitted for the Startup Teens Challenge. The application deadline is August 5.
The competition is divided into seven categories, the exact scope of which is determined by the jury itself at the beginning of the selection process. In the past, however, projects submitted primarily focused on sustainability, environmental and climate protection, education, products and services, innovations, and digital offerings. During the competition, participants can select mentors from the Startup Teens network to help them complete the tasks. Startup Teens also offers online training for creating business plans.
Process of the Startup Teens Business Plan Competition
After the deadline for entries, a two-stage selection process follows: In the first step, the jury evaluates the business plans based on three criteria: feasibility, degree of innovation, and completeness of the business plan. The five best startups in each category then advance to the second round, where an online vote from August 27 to September 3 will determine two finalists each. A third finalist will be selected directly by the jury. In the grand finale on September 24 at the Axel Springer Haus in Berlin, the three finalists will then pitch for the victory in their category. This year, not only the 2021 class will be competing, but also the participants of the 2020 Challenge. Both events were combined due to the coronavirus situation.
Nina Schweitzer, Management at Startup Teens, explains:
"Every participant is already a winner. In addition to a certificate, they receive feedback from our jury on their idea. In the final, the teams will meet 100 top personalities from the startup scene, entrepreneurship, politics, and society and can lay the foundation for their own network."
Each category offers prize money of 10,000 euros for the winning team. Furthermore, schools with at least three teams participating in the challenge with complete business plans will be honored as Startup Teens Schools and recognized for their outstanding Entrepreneurship Education excellent.
All information about the competition can be found online.
