With the Gipfelstürmer Award, Süddeutsche Zeitung honors outstanding startups in collaboration with UnternehmerTUM at the SZ Economic Summit. The award is aimed at companies in the fields of artificial intelligence, mobility, and deep tech whose ideas will significantly influence the German economy in the future. Both technological breakthroughs and sustainable business practices play a decisive role.
The top 3 startups in each of the three categories receive an invitation to the SZ Economic Summit in Berlin. The winners of each category will be announced during a festive awards ceremony. The award offers finalists not only recognition but also the opportunity to increase their visibility and build valuable contacts. The awarded startups can strategically expand their network and strengthen their position in the industry.
Who can apply as a Gipfelstürmer?
Süddeutsche Zeitung 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,
- be headquartered in Germany,
- fall into one of the categories: AI, mobility, or deep tech.
Selection criteria
A panel of experts decides on the winners of the Gipfelstürmer Award. They evaluate the startups and their founding team based on five dimensions:
- Gipfelstürmer fit: Do the applicants match their respective category?
- Impact pioneer: Does the product or concept promote positive social and ecological change?
- Innovation power and market potential: How innovative and market-ready is the idea?
- Market resonance: Are there already positive reactions and customer acceptance?
- Strong team: Does the founding team stand out through competence, collaboration, goal orientation, and diversity?
The process
Startups compete within their category. In the first step, UnternehmerTUM evaluates all submissions based on the defined criteria. The top 10 startups from each category are then finally evaluated by a high-caliber jury. For each category, they select three finalists who will travel to the SZ Economic Summit in Berlin in November. There, on November 12, the winners will be announced as part of an awards ceremony.
Interested founders can apply via an online form. Complete documentation includes key data and facts, a pitch deck in PDF format, and a completed questionnaire. The deadline for submissions is October 6.
