
Winners, categories & highlights of the award ceremony
The Startup Association has presented the German Startup Awards 2026 in Berlin. An overview of all the winners from the Founder, Investor, Newcomer and Impact categories.

Exciting innovations from start-ups and established companies alike are emerging every day throughout Germany. Igus is now offering financial backing to bring both worlds together: the company is participating as an investor in the new High-Tech Gründerfonds IV.

Trumpf has spun off two start-ups, Optimate and ScaleNC, which focus on digital solutions for sheet metal processing.

The former head of Universal Robots Germany, Helmut Schmid, has sought a new challenge: Schmid is now supporting start-ups with his new company HS Auxsilium.

This year, the Formnext Start-up Challenge is once again recognizing young and innovative companies that are no older than five years.

In their joint initiative "AI for Green Energy Lab", Schneider Electric and Microsoft are breaking new ground and looking for start-ups that want to change the energy sector in Europe through artificial intelligence.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is giving start-ups the opportunity to present their products and services at the Wire and Tube trade fairs in 2020.
Cooperation with accelerator M.Tech
With the Stuttgart-based M.Tech program, automation specialist Festo is working with other companies to promote the growth of start-ups.