NRW seeks founders of the year

For the tenth time, the state is awarding the NRW Start-up Prize. A total of 60,000 euros in prize money is at stake.

Start-ups can now apply for the NRW Start-up Prize. This is the tenth time that the Ministry of Economics and NRW.Bank have awarded the prize for innovative start-ups. The first place winner will receive 30,000 euros, second place 20,000 euros and third place 10,000 euros.

Minister of Economic Affairs Andreas Pinkwart (FDP) will be referring to the strong network from which the prize winners will benefit. All companies in NRW that were founded between 2016 and 2019 can apply. The prize is not only for start-ups, but also for craft businesses or restaurants, as long as they have an innovative concept. "Promising start-up concepts with forward-looking ideas are a mainstay for our state. One of our core tasks as the development bank for North Rhine-Westphalia is to provide sustainable support for such start-ups," says Eckhard Forst, Chairman of the Managing Board of NRW.Bank.

The jury is chaired by Christine Volkmann, Chair of Business Start-ups and Economic Development at the University of Wuppertal. "In terms of quality, we have been registering a really high level in the applications for years now," says Volkmann. "Regrettably, start-ups by women have been significantly underrepresented until now. I would like to call on all young female entrepreneurs in North Rhine-Westphalia to present their innovative ideas to us." The award ceremony will take place on 29 November 2021 in Düsseldorf.