The aim of the Green Impact Awards is to promote early-stage and ecologically sustainable start-ups and start-up ideas. The awards are intended to give teams the opportunity to make initial outlays at a low threshold, create their first prototypes and take their first steps with the reassuring feeling of monetary support. In the first phase, we focus on existing funding infrastructures and present the awards or grants through existing accelerator/incubator programs, e.g. at demo days and pitch events.
Motivation
Overview of selected programs
| Program name | Host | Program focus | Price level | Award date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GROW | PioneerGarage | Generally | 2.000 € | January 2025 |
| Aurel Steinert Impact Promotion | EntrepreneurTUM | Generally | 5.000 € | Fall (whole year) |
| Student Innovation Lab | EnTechnon KIT/td> | Generally | 2.000 € | Summer 2025 |
| IDEEN-PITCH Nuremberg region | NKubator | Energy & decarbonization | 2.500 € | 25.09.2025 |
| Circular Economy Accelerator | Circular Valley | Circular economy | 2× 2.500 € | 14.11.2025 |
| Climate Camp | fokus.energie e.V. | Sustainability | 1.100 € | 15.07.2025 |
| Impact Challenge | TechQuartier | Impact, Social & Sustainability | 5.000 € | 26.-27.11.2025 |
| SpinLab Accelerator | SpinLab | Generally | 2.500 € | December 2025 |
| Smart Green Accelerator | Smart Green Accelerator | Green Tech | 3.500 € | October 2025 |
PionierGarage: GROW
- Host: PionierGarage - student initiative in Karlsruhe for those interested in founding a company. Organizes, among other things, the largest student ideas competition in Europe (GROW). Aurel was chairman of the board and has hosted GROW twice.
- Program: GROW: Largest European student ideas competition. No thematic focus. Founders from all over Germany with a focus on BaWü.
- Price amount: 2.000 €
- Where: Karlsruhe
- When: Mostly in January, 1x per year
- Status: Ongoing (prize already awarded once: Black Matt Desalination)
UnternehmerTUM: Aurel Steinert Impact Promotion
- Host: UnternehmerTUM is the innovation and start-up center of the Technical University of Munich and supports start-ups with programs, funding, infrastructure and a network. The aim is to transform technological innovations into successful companies. As part of a strong ecosystem, UnternehmerTUM works closely with the university, industry and investors. Around 50 new start-ups emerge from UnternehmerTUM every year.
- Program: ?
- Price range: 5.000 €
- Where: Munich
- When: Flexible, 1x per year
- Status: Ongoing (prize already awarded once: TUM Carbon Initiative)
EnTechnon KIT: Student Innovation Lab
- Host: EnTechnon: Institute of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology for Entrepreneurship, Technology Management and Innovation
- Program: The Student Innovation Lab (SIL) at KIT is a two-semester program for Master's students (primarily electrical engineering) in which teams develop their own high-tech ideas into prototypes and business models. The focus is on entrepreneurial training and offers access to laboratories, mentoring and the KIT ecosystem.
- Price amount: 2.000 €
- Where: Karlsruhe
- When: Once a year
- Status: Ongoing, award ceremony at the beginning of July
NKubator: IDEEN-PITCH Nuremberg region
- Host: NKubator - start-up center in Nuremberg with a focus on energy, green tech and decarbonization. It supports technology-oriented start-ups with programs, infrastructure and network partners. It is run by the City of Nuremberg, ENERGIEregion Nürnberg e.V. and FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg.
- Program: Rather continuous support for start-ups (no batches). A total of 30-40 start-ups are supported at the same time (10-20 receive office space on site). Program duration: approx. two years. There is a pitch event once a year. The idea is to present an Impact Award at this pitch event.
- Price range: 2.500 €
- Where: Rösttrommel, Nuremberg
- When: 25.09.2025, 1x per year
- Status: Finalization, award ceremony on 25.09.2025
Circular Valley: Circular Economy Accelerator
- Host: Circular Valley in Wuppertal is an initiative funded by the state of NRW that runs an accelerator program for start-ups in the circular economy twice a year. In general, they see themselves primarily as an intermediary between start-ups and other funding programs, industry partners, as well as for visas and entry.
- Program: 15-20 teams take part in each batch, the program lasts 2-3 months with three weeks of on-site presence in Wuppertal. There is currently no monetary incentive for the participating start-ups - mainly non-material support and networking (travel expenses have so far been reimbursed by Circular Valley).
- Motivation Award: A sustainability award would be a clear added value, as many teams have received little to no financial support to date. "Even smaller prize money (€1000 - €1500) can help significantly." Larger sums (e.g. €4,000), which were asked for individually, were previously not feasible and were downgraded to €1500.
- Price level: 2,500 €, 2x per year
- Where: Wuppertal
- When: March & November
- Autumn batch: Circular Valley Forum: 2nd Friday in November in the historic Stadthalle Wuppertal, 1000-1500 (renowned) participants
- Spring batch: Circular Valley Convention - mid-March
- Status: Preparation of the Impact Award
Focus.energy: Climate Camp
- Host: fokus.energie e.V. is an independent network in Karlsruhe that brings together stakeholders from business, science and society to promote innovative solutions for a sustainable energy future. Through projects such as the energy accelerator AXEL, the association supports start-ups and initiatives in the field of energy technologies.
- Program: The Climate Camp is an online program of fokus.energie e.V. sponsored by the Federal Environment Agency to support young teams with ideas for climate protection and the energy transition. Twelve teams with a total of 24 people go through 12 workshops focusing on energy and sustainability - the last event is a public DemoDay to present the projects
- Price level: 1.100 €
- Where: Online, Demo Day in Karlsruhe
- When: 15.07.2025 (Demo Day - award ceremony)
- Status: Prizes awarded (700€ to Wempyre and 400€ to BiStorage)
Tech Quartier: Impact Challenge
- Host: TechQuartier is an innovation and startup center in Frankfurt am Main that has been connecting founders, companies and investors since 2016 and offers programs in the areas of FinTech, sustainability and digitalization.
- Program: The Impact Challenge is a four-week accelerator program for start-ups from the pre-seed to the Series A phase with a validated MVP. The aim is to develop sustainable solutions in areas such as the circular economy, ESG financing and GreenTech together with companies such as Helaba, Deutsche Börse and SIGNAL IDUNA. There are usually 4-5 thematic challenges set by companies, with 3-5 participating start-ups per challenge. The companies primarily contribute their time, expertise and network - instead of prize money. The program ends with a pitch at the Impact Festival, Europe's largest B2B event for sustainable innovations.
- Price range: 3.500 €
- Where: Frankfurt, Impact Festival
- When: 26/27.11.2025 (Impact Festival: Award ceremony)
- Status: Finalization of the Impact Award
Spin Lab: Spin Lab Accelerator
- Host: SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator is a startup accelerator in Leipzig that supports technology-oriented teams in the fields of energy, smart city and eHealth. The six-month program offers coaching, mentoring, access to a strong partner network and up to €50,000 in non-share-based funding. SpinLab does not take any shares in the start-ups and is part of the CEIM of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management.
- program: Around 10 start-ups are usually accepted per cohort. The six-month program combines online learning content with intensive focus weeks on site (approx. 5 days per month) and ends with a public pitch event in front of investors. Since 2015, over 185 start-ups have gone through the program, with a survival rate of 87%.
- Price range: 2.500 €
- Where: Leipzig
- When: December 2026
- Status: In preparation for the Impact Award
SMART GREEN ACCELERATOR Freiburg
- Host: The >SMART> GREEN ACCELERATOR, based in Freiburg, supports technology-oriented start-ups in the GreenTech sector through various programs tailored to the respective development phase. A central offering is the ACCELERATE program, which is aimed at early-stage start-ups.
- Program: The program helps to further develop business models and work out financing strategies over a period of ten weeks through individual coaching & workshops. As a rule, around ten start-ups take part in each round. The program is free of charge and ends with a public pitch event at which the teams present their progress.
- Price range: 3.500 €
- Where: Freiburg
- When: Possibly October 2025
- Status: In preparation for the Impact Award
