#Initiatives

Startup of the Year

Pitching in front of top CEOs and investors, exclusive feedback and matchmaking, as well as a stage for regional and national visibility. Apply now and accelerate your startup journey with Frankfurt Forward!

Your startup.Your stage.Your pitch.

Every year, the most innovative start-ups from Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region compete to win the prestigious title of “Startup of the Year”. This competition offers a unique platform to put visionary ideas in the spotlight, make valuable contacts and tap into new growth opportunities. From the first pitch to the grand finale, the best start-ups are supported and promoted by leading industry experts. Become part of this success story and present your startup to the world!

The finalists 2026

FlyPix AI

FlyPix AI entwickelt eine KI-gestützte Software, die Luft- und Satellitenbilder automatisch auswertet. Unternehmen und Behörden können so große Gebiete schnell

Genow

Das Startup aus Darmstadt entwickelt eine Knowledge-Agents-Plattform, die verstreutes Unternehmenswissen aus verschiedenen Systemen zentralisiert, strukturiert und sofort nutzbar macht. Die

ENVIOTECH

Das Startup ENVIOTECH aus Bad Vilbel entwickelt smarte Upgrade-Kits für bestehende Straßenlaternen, die sich mithilfe von Bewegungserkennung automatisch dimmen. So

Capreolos

Capreolos GmbH ist ein Frankfurter Health-Tech-Startup, das mit Prep4Surg eine App-basierte Plattform entwickelt hat, die Patientinnen und Patienten optimal auf

4 steps to success

1st application

As soon as we have received your documents, we will check them.

2. review of your application

If you meet our entry criteria, we will invite you to a live pitch in front of our top-class jury.

3. pitch

If you convince the jury, you will become one of a total of six Startup of the Year finalists and have the chance to pitch in front of a large audience at the end of the year and secure the title of Startup of the Year.

4. alumni

The best news last: Whether you win the big award ceremony or not, all finalists are winners with us! Enjoy the status of a Frankfurt Forward alumni with numerous benefits after your run.

Who can apply?

You can apply to us if you fulfill all of the following requirements:

You are a B2B startup or a startup with high digital value creation and great disruptive potential / high degree of innovation.
Your company is 2-5 years old at the time of application and already on the market.
Your company is based in Frankfurt and the FrankfurtRhineMain region.

We look forward to receiving applications from all sectors!

If you did not win an award the first time, you can apply again the following year, provided of course that you continue to meet the entry requirements.

Apply now!

In order for us to consider your application, we need some information about your startup. This will help us and the Frankfurt Forward jury get a complete picture of you and your team.

Please download the application questions, answer them, and email your responses along with your pitch deck to team@frankfurtforward.com.

We look forward to receiving your application and will get back to you shortly!

Note on Contact and Data Protection

By sending us your application materials via email, you consent to us contacting you via email and phone regarding your application and to our processing your data for the specific purpose of the application process (e.g., for review by a selection committee and/or matchmaking). You also consent to your data being shared with designated third parties for this purpose, to the extent necessary to achieve the intended purpose. You may revoke your consent at any time with future effect. The lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of your consent prior to revocation remains unaffected.

Thank you! Your submission was successful.

You will receive a confirmation email from us within 24 hours. If you do not receive it, please contact us at team@frankfurtforward.com.

I am applying for

Startup of the Year CEO meets CEO Both Frankfurt Forward formats

Company name

Unternehmensbeschreibung in einem Satz

Company headquarters

Postleitzahl

Date of foundation

Phase

Industry

Website

What problem does your company solve?

Why is now the right time to solve the problem?

Which target group and which target market are you addressing?

How is the problem solved?

What is unique about the solution (USP)?

What does your business model look like?

How does your solution change the customer's behaviour?

What is your 3-year vision?

What are your greatest strengths?

What weaknesses do you want to work on?

Who are your most important competitors?

Which customers / partners have you been able to win so far?

How do you organise your marketing & sales concept?

What characterises you in particular (patents, prizes,...)?

What experience does your team have?

How has your team grown over the last three years?

What makes your team unique?

How do you finance yourselves? Have you raised external money?

What was the turnover in the last 3 years? (In millions of €)

How high was the profit in the last 3 years? (In millions of €)

Pitch-Deck (PDF / max. 20MB)

Salutation

Frau Herr Divers Sonstiges

Other

Title

First name

Surname

E-Mail

Phone

I am looking for...

Other

I agree that Frankfurt Forward may contact me by e-mail and telephone and that my data may be passed on to third parties (e.g. to jury members for matchmaking) for a specific purpose.

Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mich Frankfurt Forward per Mail und Telefon kontaktieren darf und meine Daten zweckgebunden an Dritte (bspw. an Jurymitglieder für Matchmaking) weitergegeben werden.

Datenschutz

Ich willige ein, dass die oben stehenden Daten zum genannten Zweck verarbeitet werden und habe das Recht, Ihre datenschutzrechtliche Einwilligungserklärung jederzeit zu widerrufen. Durch den Widerruf der Einwilligung wird die Rechtmäßigkeit der aufgrund der Einwilligung bis zum Widerruf erfolgten Verarbeitung nicht berührt. Ich habe dazu die Datenschutzerklärungzur Kenntnis genommen.