"Idee Sponsorship Prize" seeking women's bright business ideas

9 March 2021

Darboven prize for self-employed women - July 31 - deadline for applications

Applications are now being accepted for the Darboven "Idee Sponsorship Prize" for women's sustainable and promising business ideas across all economic sectors. The award honours female entrepreneurs, who help ensure the German economy’s international competitivesness with their innovative and sustainable business ideas. Contestants have until July 31, 2021 to submit their ideas.

Prize raises women's visibility

"I am always enthusiastic about the high entrepreneurial potential of women, which is not promoted enough," said Albert Darboven, the Hamburg-based coffee roaster and founder of the sponsorship award. The prize has been bestowed every year since 1997 and is the only national award of its kind. Women are encouraged to take risks and to commit to starting their own businesses. "The sponsorship award seeks to boost the potential of courageous women and to create more publicity for them. That is necessary, as women are still underrepresented in business startups," said Darboven.

Sustainability of start-up idea

Female entrepreneurs, who have been self-employed for less than three years, are eligible to apply. The award is presented based on the viability of a business concept, degree of innovation, the founder's personal commitment and the social, ecological or economic sustainability of the startup idea. A jury and public vote decide on the finalists. First prize amounts to EUR 50,000, second prize comes to EUR 10,000 and third prize totals EUR 5,000. Isabella Hillmer and Laura Bücheler (photo) from Berlin won first prize in 2019 for the business idea behind their "Ghost - feel it" startup, which offers software for creating haptic user interfaces.

tn/sb/pb