1) GENERAL
‘Startup-Champs goes AI’ is jointly organised by the startup hotspots Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startup are responsible for the organisational implementation. They also act as award organisers.
2) PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Who can apply?
- Your startup must already be founded, and the date of its founding must be no more than seven years old. The deadline for the seven years is July 14, 2025.
- Your startup must be registered in the commercial register in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, or Munich.
- Your startup must be a B2B or B2B2C startup with a clearly AI-driven business model.
- Your startup must demonstrably pursue an innovative and scalable approach.
- You must already have a functional or demonstrable prototype or a service that can already be implemented or demonstrated.
- You may not have more than 99 employees.
- Your previous financing rounds should total less than EUR 5 million.
3) SELECTION CRITERIA
All applications received will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- USP/unique selling proposition
- Degree of innovation of the business model
- Market maturity of the product/service
- Team composition (skills, experience & diversity)
- Presentation (application including pitch deck)
- Classification as a B2B or B2B2C startup
- Degree of AI relevance of the business model
- Complete fulfilment of the application requirements
4) HOW WE UNDERSTAND AI IN THE CONTEXT OF COMPETITION
Artificial intelligence is not an end in itself, but a tool that is used to overcome real economic challenges. In many industries, AI-based applications are already an integral part of everyday working life. They analyse large amounts of data, generate content, improve customer experiences and relieve teams of creative or repetitive tasks.
Large companies are already making extensive use of AI, while studies have shown that small and medium-sized companies in particular have great potential in this area. For this year’s edition of ‘Startup-Champs goes AI’, we are therefore focussing on artificial intelligence.
We see it as a driver of innovation, an efficiency engine and a future opportunity for a resilient, competitive economy. It is important to us that the technology is used in a targeted manner and not for its own sake. Instead, it should support processes in a meaningful way and create real added value.
5) APPLICATION PERIOD
The application period for the ‘Startup-Champs goes AI’ pitch competition ends on 1 October 2025. All complete applications submitted via the website during this period, including the application form and pitch deck, that meet all the eligibility requirements will be considered in the selection process.
Please note: Only applications that are complete (completed application form and pitch deck) will be accepted. The pre-selection of finalists is based on a points system. If a startup that has already secured a place in the final is unable to take part, the startup with the highest number of points from the corresponding region will move up.
6) COSTS
There is no participation fee for the application for the pitch competition ‘Startup-Champs goes AI’.
7) SELECTION PROCEDURE
The selection is made via a pre-selection process in the individual cities of Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. Depending on the respective city, KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startup are responsible for the pre-selection. Based on objective criteria that are the same for all four partner cities, three finalists per city will be selected to take part in the final of ‘Startup-Champs goes AI’ at the STARTUPLAND startup conference in Cologne on 5 November 2025. Participation in the final is mandatory for the finalists. All twelve finalists will compete against each other in a pitch competition on the day of the final on 4 November 2025. The pitch language can be either German or English. The four regional winners and the national winner will then be selected by a jury of experts based on objective and standardised evaluation criteria.
8) PRIZES
As in previous years, the prizes will be announced successively on the website www.startup-champs.de .
9) APPLICATION
Applications can only be submitted via the application form on www.startup-champs.de/Bewerbung.
The following information and documents are required:
- Fully completed application form on the website
- Up-to-date and informative pitch deck
- Information about the company
- Information on the product/service
- Personal details of the submitter
- Company logo in high-resolution quality (300dpi) in .jpg format
10) CONFIRMATION
After receipt of the application, a confirmation of receipt will be sent by e-mail. If this does not take place, please contact us immediately.
11) DATA PROTECTION
By submitting the application, the participant agrees that KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startups as well as the partners may publish the company’s participation and logo. The participants grant KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startups as well as the partners the necessary rights of use.
Participants also guarantee that the pitch deck sent out is free of third-party rights and that no personal rights, in particular those within the meaning of Section 22 KUG, are violated in the depiction or representation of persons.
The personal and company-related data provided by participants in the application form will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and collected, stored and used for the purpose of organising and running the competition.
Participants agree that KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startup may store the data even after the end of the competition and, if necessary, contact the participant with information about the prize. The data will be treated in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and will not be passed on to third parties. You can find detailed information on how we handle data in our general data policy. This consent can be revoked at any time, please send an e-mail to champs@munich-startup.de
Legal recourse is excluded.
12) PUBLICATIONS
KölnBusiness, Hamburg Invest, Berlin Partner and Munich Startup and their partners are authorised to publish the names of the participating startups, a brief description of the business model and the submitted logos as well as the information from the company description on the website www.startup-champs.de and via other communication channels (newsletter, social media, etc.). Personal data will only be published with prior written consent.
Entrants agree that photos and films taken during the final event may be used without restriction for public relations and documentation purposes.
13) COPYRIGHT DECLARATION
By submitting your application, you confirm that all information is true and that your business idea has not been expropriated by any other project.
14) CONTACT
Arno Eggers, MGH, Gollierstraße 70, 80339 Munich
champs@munich-startup.de