THE BERLIN NEWCOMER STARTUP AWARD
FIVE YEARS CELEBRATING NEWCOMER ENTREPRENEURSHIP!
Watch out Newcomers: This could be your chance to kickstart your startup!
Do you have an exciting business idea? Or have you just entered the journey of creating your own startup? Did you come to Germany within the last 8 years? Are you now living and working in Berlin? If so, this is a competition for you.
The Berlin Newcomer Startup Award offers you not only the opportunity to work on your concept and get feedback from experienced trainers, jury members, and peers, but also – DRUMROLL – 27.500€ seed capital in total plus individual coaching and support for the winners!
The Berlin Newcomer Startup Award offers you not only the opportunity to work on your concept and get feedback from experienced trainers, jury members, and peers, but also – DRUMROLL – 27.500€ seed capital in total plus individual coaching and support for the winners!
What is in it for you?
We know it’s not all about the prize money. The Berlin Newcomer Startup Award has even more to offer:
Great opportunities
to network – online and offline.
Valuable feedback
on your ideas and plans from experienced entrepreneurs and experts.
Visibility
and the chance to present your (future) business to a larger audience if you are nominated as a finalist.
Our Prizes:
And this is how it works:
Everything you need to know.
Still wondering if this is for you? Take a look at our FAQs and read the conditions for participation
You are eligible to apply for the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award if:
- you are living in Berlin,
- you moved to Germany within the last 8 years, i.e. in 2016 or later,
- you have the nationality of one of the countries from the DAC List of ODA Recipients,
- you are over 18 years old,
- If you apply with a team: Only the main applicant is required to fulfill the above criteria
Good ones of course 🙂 There’s no limitation to a specific sector or industry.
The 2024 edition of the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award is addressing Kickstarters only.
Meaning: We are searching for (future) entrepreneurs who are still in the ideation phase or currently working on their business plan and building networks, as well as Newcomers who have started or are already finished the founding process – so long as you have not entered the market yet!
The 2024 edition of the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award is addressing Kickstarters only.
Meaning: We are searching for (future) entrepreneurs who are still in the ideation phase or currently working on their business plan and building networks, as well as Newcomers who have started or are already finished the founding process – so long as you have not entered the market yet!
No. The 2024 edition of the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award is addressing Kickstarters only. Therefore, your startup’s market entry is an exclusion criterion.
We’re offering a series of free online events to support you with ideation and other topics.
Check out our program here and join us to co-create, exchange, and network!
We only accept applications submitted via the application form on this website.
The call for applications will be open until the end of the day on September 30, 2024.
Sure! You can apply as an individual or with a team of co-founders / co-creators. Just keep in mind: The person submitting your application needs to be eligible to participate, and will be the one presenting your team at the final pitches if you are nominated as a finalist.
As our program events, application selection process, and the pitch and award ceremony will be held in English, we are only accepting applications in English. However, as we are an international community, and many of us speak different first languages, we welcome your application even if you are still on your way to mastering English!
Yes, you need to upload a video to complete your application. But a great video doesn’t necessarily need a lot of money or fancy equipment. We’re just interested to get to know you and your business concept a little better!
Please answer these questions with your video (120 seconds):
1. What is your business idea, and what is the market gap you are addressing with it?
2. Tell us who you are and why your personal and professional history make you the one to develop this solution.
3. Share with us your view of business responsibility. How do you consider social and ecological sustainability in your business model and practices?
Be creative and use what you’ve got! There are many resources on how to make a convincing pitch video online. You can also find inspiration from past finalists' videos on our YouTube.
There are a few formal requirements for your video:
- max. 120sec
- horizontal format (preferably 16:9)
- mov or mp4
- file name = your name
To complete your application, please send your video via wetransfer to sbl@singa-deutschland.de.
If you are nominated as a finalist: Some parts of your application (see application form for more information) may be published on our social media or website for the public voting and / or in preparation for the award ceremony.
For all other applicants: We will only share your answers with the jury for evaluation and will not publish anything without your permission.
Our jury take about 2 weeks to nominate 6 finalists out of all eligible applications. We will announce the finalists publicly following the end of the application window. We will also inform all applications of the status of their application following the finalist decision via email.
You don’t have to apply for the public voting separately. The six finalists chosen by the jury will automatically go into public voting and will also pitch their ideas at the award show on November 28.
Information about our jury and the criteria they evaluate can be found here.
This is probably the most asked question when it comes to a competition ;)
The winners will be awarded with:
- 1st prize: 10.000€ seed capital + 2.500€ budget for coaching and consulting
- 2nd prize: 7.500€ seed capital + 2.500€ budget for coaching and consulting
- Business Responsibility prize: 5.000€ seed capital + 2.500€ budget for coaching and consulting
- Public voting prize: 5.000€ seed capital + 2.500€ budget for coaching and consulting
Besides great opportunities to co-create, exchange and build networks, our finalists will benefit from valuable feedback to their business ideas from our jury as well as more visibility and public awareness.
No worries, we've got you covered! All finalists will be supported with preparing their big entrance at the online award show.
You’re interested in learning more about how to present your idea in preparation for your application? Check out our YouTube.
Send an email to sbl@singa-deutschland.de - we'll get back to you as soon as we can!
Public Voting
Who should win the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award? We’re interested to find out which business idea is the most convincing to you as a potential future client, supporter, business partner, or investor. That’s why we invite you to be a part of our “extended jury”!
Our jury preselects 6 awesome finalists! You support your favorite by giving them your vote, sharing the link to their profile with your network – and in the end making them the winner of the extra prize of 5.000€ + 2.500€ budget for coaching / consulting.
Our jury preselects 6 awesome finalists! You support your favorite by giving them your vote, sharing the link to their profile with your network – and in the end making them the winner of the extra prize of 5.000€ + 2.500€ budget for coaching / consulting.
MEET THE BNSA 2023 FINALISTS
Discover the innovative startup ideas from our 2023 Berlin Newcomer Startup Award finalists
Join OCTO Labs
OCTO, a revolutionary personality-based hiring assistant, helps companies identify and hire the best candidates. It uses a dynamic conversational interface, gamification elements, instant feedback, and next-level behavioral interviews to reduce self-reporting biases, foster self-improvement, and increase motivation. OCTO's unique approach ultimately reduces turnover by identifying candidates aligned with company culture.
Learn more
DeepFile
Browsing company confidential data is inefficient. All the currently available solutions focus on single users or large enterprises.
DeepFile provides SMEs with a plug and play solution to ask questions in natural language and find answers supported uniquely on documents produced and stored on employees devices and company intranet. DeepFile's innovative and proprietary LLM is able to run on low performing devices enabling a 100% local process to guarantee the highest level of privacy.
DeepFile provides SMEs with a plug and play solution to ask questions in natural language and find answers supported uniquely on documents produced and stored on employees devices and company intranet. DeepFile's innovative and proprietary LLM is able to run on low performing devices enabling a 100% local process to guarantee the highest level of privacy.
Learn more
ReloSync
Moving is stressful; ReloSync plans to ease the pain. We bring together an AI-powered chatbot for real-time queries, personalized task lists for effective organization, on-demand coaching for personalized guidance, and a resourceful blog. We adapt to the unique needs and stages of each move, offering a genuinely tailored experience.
Learn more
HeyOtters
HeyOtters is the loyal companion in form of an app that healthcare & social professionals need in their daily work-life in a system that doesn't offer them much support or recognition, but instead: burns them out. Our goal is to enhance mental hygiene & self-care with a spark of joy for those who spend so much time of their life's to improve the life of others. HeyOtters is tailored to their daily work-routine and specific challenges as well as supporting newcomers with practical work-advice.
Learn more
Amped - Amplified Education
Is a promise for the digital Germany in the age of AI. There is an extreme shortage of skilled workers & despite immigration schemes, German tech companies cannot match the scale of USA or China. This is a comprehensive AI based training & upscaling platform by German professionals for professionals abroad who cannot navigate the German job and immigration market. It is differentiated by current bootcamps as it acts as a bridge and removes barriers which deter expats from choosing Germany.
Learn more
Ma, Sparkling Water.
Ma is a flavoured sparkling water brand. It will be made with natural fruit essence We have very few competitors in the German market. Either you have widely available options like San Pellegrino or O2, and these are loaded with sugar. Or you have a competitor you can purchase on Amazon called Dash. They are still small here and do not offer much flavour choice. Ma will be special in the sense that it will be tasty and healthy, and widely available (Think Netto, Rewe, Amazon..etc).
Learn more
MEET THE 2023 JURY
The Jury for the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award 2024 will be announced soon!
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluating the entrepreneurs’ business ideas, analyzing potentials, and deciding which (future) businesses should win the big prize is not an easy task – but our expert jurors like a little challenge!
As a team with diverse backgrounds and expertise, they not only pre-select the six finalists to compete for the public voting prize, but also evaluate their live pitches at the final award show.
Decisions on the winners of the 3 main prizes are based on the following criteria:
- degree of innovation of product or service solution
- clear understanding of and attractiveness for a target group
- competition in the market
- feasibility
- business model
- entrepreneur / team and network
- business responsibility
Our Events Whether you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey or you're already part of the Berlin startup scene and want to be close to newcomer entrepreneurs and their ideas, the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award organizes a variety of events - from supporting the application process to Expert Days and networking events. All events are free of charge and open to everyone interested. |
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BNSA Winners
Get inspired from previous BNSA winners and their business ideas throughout the years!
BNSA 2023 First Prize Winner
Join OCTO Labs
By Omid Moradiannasab
BNSA 2023 Second Prize Winner
DeepFile
By Bayangmbe Mounmo
BNSA 2023 Third Prize Winner
ReloSync
By Niharika Rakheja
BNSA 2023 Audience Prize Winner
HeyOtters
By Matinuch Ouyyamwongs
BNSA 2022 First Prize Winner
Pilio
By Ali Khan
BNSA 2022 Second Prize Winner
Thoughtful and innovative 3D printer
By Cindy Valdez
BNSA 2022 Third Prize Winner
Aman Collective
By Mudar Obaid Dabbous
BNSA 2023 Audience Prize Winner
Thoughtful and innovative 3D printer
By Cindy Valdez
BNSA 2021 First Prize Winner
MOTORSKINS
By Juan Opitz-Silva
BNSA 2021 Second Prize Winner
Beams
By Minaz Mihri
BNSA 2021 Third Prize Winner
Jasmine Online Shop
By Rima Alqaq
BNSA 2021 Audience Prize Winner
Portable Wind Turbine
By Rabee Abdelrahman
Business Lab 2019 First Prize Winner
Beelinguapp
By David Alejandro Montiel
Business Lab 2019 Second Prize Winner
Carbon Mobile
By Firas Khalifeh
Business Lab 2019 Third Prize Winner
MyHelpBuddy
By Aravinth Palaniswamy
Business Lab 2019 Kickstarter Winner
ZeroWaste Era
By Livia Zimermann
Business Lab 2019 Kickstarter Winner
Dr. Kalla Co
By Khiralddin Kalla
Business Lab 2019 Kickstarter Winner
Co-Tasker
By Tarek Abousamra
Business Lab 2019 Kickstarter Winner
Aalaa Vegan Tales
By Alaa Ziat
Business Lab 2019 Kickstarter Winner
Hachiko
By Eslam Elsayed
Business Lab 2018 First Prize Winner
Reviving Home
By Abdulhadi Soufan
Business Lab 2018 Second Prize Winner
Nuiversity
By Dr. Fadi Alshalabi
Business Lab 2018 Third Prize Winner
Bote
By Raafat Hantoush
Business Lab 2018 Kickstarter Prize Winner
DishCourt
By Arabi Abdelhaq
Business Lab 2018 Kickstarter Prize Winner
Aram Craft
By Ghada Alkotob
Business Lab 2018 Kickstarter Prize Winner
Roots and Radicals
By Monica Kisic
Business Lab 2018 Kickstarter Prize Winner
Big Berlin Food Coop
By Johanna Kühner
Business Lab 2018 Kickstarter Prize Winner
MOTORSKINS
By Facundo Gutierrez
Initiated by
SINGA Berlin
SINGA Berlin was founded in 2016. We are devoted to creating meaningful connections between locals and newcomers. Our portfolio includes programs with focus on entrepreneurship and the working field like Business Lab by SINGA, Inclusive Entrepreneurship, Kompetenzwerkstatt, Perspektive neuStart where SINGA Business Lab is one of the initiators. We are also proud of our successfully completed project Integration neu denken. Building up on the experiences, approaches, methods and networks from it, we created a new, international project: Shaping Inclusive Societies. Our activities are taking place in Berlin and the surrounding area. At the same time we support organizations and initiatives all over Germany in implementing innovative projects that lead towards an inclusive society.
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Funded by
City of Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises
The state office for development cooperation – as part of the Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises – coordinates Berlin´s development cooperation activities. It supports NGOs, universities and other stakeholders in achieving the sustainable development goals, supporting human rights and working for global justice.
“We support the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award because we believe in the power of people from all over the world in finding innovative solutions for a better world!”
“We support the Berlin Newcomer Startup Award because we believe in the power of people from all over the world in finding innovative solutions for a better world!”
| Website |
FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US :)
sbl@singa-deutschland.de
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All text, photo, and video materials belong to their owners and are for demonstration purposes only. Please do not use them in commercial projects.