An article by Ulrike Hudelmaier, Managing Director of TFU
I’ve been involved for several years now, and it’s exciting every single year to serve as a judge for the Sparkassen Start-up Award in Baden-Württemberg. Every January, all of the approximately 40 judges from across Baden-Württemberg download the business plans assigned to us. Using sophisticated software and a comprehensive evaluation checklist, we carefully consider our assessments. But it’s not just about scoring the entries. We’re specifically asked for our expert opinions and, above all, for tips, which we provide in writing.
Two judges always evaluate a plan—completely independently of one another, of course. Interestingly, significant discrepancies rarely occur. If that does happen, there is an additional round of evaluation involving another judge.
Then nothing happens for a while—at least nothing that the judges can see. Behind the scenes at the Sparkassenverband, work is in full swing: the entries are evaluated, the winners are determined, and preparations are underway for the grand awards ceremony. In addition to cash prizes, the top three winners receive a promotional video, which is produced with great care during this phase and shown for the first time at the awards ceremony.
The event took place this week, and the Baden-Württemberg Savings Banks’ Startup Award was celebrated at the new Sparkassen-Akademie in Stuttgart with approximately 200 invited guests and under the patronage of Dr. Nils Schmid, Minister of Finance and Economics of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
http://www.sv-bw.de/gesellschaftliches_engagement/gruenderpreis_bw/index.htm
After this celebration, the next phase begins: in the fall, with a judges’ meeting where we’ll discuss the past year and have the opportunity to exchange ideas and network with one another.
A big thank you to Mr. Nagel and Dr. Sauter from the Sparkassenverband, who organize this important recognition for entrepreneurs in our state and consistently work to advance this cause.
Of course, I’m especially happy when one of “my” founders wins. Last year, one came in third; this year, two made it into the top 10. Congratulations, and best of luck to next year’s participants!
