Wanted: VC-Investors for the KfW Capital Award

• Application phase begins on 1 April 2026
• Prizes will be awarded to personalities in the categories “Best Female VC Investor” and “VC Game Changer”
• Award for “VC Exit Excellence” to be given for the first time
• Awards ceremony to be held in Berlin on 4 November 2026

The KfW Capital Award will be presented for the fifth time this year. Investors will be able to apply in the categories “Best Female VC-Investor” and “VC Game Changer” from today to 1 July 2026. The KfW Capital Award for “Best Female VC Investor” recognises female venture capital (VC) investors who invest successfully in start-ups and innovative tech companies in Germany. The KfW Capital Award “VC Game Changer” focuses on individuals who, through their commitment and work, drive the VC ecosystem forward – for example, by developing new areas of focus, acting as thought leaders, or launching new initiatives. Candidates may be active or make an impact across all sectors, in academia, politics, or elsewhere within the VC ecosystem.

As was the case last year, a special prize will also be awarded. This year an award will be given for the first time in the category “VC Exit Excellence” from KfW Capital’s portfolio of more than 150 VC funds. No application is required. KfW Capital will nominate the winner directly. The prize money in each of the three categories is EUR 5,000.

This year, the KfW Capital Award once again complements the KfW Award Gründen, which is aimed at business founders, by focusing on the investor perspective. The winners will be honoured on 4 November 2026 at a gala event in Berlin. The award ceremony will be covered by the TV channel n-tv, which will broadcast a special programme on the award.

“Once again this year, the KfW Capital Award will celebrate outstanding achievements in the German venture capital ecosystem. By awarding prizes in the categories 'Best Female VC Investor', 'VC Game Changer' and the new category 'VC Exit Excellence', we will be shining the spotlight on a wide range of important contributions: from recognising successful women in the VC domain through groundbreaking innovations to outstanding success stories. This year, we are placing greater emphasis on ‘exits’ – as we see a significant need to catch up in this area in Germany and Europe,”

said Dr Jörg Goschin, Chief Executive Officer of KfW Capital.

“The future of innovation comes to life where different perspectives come together. Female investors play a key role in this and make a vital contribution to reducing blind spots and making new opportunities visible. This award remains an important tool for raising awareness and, in particular, creating change for as long as they continue to be inadequately represented in the market. We are therefore bringing this topic into the limelight this year as well,”

said Theresa Bardubitzki, KfW Capital’s Senior Sustainability Manager, who will be on the jury together with Jörg Goschin for KfW Capital this year.

The winners in the categories "Best Female VC Investor" and "VC Game Changer" will be selected from among the entrants jointly with six other VC experts: Dr Tanja Emmerling (Partner and Head of HTGF Berlin), Ulrike Hinrichs (member of the Executive Board of the German Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVK), Prof Dr Heike Hölzner (Professor of Entrepreneurship and SME Management at the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin and Co-Founder of encourageventures e.V.), Dr Janina Jänsch (Head of the SME, Future Technologies, and Startups Division Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Verena Kempe (Head of Investment Management at KENFO – German Nuclear Waste Management Fund), and Dr Eva Wimmer (Head of the Directorate-General for Financial Market Policy at the Federal Ministry of Finance).

Note for applicants:

Investors will find the online application form and details about the application process at www.kfw-awards.de (in German). There is also the option to nominate investors for the award. In that case, proposers send an email about their proposed nominee to .

About KfW Capital:

As a wholly-owned venture capital subsidiary of KfW Group, KfW Capital invests in European VC funds with support from the ERP Special Fund and the Germany Fund/Future Fund. It also enters into co-investments. Its aim is to sustainably bolster the VC fund landscape so as to give innovative technology companies in Germany better access to growth capital. The VC funds for their part commit to investing at least the amount of capital brought in by KfW Capital into German high-growth enterprises. KfW Capital applies the Sustainability Policy and Exclusion List of KfW Capital in its investments. Further information on KfW Capital, the programmes and KfW Capital’s VC fund portfolio is available at www.kfw-capital.de.