On September 8, the German Founders Award 2026 was presented in the categories StartUp, Up-and-Coming, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Special Prize. The 24th edition of the award, supported by Porsche as a partner, brought together the start-up community at the ZDF headquarters studio in Berlin.
As winner in the StartUp category, the jury selected Proxima Fusion. The Munich-based company is working to bring the energy of the stars to Earth by developing fusion power plants based on stellarator technology. Founded as a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Proxima Fusion aims to make clean, virtually limitless energy a reality and shape the future of global energy supply.
In the Up-and-Coming category, DeepDrive took home the prize. The company develops highly efficient electric drive systems based on a patented dual-rotor technology. By increasing efficiency while reducing costs and material consumption, DeepDrive is helping to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility at scale.
The Special Prize was awarded to Christa Fuchs. Under her entrepreneurial leadership, OHB has grown into one of Europe’s leading space technology companies. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dirk Rossmann, founder of the Rossmann Group and one of Germany’s most influential entrepreneurs. The award recognized both his role in building one of Europe’s largest retail companies and his longstanding social commitment.
The winners were not only delighted with their awards, but all finalists additionally received another highly valuable prize: experienced management consultants from Porsche Consulting will provide individual support for the further development of their businesses.