Students, alumni of the HM Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences and the SCE, as well as professors, lecturers and staff members of the university.
Content
Competition to award innovative business ideas with prize money (total €30,000) and support (feedback & consulting). Application documents required(German/English): Idea paper or meaningful presentation plus CVs of the applicants.
Application deadline
coming soon!
Costs
None.
Testimonials
Here's what our Strascheg Award winners have to say about the award.
The Strascheg Award provided us with a stage to pitch our project to a large audience. This gave us helpful feedback and enabled us to make valuable contacts. As a result, we are using our prize money specifically for further product development.
Participating in the Strascheg Award was a big step towards our foundation. The prize money gave us the opportunity to optimize our product and further boost our Kickstarter campaign. The event was super fun and offers the opportunity to make many new contacts in the start-up scene.
The Strascheg Award was the starting signal and driver for the successful development of our start-up.
HM and SCE are the perfect environment to develop your idea into a real product. With the Strascheg Award, you get honest feedback on what your idea is still missing to be successful in the future.
About
The Strascheg Award is the idea competition of Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM) and the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship (SCE), recognizing innovative business ideas in three categories.
We’re looking for the best ideas:
from students at Munich University of Applied Sciences (Category 1)
from practice, research, and HM employees (Category 2)
with first market proof (Category 3)
All students, professors, staff, and alumni of Munich University of Applied Sciences are invited to apply with their ideas, projects, and academic work driven by entrepreneurial motivation.
Key evaluation criteria include:
Solution approach
Degree of innovation
Market potential
Implementation planning
The ideas submitted will be evaluated by entrepreneurship experts at the SCE and Munich University of Applied Sciences as well as an external jury of experts. The award is endowed with a total prize money of 30,000 euros.
Students, alumni, professors, lecturers, academic staff, and employees of Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM)
Students and alumni from other universities, provided they have participated in SCE programs or events
Startup teams from the greater Munich area with first market proof (incorporated as a GmbH or UG for no more than 2 years)
Important: For Category 3, external teams from the greater Munich area that are not affiliated with HM are also eligible to apply.
Award Categories:
1. Best Business Idea from Studies For HM students with an innovative idea and a clear intention to found a business. The idea must be future-proof and marketable. At least one team member must be enrolled at HM. No EXIST, FLÜGGE, or AI+ funding at the time of application. Three winners will be selected from five nominated teams through public voting.
2. Best Business Idea from Research and Practice For HM students, staff, or researchers with an entrepreneurial idea. No EXIST, FLÜGGE, or AI+ funding at the time of application. The idea must demonstrate clear market potential. Again, three winners will be selected from five nominated teams through public voting.
3. Best External Business Idea with First Market Proof For young startups (incorporated as GmbH or UG for a maximum of 2 years) from the greater Munich area with a functional MVP/prototype, first test customers, and a scalable business model. No EXIST, FLÜGGE, or AI+ funding at the time of application. Only initial small-scale funding of up to €20,000 is permitted. From five nominated teams, three winners will be selected by a panel of experts after a live pitch at the award ceremony.
Funding and prize money
The Strascheg Award comes with a total prize pool of €30,000. Across three categories, nine winning teams will be awarded.
A particularly attractive opportunity: In Category 3, early-stage start-ups can win up to €30,000, along with an exclusive coaching package and access to the SCE network. All participants receive qualified feedback and the chance to be supported through the SCE Incubation Program, which includes a prototyping budget and workspace in the incubator.
Application
Soon you can find more information about the application and the Strascheg Award 2025 with new surprises here!
Julia Zipf joined the SCE team in November 2022. As start-up consultant and incubator manager she accompanies students and startup teams from ideation till go-to-market strategy.
After her studies in Business Administration at EBS (European Business School) in Oestrich-Winkel and diverse stays abroad, she established marketing and sales department for several startups. Next to start up consulting in the marketing field she founded her own start up in the adventure park segment. In the SCE startup consulting she now supports students and start ups in starting their own business from ideation till going-to-market strategy. Besides she organizes ideation workshops as well as soft skill trainings and manages the incubator.
