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    KfW Capital Award 2025

    The KfW Capital Award honors outstanding personalities from the European venture capital ecosystem with a special connection to Germany as an investment location. Prizes are awarded to individuals who stand out through exceptional deals, commitment or their work in the VC sector. The award complements the KfW Entrepreneurs’ Award with the perspective of investors.

    The Management Board of KfW Capital about the award:

    Dr Jörg Goschin, CEO: “Women continue to be underrepresented in the VC market. As we are convinced that diverse teams are more successful in the long run, we will be placing a media focus on the topic of diversity with the category 'Best Female Investor' this year as well, as we will now be selecting an outstanding female VC investor for the fourth time.”

    Alexander Thees: “Even if the area of impact investing is fortunately growing, the need for comprehensive solutions for the transformation of our economy remains strong. We will again be underscoring our commitment to this important segment with our award in the 'Best Impact Investor' category. In addition, we will be honouring outstanding services for the VC ecosystem as an overarching theme with this year’s special prize 'VC Game Changer'."

    Eligibility

    Logo KfW Capital Award

    The KfW Capital Award is aimed at investors from Europe with a connection to Germany as an investment location who stand out for their special deals, commitment or presence in the VC ecosystem. The application phase begin on April 15, 2024 and ends on July 1, 2025. Interested parties can find the online application form at: kfw-awards.de

    Like last year, there will also be a special award - this year in the category VC Game Changer. The jury will acknowledge a personality who has made a special contribution to the further development of the VC ecosystem, e.g. by being a thought leader, developing new topics or launching initiatives. Unlike the fixed categories, there is no application process for this special award: Each jury member first nominates an individual and then the VC Game Changer is chosen from all the nominations.

    For more information on how to participate, please see the guidelines.

    Read here about the press release KfW Capital Award 2025.

    Trailer KfW Capital Award 2025

    A jury of five high-calibre experts will select the winners.

    Jury Best Female Investor

    • Dr Tanja Emmerling, Partner HTGF
    • 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 Berlin University of Applied Sciences and Co-Chair of encourageventures e.V
    • Dr Eva Wimmer, Head of the Financial Markets Department at the Federal Ministry of Finance
    • KfW Capital: Dr Jörg Goschin, CEO of KfW Capital, and Theresa Bardubitzki, Senior Sustainability Manager

    Jury Best Impact Investor

    • Dr Sabine Hepperle, Head of the SME Policy Department at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
    • Verena Kempe, Head of Investment Management at KENFO – German Nuclear Waste Management Fund
    • Felix Oldenburg, CEO of project bcause and Board Spokesman of gut.org gAG
    • Dr. Bryan Scheler, Vice President Solutions, Investments & Partnerships BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt
    • KfW Capital: Alexander Thees, Member of the Management Board of KfW Capital, and Theresa Bardubitzki, Senior Sustainability Manager of KfW Capital
    KfW Capital Award 2024 - Short film (German)

    A review of the KfW Capital Award­ 2024, 2023 and 2022 with the winners ­can be found on the following pages: