OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY OF TOMORROW.
For more than 45 years we have been pioneers in promoting sustainability in the textile industry. Every day we prove that there is another way: fair, ecological and fashionable!
We are all the more pleased that our own sustainability prize, the Innovations for Tomorrow Award by hessnatur, will be held for the second time this year and will be dedicated to a particularly important topic: Female Founders * .
OUR PURPOSE.
Your ideas for more tomorrow.
Already knew? Only every fifth start-up is founded by women*. With our Innovations for Tomorrow Award by hessnatur we would like to support young companies and start-ups that were founded by women and that provide sustainable, innovative and visionary solutions for the challenges of the textile industry of today and tomorrow.
Because we are convinced: together we can achieve even more. With our award we honor your ideas FOR MORE TOMORROW.
That's why we are looking for you: Female (co-)founded green & social start-ups for a sustainable fashion industry with a positive impact.
People and creative minds who dare to try something new and go bold.
- Which ensure more innovations and further thinking in the value chain.
- Who are not satisfied with the status quo.
- Who want to change the fashion industry in the long term.
- Who work meaningfully and with purpose.
- Who have a positive impact and want to expand it.
Who should apply?
You are (co-)founders and stand for more tomorrow? Do you want to change something? Contribute your big ideas for a better future? You stand for more fairness and responsibility in the fashion industry, for more sensitivity in dealing with resources, for more transparency, data and green technology, for more circular economy, for more biodiversity, for new impact measurements & methods and more positive impact? Then you are exactly right here!
Are you in the ideation or market entry phase? Great. We support you in all phases of your company development.
Our selection criteria:
- innovation potential
- economics
- market potential
- Your impact on topics such as circular economy, water, environment, biodiversity, human rights, working conditions, land use, climate, etc.
What to expect
- With our award you can document your top position in the areas of sustainability and female founders and place yourself as a pioneer
- The big stage of the Greentech Festival - the largest event for green and innovative technologies worldwide. Here, five pre-selected start-ups present themselves and their ideas to our jury and the public.
- Our three winners receive individual coaching from DigitalValley®, the digital innovation ecosystem for Europe
- Prize money for the three winners.
- Access to an excellent network of experts.
- The chance to implement your innovative ideas together with hessnatur and our partners.
OUR JUDGES.
Our jurors are the brightest minds from the fields of sustainability, social business, venture capital, fashion, medium-sized tech companies, trade press and content creation. Look forward to the exchange and benefit from their in-depth knowledge!
- Andrea Homann (Co-CEO hessnatur)
- Diana zur Löwen (Content Creator, Founder Melationship & Rawr Ventures and Business Angel)
- Ina Budde (Co-Founder & CEO circular.fashion)
- Catherine Wolff (Editor & Publisher Strive)
- Kristin Heckmann-Kipouros (Chief Sustainability Impact Officer hessnatur)
- Nina Puetz (CEO Ratepay)
- Saskia Bruysten (Co-Founder & Executive Co-Chair at Yunus Social Business)
- Tina Dreimann (Founder better ventures)
The moderation will be provided by Larissa Holzki , technology reporter and expert on the most important trends and developments in the European start-up scene.
- The application phase runs until May 7th, 2023.
- The review is then carried out by hessnatur, DigitalValley® and our jury.
- We will contact and announce the five finalists in May 2023 .
- On June 16, 2023, the big stage of the Greentech Festival in Berlin is waiting for you! The five finalists pitch their ideas here and our jurors choose the three winners of the Innovations for Tomorrow Award by hessnatur - Female Founders Edition.
The services are provided to the award winners free of charge.
The award is at the sole discretion of hessnatur. There is no legal right to receive the prize at any time. If no application meets hessnatur's criteria, no prize will be awarded.
Note on the confidentiality of the information submitted: hessnatur will treat the information for its own evaluation purposes with care and implement all technical and organizational measures to protect the information. A formal non-disclosure agreement (NDA) cannot be granted upon submission. Therefore, please only pass on information that does not require such a declaration of confidentiality.
German law applies.
* For better readability, the generic feminine is used here. The personal designations used refer to all FLINTA (women, lesbians, inter, non-binary, trans and agender).
REVIEW – INNOVATIONS FOR TOMORROW AWARD 2022.
The winners.
It was an exciting and extremely close final. All five Impact Startups were great! But our jury made its decision and the three winners have been determined. We are very happy with:
The three start-ups receive prize money and a start-up grant from the Impact Factory. They also have the chance to implement their innovative ideas with us
We would like to thank everyone who supported our project and made it possible.
- THANK YOU to our three amazing partners: GREENTECH FESTIVAL , Impact Factory , DigitalValley ®
- our wonderful jury
- our great moderator Nina Eichinger
- the numerous start-ups that have applied
- all hessnatur employees. It wouldn't have been possible without you!
The finalists.
Five impact start-ups completely convinced our jury. They are coming with us to Berlin to pitch their innovative ideas on the big stage of the Greentech Festival on June 24, 2022.
Also nominated were:
