Conditions of Participation
Terms of participation
Young companies in the DACH region that have established business models on the market that are dedicated to the topic of the circular economy are eligible to participate. This year, we are awarding prizes to startups that are already demonstrating how the transformation to the Circular Economy can succeed. The focus is on startups along the entire product life cycle.
We are looking for entrepreneurs who use technology, processes, procedures, automation and digitalization or interfaces to improve the use of resources throughout the lifecycle.
The innovation meets the four evaluation criteria of novelty, scalability, impact and social responsibility. The company does not have more than 500 employees and is not a corporate start-up, i.e. founded from within an established company or with a majority shareholding by an established company.
Nomination as a finalist includes the creation of a short pitch video for online voting (creation and submission of the video expected between July 11 – July 28, 2023), personal participation of a member of your management team in the jury session on September 18, 2023 in Düsseldorf (including pre-event coaching by an expert), and personal participation in the award ceremony on November 23, 2023 in Berlin. Participation is mandatory. Non-participation will result in disqualification. Any costs that may arise for travel to and from the event as well as overnight accommodation will not be covered. You can apply for The Spark 2023 via our online application form until June 16, 2023.
Data privacy
By filling out the company information and sending the application, the applicant acknowledges the application process and agrees to the use of his/her data in the application process.
By submitting the application, the participant agrees,
– that Handelsblatt GmbH, partner McKinsey, the nomination committee and the members of the jury will view and evaluate the submitted content,
– that Handelsblatt GmbH and partner McKinsey will publish the company’s participation in a short presentation including pictures, pitch video (community voting, see also conditions of participation) and logo, and that they will include it in further promotional content measures.
The participant grants Handelsblatt GmbH, the partner McKinsey, the nomination committee and the jury the necessary rights of use for this purpose.
We assure you that we will treat your documents with the highest degree of confidentiality. All submissions that do not make it to the final selection round will not be forwarded or published without your written consent.
If the participant requires a written confidentiality agreement, he/she can request one at [email protected]. All you need to do is send a short e-mail with your name and the project title. We will gladly send you a document signed by us.
Handelsblatt, its partner McKinsey and the members of the jury reserve the right to exclude submissions that are deemed unsuitable and do not meet the application criteria.
Handelsblatt accepts no liability whatsoever for the loss or incompleteness of data submitted by participants, unless the loss or incompleteness is due to intentional or grossly negligent conduct on the part of the organizers or their employees. This also applies to the disclosure of information by third parties due to technical errors in data transmission and/or unauthorized access.
The legal process is excluded.
