Impact Pitch Night 2026
Apply now by 20 September and win attractive prizes!

We are looking for ideas that address both a specific sustainability problem and a customer problem and offer a compelling solution. This could be, for example:

• a (technological) innovation for ecological or social challenges,
• a sustainable product or service with clear impact,
• a business model with impact and the common good at its core.

What matters is that you can clearly present the sustainability problem and customer problem you are addressing, the solution you have developed, and the expected impact.

• 1st place: €2,500 (sponsored by Sparkasse KölnBonn)

• 2nd place: €1,500

• 3rd place: €750

• Exclusive pitch coaching for all finalist teams

In addition, there is visibility, feedback, and access to a strong network of universities, experts, and supporters.

• Individuals or teams from Bonn or the Rhine-Sieg district with an idea oriented toward the common good
• Students, alumni, and staff of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, or the University of Bonn

Teams that have already been founded or have already commenced business operations are excluded from the competition (cf. EXIST definition of business operations).

Applications must be submitted via a pitch deck with a maximum of 14 slides. The deck will be read and evaluated as a standalone application – without any additional live explanation. Therefore, all content should be clear, structured, and concise. The pitch deck may be submitted in German or English. The submission deadline is 20 September.

Please note the criteria and terms of participation further down on this page.

Go to the application form

The pitch deck is evaluated as a standalone application. All relevant information should therefore be presented clearly and comprehensibly. The following topics should be included:

Use the following points as guidance when preparing it:

• Sustainability problem: What ecological, social, or societal problem does your idea address?
  • Ecological: e.g. greenhouse gas reduction, biodiversity, circular economy, resource reduction, other planetary boundaries, etc.
  • Social/societal: e.g. health, education, peace, justice/equality, social fairness, poverty, political participation, etc.
• Sustainability impact: How does your idea contribute to solving the sustainability problem, and to what extent is this at the core of the business model? How could the impact be measured or verified; what assumptions are being made?
• Business idea:
  • Customer problem and target group: What customer problem are you solving, and for which target group?
  • Solution to the customer problem: How does your offering solve the described customer problem?
  • Market and competition: How large is the market being addressed, and which competitors are active there?
  • Level of innovation: How does your idea differ from existing solutions?
• Trade-offs: Does your idea create negative ecological or social impact (elsewhere)? How is this handled?
• Economic viability: What financial resources do you need for implementation? How can this need be covered in the short, medium, and long term?
• Team: What relevant skills does your team have? To what extent can you address missing skills?

Terms and conditions / requirements for participation

1. Eligibility and target group
   1. The competition is aimed at individuals as well as start-up teams with an early-stage, common-good-oriented or sustainable (social/ecological) start-up idea.
   2. To participate in the competition, at least one of the following criteria must be met:
      • Regional connection: At least one person on the team resides in the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg region (the city of Bonn as well as the associated towns and municipalities of the Rhine-Sieg district) OR the submitted idea has a specific, verifiable connection to the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg region.
      • University connection: At least one person on the team is a student, alumna/alumnus, or staff member of one of the three organizing universities (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Bonn).
2. Exclusion criteria
   1. Companies that have already been founded (e.g. entry in the commercial register) or teams that have already commenced active and systematic business operations in the market are excluded from participation.
   2. Incomplete, incorrect, or late applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
3. Submission and deadlines
   1. The application must be submitted digitally via the provided online application form. The application consists of the form information as well as a pitch deck (maximum 14 slides) in PDF format.
   2. The submission deadline is 20 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
   3. Documents that go beyond the required pitch deck and application form will not be considered in the evaluation.
   4. All participants will receive feedback on the status of their application and any nomination for the final by 05 October 2026.
4. Third-party rights and indemnification
   1. The idea must have been developed independently by the start-up team and must not infringe the rights of third parties.
   2. Participants shall indemnify the organizer against all conceivable third-party claims that could arise from infringement of any copyrights, statutory intellectual property rights, trade secrets, and other rights through the submitted documents.
5. Prizes & reservation regarding prize awards
   1. The organizers reserve the right to change the advertised prizes for organizational reasons. There is no entitlement to a specific prize. If there are no award-worthy ideas or submissions, no prizes will be awarded.
6. Changes to the conditions & termination of the competition
   1. The organizers reserve the right to amend the terms of participation at any time or to terminate, extend, or modify the competition early for important organizational, technical, or legal reasons – even without prior notice. Participants shall have no claims against the organizers arising from this.
7. Organizer
   1. Organizer: Impact Pitch Night is a regional ideas competition organized by Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Start-up-Manufaktur), Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, and the University of Bonn (Transfer Center enaCom) as part of the SoNaR project.
8. Legal recourse
   1. Legal recourse is excluded. This applies in particular to the evaluation of the ideas by the jury, the selection of the finalist teams, and the awarding of the prizes.

Protection of ideas and data protection

1. The organizers will not pass on participants’ personal data to unauthorized third parties. For the ideas competition, the following personal data will be processed, which may only be viewed and edited by authorized persons:
   • Last name, first name
   • Email address
   • Telephone number
2. Participating start-up teams that qualify for Impact Pitch Night agree, by submitting their entry, to present their idea as part of the final event and consent to the organizers producing, reproducing, and publishing photo and video recordings of the participants for information and documentation purposes in print and audiovisual media. Specifically, publication is planned on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, as well as on the websites and in the newsletters of the organizing universities.
3. The processing of the above-mentioned personal data serves to classify the submitted applications, gain an overview of the topics and focal points within the submitted applications, and document the participants’ consent.
4. The legal basis for the processing of your above-mentioned personal data by the above-mentioned responsible body is your consent, Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. A and, where applicable, Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a GDPR
5. The above-mentioned personal data will be shared with the supervisors of the SoNaR project between the University of Bonn, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, and Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences and processed internally by them.
6. The above-mentioned personal data will be stored for as long as necessary to carry out the Impact Pitch Night, but for no longer than 2 years. If you withdraw your consent, the data will be deleted immediately.

Information on the right of withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw your application within fourteen days without giving any reasons. The withdrawal period is fourteen days from the day of application via the online form. To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us informally by email of your decision to withdraw your application, stating your name, your email address, and, where applicable, your telephone number. To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send the notification concerning the exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

By participating in the competition, participants expressly agree to the terms of participation.