Nect is a finalist for the German Founders' Award 2021

Nect among the top 3 in the “Rising Star” category
Nect CEO Benny Bennet Jürgens: Winning the German Founders’ Award would be a great honor and recognition of the achievement of every single employee.
Announcement of the winner on September 14, 2021, in Berlin

Hamburg, 2021-06-10 Nect is among the top 3 finalists for the German Founders’ Award 2021 in the “Rising Star” category. At the pitch event on June 8 in Berlin, Nect founders Benny Bennet Jürgens and Carlo Ulbrich were able to personally present their business idea of fully automated identity verification through innovative Robo-Ident technology to the jury. This year’s winner will be announced at the hybrid award ceremony on September 14, 2021, at the ZDF capital city studio.

The German Founders’ Award and its partners—stern, Sparkassen, ZDF, and Porsche—continue their commitment to promoting the German startup scene this year. As a company that is no more than nine years old and has recorded extraordinary growth, Nect was selected by the Founders’ Award jury as one of the top 3 in the “Rising Star” category.

Competitors in this category include Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies GmbH, with a solution for the safe and efficient handling of green hydrogen, and Wildling Shoes GmbH, which aims to prevent foot ailments with its newly designed shoes.

Nect GmbH enters the race for the German Founders’ Award with its innovative Robo-Ident technology, which has been revolutionizing fully automated identity verification since 2018. With the Nect app, users can record their ID document—for example, a German ID card or passport—as well as a selfie video in about two minutes, allowing them to identify themselves independently for various online services from anywhere and without waiting times. A video call with a service representative is not necessary. Nect is now in use in almost all regulated sectors, including insurance, health insurance, banking, telecommunications, and even at government agencies such as the Federal Employment Agency. In 2020, the Hamburg-based company was able to increase its revenue by 1,009%, recording enormous growth. The company now employs around 80 people.

“Winning the German Founders’ Award would be a great honor for us as founders,” Jürgens commented on the nomination. “But we are already delighted to be among the top 3 finalists in our category. This is a great recognition for what every single person at Nect has achieved in recent years to reach this incredible growth.” Whether Nect was able to win the title of “German Founders’ Award 2021” will be announced in September during the hybrid award ceremony.

About the German Founders' Award

The German Founders’ Award is the most significant award for outstanding companies in Germany. The goal of the initiative is to promote a positive startup climate in Germany and to encourage the courage to be self-employed. The prize is awarded annually in the categories of Students, StartUp, Rising Star, and Lifetime Achievement. Exceptional entrepreneurial achievements can be honored with a special prize. The German Founders’ Award is presented by the partners stern, Sparkassen, ZDF, and Porsche, who have been committed to promoting entrepreneurship and startup culture since 1997. The German Founders’ Award is supported by a high-profile board of trustees that takes on mentorships for the finalists and winners. Sponsors of the German Founders’ Award include Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Gruner + Jahr GmbH, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, and the Sparkassen insurance companies.

Further information on the German Founders’ Award can be found here.

Webinar for Insurance & Financial Distributors | February 26, 2026, 11 AM – 12 PM | From Compliance to Conversion: EUDI & AMLR with Nect | Register now!

Webinar for Insurance & Financial Distributors | February 26, 2026, 11 AM | From Compliance to Conversion: EUDI & AMLR with Nect | Register now!

Nect is a finalist for the German Founders’ Award 2021

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