Female Founders Award 2026

Apply or Nominate by March 1, 2026!
In 2026, the American Chamber of Commerce Germany (AmCham Germany) will present its Female Founders Award (FFA) for the 7th time. The Award Ceremony will take place in 2026 with the exact date still to be determined. Two female (co-)founders will receive the award to celebrate their achievements and elevate their visibility across the AmCham Germany network. Launched in 2019 by AmCham Germany, the Female Founders Award aims to set an example and honor successful female founders as positive role models, as women are still a minority in the start-up ecosystem on both sides of the Atlantic. The award brings together the values of the American entrepreneurial spirit, German entrepreneurship as well as the activities of AmCham Germany under the context of entrepreneurship and diversity.
The application and nomination period for the Female Founders Award 2026 is now open and will close on March 1, 2026. We especially encourage female talent operating in the fields of technology, electronics, engineering, or other branches commonly underrepresented by women to apply.
Award Benefits and Selection Process
Award Benefits
The award benefits entail a free Associate AmCham Germany 青青草视频ship for three years (2026-2028). In addition, the awardees receive complimentary tickets for AmCham Germany's Signature Events (Annual 青青草视频ship Meeting, Female Founders Award, Transatlantic Business Conference). Furthermore, recipients will be introduced via email to up to three top-level representatives from AmCham Germany鈥檚 corporate membership, gain visibility for themselves and their businesses through our communications channels, and be invited to participate in our Female Leaders Platform meetings, which provide an outstanding opportunity to connect with high-level female leaders and founders among AmCham Germany鈥檚 membership. For more information on the detailed benefits see below.
Selection Process
An independent jury will select a shortlist of candidates for the FFA 2026. The award winners will be announced and honored at an Award Ceremony in 2026 (exact date still to be determined).
Selection Criteria
- You are the female (co-)founder of a company or start-up (innovative technology or business model)
- Your company has been successfully positioned on the market for 2-5 years and is not older than 10 years
- Healthy growth and a solid and growing customer base is shown
- The turnover of the company was at least 100,000 Euros in the last business year or your company can account for an equivalent turnover relevant engagement (e.g. paid pilot) or the company raised public funding/investment of at least 500,000 Euros
- You have a well-defined market in your segment
- Your team is comprised of at least 5 people
- There are leading media and established blogs that have already reported on you and speak for your visibility
- You are currently well funded and you have a clear vision for the future and growth of your company for the next 5 year
Winners 2025
Congratulations to the winners of this year's Female Founders Award!

Maria Birlem
CEO & Co-Founder, Yuri GmbH
About Maria Birlem completed a degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Aachen from 2001 to 2005. As part of her studies, she worked on a research project in which she created the link budget for the student CubeSat project Compass 1. After graduating, she continued her career at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). Between 2006 and 2008 she wrote her diploma thesis at DLR Berlin, where she designed the interface of the launch electronics of the BepiColombo Laser Altimeter. She also worked as a research assistant and intern at DLR Cologne on the ROSETTA - PHILAE Lander and EXOMARS projects. In 2009, Maria Birlem continued her professional career as a Young Graduate Trainee at ESA / ESTEC in the Netherlands, where she worked in the field of optical engineering on the calibration and performance evaluation of a laser communication telescope. In the same year, she took up a position at Airbus Defence & Space. In her role as programme manager, she led Airbus' commercial microgravity programme 鈥渒iwi鈥 and was responsible for the MMARS-1, MMARS-2 and 3DPrintOS projects as project manager. As a senior systems engineer, she was involved in various projects such as V3PO and BioScience-4. She also acted as Payload Integration Manager for ESA's EMCS (IOT team) and worked as a development engineer for SIMBOX. Since June 2019, she has been co-founder, Managing Director and CEO of Yuri GmbH, which develops biotech products using zero gravity.
About Yuri GmbH
is a space biotech company that leverages the unique conditions of microgravity to research and develop groundbreaking biotechnological innovations. Their modular bioreactors and incubators facilitate experiments with cell cultures, protein crystallization, and plant biology in space.

Julia R枚mer
Co-Founder & COO, Coolar UG
About Julia R枚mer
Julia is an industrial engineer by training and the inventor of the Coolar system. She initiated the project that was to become Coolar while still a student at TU Berlin in 2014 with her later co-founders.
In addition to founding and leading Coolar, Julia developed patents for industrial-scale alternative cooling technology solutions and furthermore has been active in sustainability and environmental protection related advocacy. She was a member of the board at Germany's largest environmental NGO BUND e. V. (Friends of the Earth Germany) for 9 years. She still represents the organization on the jury for the German ecolabel 鈥淏lauer Engel鈥.
From 2019 to 2021 Julia served as a member of the German federal government鈥檚 Hightech-Forum, an advisory board that advised government on research and innovation policy and inspired new legislation in several areas (i.e. tax benefits for R&D expenditures, promotion of social innovations).
About Coolar
is pioneering refrigeration technology for energy-efficient, water-based cooling. While planetary temperature records smash through levels of warming unseen by human civilizations year after year, ever more people seek relief from heat waves or cold storage for perishable goods. Coolar is a mechanical engineering company from Berlin piloting electricity-free cooling systems powered by solar heat that provide autonomous cooling for both off-grid clinics and campers. Coolar is the first company to develop compact-size thermal-driven and purely water-based continuous sorption cooling systems.
Female Founders Award in 2025
The following founders earned the distinction of Honorable Mention for their participation in AmCham Germany鈥檚 Female Founders Award in 2025:


Judith Gr眉mmer
Founder & CEO of 贵补尘颈濒颈别苍丑枚谤产耻肠丑 gGmbH
About Judith Gr眉mmer
Judith Gr眉mmer is an experienced radio journalist and audio biographer.
About 贵补尘颈濒颈别苍丑枚谤产耻肠丑
gGmbH is a non-profit organization based in Cologne, Germany, that enables terminally ill mothers and fathers with minor children to create a professional audio biography. A 贵补尘颈濒颈别苍丑枚谤产耻肠丑 preserves the life story of the palliatively ill mother or father for posterity. In the voice so familiar to the child, told in their own words. Authentic. Personal. Affectionate. Dramaturgically professionally designed with the most modern techniques of audio journalism, each 贵补尘颈濒颈别苍丑枚谤产耻肠丑 becomes a personal treasure of memories. The family audio books are financed exclusively on a donation basis. All palliative patients included in the project currently receive their audio book free of charge.

Dr.-Ing. Christina Linke
Co-Founder & CEO of Clean Ocean Coatings GmbH
About Christina Linke
Linke completed her Dr.-Ing. in Food Technology 2017 at the TU Berlin in cooperation with Symrise AG. She has seven years of experience in product development in Germany and abroad in a major international corporation. In addition, from 2018-19, she was an executive assistant at Cradle-to-Cradle e.V., committed to circular economy. As a passionate diver she always wanted to contribute to ocean health. When she stumbled upon her co-founder, the biofouling problem and the intriguing solution, she had to act and push the project.
About Clean Ocean Coatings
sees itself as a highly specialized chemical company of tomorrow. It stands for the development and sales of environmentally harmless maritime coatings and offers ship operators sustainable solutions without fraudulent labeling in times of growing environmental awareness. Furthermore, the company stands for modern corporate culture, social fairness, and the service of the environment and humanity. From a technical point of view, we strive for solutions according to the cradle2cradle-principle, piece by piece. From the customer's point of view, we offer a better product that pays off.

Dr. Sonja Stuchtey
Co-Founder & CEO of The Landbanking Group
About Sonja Stuchtey
Sonja has a solid background in business administration and extensive experience in entrepreneurship and technology. She began her professional career as a management consultant at Booz Allen before turning her focus to her own entrepreneurial ventures. She founded SCIENCE LAB, an educational platform, as well as Alliance for Europe, a civic-tech company. As a director at the consulting firm AlixPartners, she focused on business optimization and innovation.
About The Landbanking Group
(TLG) is a Munich-based Nature Fintech Company building the infrastructure for a nature-based economy. Its product, the natural capital management platform Landler.io, allows land stewards to be rewarded for positive nature outcomes and businesses to invest into positive nature impacts. The Landbanking Group is in service of the Paris and the Montreal agreement and aiming to bring natural capital onto our balance sheets. Using Earth observation and AI technology TLG offers innovative financial solutions to finance regenerative land use practices and nature conservation while increasing social justice on a global scale.
Previous Winners
Winners 2024:
- Viktoria Kanar, CEO & Co-Founder, Re-Fresh Global
Carmen Rommel, Co-Founder & COO, BIOVOX
Honorable Mentions 2024:
- Dr. Gesa Biermann, Co-Founder & CEO, Pina Earth
- Julia Kahle, Co-Founder & CEO, Heynanny
- Vivian Loftin, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Recyda
Winners 2023:
- Natalya Nepomnyashcha, Founder,
- Irene Selvanathan, CEO & Founder,
Honorable Mentions 2023:
- Dr. Kathrin Goldammer, CEO & Co-Founder,
- Maxie Matthiessen, CEO & Founder,
- Leitha Matz, Co-Founder & CPO,
Winners 2022:
- Allison Dring, Co-Founder & CEO,
- Diana Heinrichs, Co-Founder & CEO,
- Maria M枚ller, Co-Founder & CEO,
Honorable Mentions 2022:
- Lara Obst, Co-Founder & Climate Officer,
- Anne-Sophie Panzer, Co-Founder & Head of Creators,
Winners 2021:
- Hannah Helmke, Founder & CEO,
- Julia Piechotta, Co-Founder & CMO, CFO,
Honorable Mentions 2021:
- Dr. Sophia Doll, Co-Founder & Managing Director,
- Katharina Mayer, Founder & CEO, Kuchentratsch
- Dr. Amelie Wiedemann, Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, DearEmployee
Watch the
Winners 2019:
- Zarah Bruhn, Co-Founder & CEO,
- Xenia Scholl, Co-Founder & COO,
- Michelle Skodowski, CO-Founder & COO,
Honorable Mentions 2019:
- Michaela Hagemann,
- Natascha Hoffner,
- Tabea Grzeszyk,
- Lubomila Jordanova,
- Elena Kokkinara,
- Jenny von Podewils,
- Farina Schurzfeld,
Watch the
Award Benefits
The award recipients will become part of AmCham Germany's network, receive complimentary access to our signature events, get access to AmCham Germany鈥檚 Female Leaders platform, as well as introductions via e-mail to three top-level representatives from AmCham Germany鈥檚 corporate members.
In addition, the awardees will be granted a free AmCham Germany Associate 青青草视频ship for three years from 2026-2028. It includes the following benefits:
Networking & Events
- Receive access to AmCham Germany鈥檚 global & regional networks to key decision makers from business & politics, U.S. entities in Germany such as the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulates, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AmChams in Europe (ACE) network.
- Receive invitations to AmCham Germany鈥檚 regional and signature events (Annual 青青草视频ship Meeting; Transatlantic Business Conference; Female Founders Award).
- Get listed in AmCham Germany鈥檚 Online 青青草视频ship Portal (planned for 2026)
青青草视频 Services
- Free of Charge publication of a 鈥溓嗲嗖菔悠 Offer鈥 and/or 鈥淛ob Offer鈥 on AmCham Germany鈥檚 website
- Get direct access to AmCham Germany鈥檚 publications, such as the Annual Report, the Business Barometer, the TOP50 ranking, as well as position papers evolving around the work of our policy committees
- Get direct access to AmCham Germany鈥檚 newsletters 鈥淐hamber News鈥 & The Navigator"
Visibility
- Gain visibility for you and your company through our communications channels at the Female Founders Award Ceremony and beyond
- Enhance your company鈥檚 profile through sponsoring opportunities at Signature-& Regional Events (additional fees apply)
- Get access to promotional spotlights in AmCham Germany鈥檚 publications and other media data (additional fees apply)


