This year marks the tenth anniversary of THE SPARK, the celebrated German digital award presented annually by McKinsey and Handelsblatt, Germany’s largest business and financial newspaper. A decade ago, the award began spotlighting purpose-driven start-ups across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Today, it remains a powerful engine of innovation.
By offering a stage for Europe’s most promising founders, McKinsey and Handelsblatt aim to strengthen the continent’s innovation ecosystem and accelerate the growth of start-ups that drive technological and economic progress.
Over the past decade, THE SPARK has helped propel numerous start-ups from promising ideas to global success stories. Former winners such as cylib, a circular economy innovator revolutionizing battery recycling and resource independence; Quantum-Systems, a drone technology pioneer serving both civilian and defense applications; and OroraTech, a satellite company enabling early wildfire detection and climate monitoring, have all gone on to secure significant international funding, partnerships, and market traction.
Their journeys reflect how THE SPARK fuels ventures driving sustainability, security, and technological leadership—while fostering a community of entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors shaping Europe’s digital future. On average, THE SPARK winners have achieved 2.5 times higher valuation growth compared to other applicants—underscoring the award’s tangible impact as a catalyst for scale, investment, and long-term success.
Each year, THE SPARK highlights a different theme, with past topics ranging from AI to smart mobility to medical life tech. This year’s focus is on deep tech—technologies rooted in scientific discovery and engineering breakthroughs that translate hard science into real-world impact. From robotics and life sciences to quantum computing, AI, and cybersecurity, these innovations form the backbone for tackling society’s most complex challenges.
Since 2019, McKinsey and Handelsblatt have also presented the DEI Accelerator Award, recognizing tech initiatives that drive measurable progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion—rewarding projects that open doors, transform structures, and inspire more inclusive innovation.
Especially in challenging times, a spirit of innovation is crucial to finding creative solutions
This year, the Nomination Committee, comprised of representatives from McKinsey and Handelsblatt, as well as scientific subject matter experts, identified the top three candidates for THE SPARK prize based on novelty, scalability, customer benefit, and team and values.
First place was awarded to Black Semiconductor, which is revolutionizing chip communication by using light pulses instead of electrons to transmit data—making data centers more energy efficient, accelerating AI model training, and elevating the performance of entire systems.
Second place was awarded to CUTISS, which develops personalized, lab-grown skin that adapts and grows like a patient’s own, offering a safe, effective, and sustainable solution for burns, reconstructions, and aesthetic treatments—and a new perspective on healing and recovery.
In third place was NEURA Robotics, which is pioneering cognitive robots that can see, hear, feel, and act autonomously, combining in-house precision technology with a robotics ecosystem to make intelligent automation scalable, collaborative, and accessible for all.
The winner of the DEI Accelerator Award was MINTD, a global network advancing women in STEM and leadership by connecting talent to opportunities, fostering mentorship and skill development, and driving gender equality to build a more inclusive and innovative workforce.
Europe’s deep-tech engine could spur $1 trillion in economic growth
“Especially in challenging times, a spirit of innovation is crucial to finding creative solutions,” says Fabian Billing, senior partner and managing partner of Germany and Austria at McKinsey. “Thanks to its strong engineering tradition and excellent research, deep tech offers Germany and Europe the opportunity to reignite their innovative strength and competitiveness. Successful commercialization requires close cooperation between universities, research, politics, established companies, and, above all, start-ups. We promote this networking with THE SPARK.”
From scientific breakthroughs to economic strength
McKinsey’s latest research suggests that if Europe accelerates deep tech business building, its start-up ecosystem could generate up to $1 trillion in enterprise value and as many as one million new jobs by 2030—laying the foundation for renewed economic growth. The sector’s momentum is already evident, with corporate and venture investors increasingly backing deep tech ventures across the region. Deep tech is already outpacing traditional tech in job creation, as advancing its ambitious goals requires talent with highly specialized skills.
“Deep tech is where Europe’s ingenuity meets its industrial strength,” says Gérard Richter, senior partner at McKinsey and content leader of THE SPARK. “By translating scientific excellence into scalable business models, we can unlock not only technological leadership but also sustainable growth and resilience for the continent’s economy.”
In the context of ongoing trade and tariff uncertainty, this moment presents a strategic opportunity: by strengthening its deep tech ecosystem now, Europe could position itself as a global hub and the world’s leading “deep tech factory.” Realizing this potential will depend on strong collaboration, which is exactly what THE SPARK aims to do.
“Technological breakthroughs occur when science, entrepreneurship and vision come together,” says Sebastian Matthes, editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt. “Deep tech offers the opportunity to make failed economic models of the past fit for the future. With THE SPARK, we are honoring those pioneers who are actively shaping Europe as a center of technology.”