1. Organiser, subject matter and scope
(1) These Terms and Conditions of Participation (the "Terms") govern the application for and participation in the FinWell Award 2026 (the "Award"). The Award is presented at the FinWell Summit on 2 December 2026 at Backfabrik, Berlin (the "Summit").
(2) Organiser and sole contracting party is House of Finance and Tech Berlin GmbH, Saarbrücker Straße 36, 10405 Berlin, Germany; register court Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, HRB 66263 B; managing director Dr. Sebastian Schäfer; VAT ID DE418805748; email summit@hoft.berlin ("HoFT"). There is no co-organiser. No sponsor, partner or jury member becomes a contracting party of an applicant.
(3) The Award is a prize competition (Preisausschreiben) within the meaning of Section 661 of the German Civil Code (BGB). The closing date for applications required by Section 661(1) BGB is announced separately.
(4) The Award is not a game of chance, a lottery or a prize draw. Participation does not depend on chance, and no stake or entry fee is payable.
(5) The Award is addressed exclusively to companies and to entrepreneurs within the meaning of Section 14 BGB acting in the exercise of their commercial or independent professional activity. It is not addressed to consumers within the meaning of Section 13 BGB.
(6) By sending an application, the applicant accepts these Terms. Deviating or conflicting terms of the applicant do not become part of the contract unless HoFT has agreed to them in text form.
2. Eligibility
(1) Only companies may apply. An applicant must be a legal entity or a registered business validly existing at the time of application, and the application must be submitted by a natural person authorised to represent it. Individuals, teams without a legal entity, and companies not yet incorporated are not eligible.
(2) The Award focuses on the DACH region. Companies with their registered office in this area are eligible without further requirements. Companies established elsewhere may be admitted at HoFT’s sole discretion; there is no entitlement to admission, and HoFT is not obliged to give reasons for a decision either way.
(3) The applicant’s product or service must fall within the business field as described on the application page.
(4) Excluded from participation are employees of HoFT and their relatives, as well as members of the HoFT support association (Förderverein) and companies affiliated with such members within the meaning of Sections 15 et seq. of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG). Jury members, companies they represent and their relatives are likewise excluded.
(5) Participation is free of charge. Each company may submit one application only. If several applications are received from the same company, only the first complete application is considered, unless HoFT decides otherwise.
(6) The applicant warrants that the information it provides is true and complete and that the person submitting the application is authorised to do so.
3. Application
(1) Applications are submitted exclusively through the online form at the address published by HoFT. Applications by email, post or any other channel are not considered.
(2) A complete application comprises all mandatory fields of the form and one pitch deck in PDF format, not exceeding 25 MB. Applications that are incomplete, illegible, infected with malware or received after the closing date are excluded from the assessment.
(3) The application must be in English or German.
(4) Confirmation of receipt does not constitute admission to the Award and does not establish any claim to assessment, shortlisting or a prize.
(5) HoFT may reject applications without stating reasons, in particular where an applicant does not meet the eligibility requirements, where the submission is manifestly unrelated to the Award’s subject matter, or where the applicant’s conduct or public reputation would be liable to damage the standing of the Award.
(6) Applications may be withdrawn at any time up to the announcement of the shortlist by email to summit@hoft.berlin quoting the reference number. Corrections after the closing date are possible only at HoFT’s discretion.
4. Process, dates and costs
(1) The Jury review is after the announced closing date. Live pitch and announcement of the winner is on 2 December 2026 in Backfabrik, Berlin.
(2) HoFT determines the number of finalists at its discretion. There is no fixed number of places, and no applicant has a claim to be shortlisted.
(3) Finalists pitch live and in person at the Summit. The pitch is limited to the time allotted by HoFT and is held in English. Attendance by video link or by a substitute presenter is possible only with HoFT’s prior written consent.
(4) A valid ticket for the Summit is required in order to attend and to pitch, unless HoFT provides a ticket to the finalist. Where HoFT provides a ticket, it is personal, non-transferable and limited to the number of persons stated in the notification. The purchase of a ticket is a separate contract governed by the terms applicable to that ticket.
(5) Each applicant and finalist bears its own costs in connection with the Award, in particular costs of preparing the application and of travel, accommodation, subsistence, presentation material and staff. HoFT does not reimburse such costs.
(6) A finalist who does not appear at the Summit in time forfeits the opportunity to pitch and may be replaced by HoFT.
5. Jury, assessment and decision
(1) HoFT appoints the jury and may change its composition at any time. Jury members act independently and are bound to confidentiality under Section 7.
(2) The jury assesses the submissions against internal criteria which HoFT does not publish. The weighting of criteria is a matter for the jury.
(3) The jury decides on the shortlist and on the winner. It acts as the adjudicator (Preisrichter) within the meaning of Section 661(2) BGB; its decision is binding on the participants and on HoFT and is final. Reasons for the decision are not given, and individual assessments, scores or rankings are not disclosed.
(4) HoFT may decide not to award a prize at all if, in the jury’s assessment, no submission meets the standard required.
(5) A jury member who has a conflict of interest in relation to a submission, in particular an economic or personal interest, does not take part in the assessment of that submission.
6. Prize
(1) HoFT announces the prize before the closing date on the application page. The announcement forms part of these Terms. HoFT may replace the announced prize with a prize of equal or higher value for objective reasons, in particular where a prize component becomes unavailable through no fault of HoFT.
(2) The prize is awarded to the winning company, not to individuals acting for it. It is not transferable, cannot be assigned or pledged, and cannot be exchanged. A cash alternative is excluded. Where the prize consists of a cash amount, payment in cash on site is excluded and payment is made by bank transfer only.
(3) Any taxes, levies and social security contributions arising from the prize are borne by the winner, who is responsible for declaring the prize to the competent authorities. HoFT does not assume any tax liability of the winner and gives no tax advice.
(4) A cash prize is paid out only once all of the following conditions are met:
- the winner has confirmed acceptance of the prize in text form within 14 days of notification;
- the winner has provided the full name and address of the company, its commercial register details, its VAT identification number where applicable, and bank details of an account held in the company’s own name;
- the winner has issued any document required by HoFT for accounting purposes, in particular a receipt or an invoice showing VAT correctly;
- no ground for disqualification under Section 10 exists; and
- no statutory provision, in particular sanctions, anti-money-laundering or export control law, prevents payment.
(5) Payment is made within 30 days of the last of these conditions being met. If the winner fails to provide the information required under paragraph 4 within three months of notification, the claim to the prize lapses. HoFT may then award the prize to another finalist or not award it at all.
(6) Where the prize consists of services or benefits in kind, they must be used within the period stated in the announcement and are otherwise forfeited. Unused components are not compensated in money.
7. Confidentiality
(1) HoFT treats the contents of an application, in particular the pitch deck and any figures it contains, as confidential. HoFT discloses them only to those of its employees, jury members and service providers who need to know them for the purposes of the Award, and obliges jury members to confidentiality in writing before any submission is disclosed to them.
(2) The obligation under paragraph 1 does not apply to information which (a) was already lawfully known to the recipient before disclosure, (b) is or becomes publicly known without a breach of this Section, (c) is lawfully obtained from a third party without a duty of confidentiality, (d) is developed independently without use of the submission, or (e) must be disclosed by law, by a court order or by an order of an authority; in case (e) the recipient informs HoFT in advance where legally permissible.
(3) Information which the applicant itself makes public, in particular in the live pitch at the Summit or in its own communication, ceases to be confidential to that extent.
(4) Applicants are asked to submit only such information as is necessary to assess their application. Applicants should not submit trade secrets whose disclosure would cause serious harm, in particular source code, unpublished patent applications, key algorithms, customer lists or detailed financial models. HoFT recommends redacting such content before submission.
(5) Jury members are active in the finance and technology sector. Nothing in these Terms prevents jury members or HoFT from working with, investing in or developing competing products or business models, provided they do not use the confidential contents of a submission in doing so. Submission of an application creates no exclusivity, no right of first refusal and no non-compete obligation.
(6) The confidentiality obligation continues for three years after the announcement of the winner. Protection of trade secrets under the German Trade Secrets Act (GeschGehG) remains unaffected and is not limited in time by this provision.
8. Rights of use
(1) All rights in the submission remain with the applicant. HoFT acquires no rights in the pitch deck beyond those expressly granted below.
(2) Every applicant grants HoFT a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide right, unlimited in time, to use its company name, word and figurative marks (logo), the short description it submits and its category for the purpose of communicating about and documenting the Award, in particular on the Award and HoFT websites, in press and newsletter communication, on social media and in HoFT’s own archive and reporting. This right takes effect only from the point at which the applicant is shortlisted; applications that are not shortlisted are not made public.
(3) Finalists additionally grant HoFT a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide right, unlimited in time, to record the live pitch in image and sound, to reproduce it, to make it publicly available and to broadcast it, in whole or in extracts, in reporting on the Summit and the Award, including social media, and to store it in HoFT’s archive. This covers slides shown during the pitch to the extent they appear in the recording.
(4) HoFT may transfer these rights to service providers and media partners to the extent necessary for the purposes named in paragraphs 2 and 3. Beyond that, the rights may not be sublicensed. HoFT does not use the material to advertise third-party products or services and does not sell it.
(5) HoFT may make editorial changes to the material, in particular cropping, shortening, subtitling and colour correction, provided the content is not distorted. The applicant’s moral rights remain unaffected.
(6) Image and sound recordings are made at the Summit generally. The legal basis is HoFT’s legitimate interest in documenting and promoting its events (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), and for recognisable persons additionally Section 23(1) no. 3 of the German Art Copyright Act (KUG). Anyone who does not wish to appear in such material may say so in advance to summit@hoft.berlin or on site to the event staff.
(7) The applicant warrants that it holds all rights required for the grants under paragraphs 2 and 3, in particular in respect of trade marks, images, fonts and third-party content in its deck and its presentation, and that the material does not infringe third-party rights. The applicant indemnifies HoFT against third-party claims arising from a breach of this warranty, including reasonable costs of legal defence, unless the applicant is not responsible for the breach.
9. Winner’s obligations
(1) Acceptance of the prize requires the winner to take part in HoFT’s communication about the Award. The winner therefore agrees that HoFT may name the winner, use its logo, publish photographs and recordings of the award ceremony and the pitch, and quote statements the winner makes for this purpose.
(2) On request, the winner provides HoFT, within a reasonable period, with a short quotable statement on the Award, its logo in a usable file format and at least one photograph suitable for publication, together with the rights necessary for the use described in Section 8. The winner names a contact person for press enquiries.
(3) The winner may describe itself as "FinWell Award 2026 Winner", in each case only in connection with the 2026 edition of the Award, without alteration and without creating the impression of a partnership, certification or endorsement of its products by HoFT. The right ends if the winner is subsequently disqualified under Section 10.
(4) HoFT and the winner coordinate the timing of the first public announcement. Until that announcement, the winner keeps the result confidential.
(5) The winner ensures that individuals appearing in material it supplies have consented to its use for these purposes.
10. Disqualification, changes and cancellation
(1) HoFT may exclude an applicant from the Award and revoke a prize already awarded if the applicant provides false or materially incomplete information, breaches these Terms materially, manipulates the process, does not meet the eligibility requirements, or if insolvency proceedings are opened over its assets. A prize already paid out must be returned in that case.
(2) HoFT may amend these Terms during the running Award only for good cause, in particular where required by law, by an order of an authority or by a change in the process that is beyond HoFT’s control, and only to the extent that the amendment is reasonable for the applicants. Applicants are notified of amendments in text form.
(3) HoFT may change the dates, the format and the venue of the Summit and of the pitch for objective reasons, provided the overall character of the Award is preserved.
(4) HoFT may cancel or discontinue the Award in whole or in part without an entitlement to compensation arising, if proper conduct of the Award is not possible for reasons beyond HoFT’s control, in particular force majeure, an order of an authority, the loss of the venue or the failure of essential service providers. Applicants are informed without undue delay.
(5) Claims for reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with an application are excluded in the cases covered by paragraphs 3 and 4, save where HoFT is liable under Section 11.
11. Liability
(1) HoFT is liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, for damage arising from injury to life, body or health, under the German Product Liability Act, and to the extent it has given a guarantee.
(2) In cases of slight negligence HoFT is liable only for breach of a material contractual obligation, that is an obligation whose fulfilment makes proper performance possible in the first place and on which the applicant may regularly rely. Liability is then limited to the damage typically foreseeable at the time the contract was concluded.
(3) Any further liability is excluded. This applies in particular to the loss of applications in transit, technical faults of the online form, and damage to material brought to the Summit.
(4) The above limitations apply equally to the personal liability of HoFT’s legal representatives, employees, jury members and vicarious agents.
(5) The applicant remains responsible for keeping its own copy of the submitted documents.
12. Data protection
(1) Controller is House of Finance and Tech Berlin GmbH at the address given in Section 1(2), summit@hoft.berlin. HoFT’s general privacy notice at https://hoft.berlin/privacy-policy applies in addition; where this Section is more specific, this Section prevails.
(2) HoFT processes the contact details of the person applying (name, role, business email address) and the company data submitted in order to receive, assess and process the application, to communicate about the Award, and to organise the Summit. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR for the contractual relationship created by the application, and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR where the data relate to the applicant company rather than to the person applying; HoFT’s legitimate interest lies in running the Award and documenting it properly. No consent is required for this processing, and none is requested.
(3) Recipients are the jury members, who receive the submissions for assessment and are bound to confidentiality, and the following processors engaged under Art. 28 GDPR:
- Netlify; hosting of the application form, receipt and storage of applications and pitch decks; USA / EU
- Hubspot; contact management and Award communication; EU / USA
- AI Services; text processing and structuring in support of the assessment; EU / USA, see paragraph 4
- Hetzner; hosting of HoFT systems; EU
(4) HoFT uses AI-supported services to prepare and structure material. These services are engaged as processors, are contractually barred from using the data to train their models, and do not process the data for their own purposes. The jury’s assessment and the decision on the winner are made by people, not by automated means; there is no automated decision-making within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.
(5) Where a processor processes data outside the EU or the EEA, HoFT ensures an adequate level of protection by means of the EU standard contractual clauses under Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR or by relying on an adequacy decision.
(6) Retention. HoFT stores applications, pitch decks and related correspondence until the end of the third calendar year following the year in which the Award edition concluded, that is until 31 December 2029 for the 2026 edition. The reasons are that HoFT must be able to demonstrate that the Award was conducted properly and that the resources of its members and public funders were used for their intended purpose, and that claims arising from the Award are subject to the standard limitation period of three years under Sections 195, 199 BGB, which HoFT must be able to defend against. Records relevant to tax and commercial law, in particular documents relating to prize payments, are retained for the statutory periods of up to ten years under Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (AO) and Section 257 of the German Commercial Code (HGB). Published material about shortlisted companies and winners under Section 8 remains in HoFT’s archive and in its reporting beyond those periods.
(7) Providing the data is neither required by statute nor by contract, but without it an application cannot be processed.
(8) Data subjects have the rights of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77), in particular with the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. Where processing is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, data subjects have the right to object at any time on grounds relating to their particular situation (Art. 21 GDPR), by email to summit@hoft.berlin.
(9) Newsletter. The Award newsletter is sent only to those who have separately consented on the application form (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). Consent is voluntary, is not a condition of participation and has no bearing on the assessment of the application. It may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future, by using the unsubscribe link in each email or by writing to summit@hoft.berlin. The lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal is unaffected.
13. Final provisions
(1) These Terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
(2) The place of performance and the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with the Award is Berlin, provided the applicant is a merchant, a legal person under public law or a special fund under public law, or has no general place of jurisdiction in Germany. HoFT may also sue at the applicant’s general place of jurisdiction.
(3) These Terms are published in English only. The English version is authoritative.
(4) Amendments and supplements require text form. This also applies to any waiver of the text form requirement.
(5) Should individual provisions be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions is unaffected.
(6) Contact for all questions about the Award: summit@hoft.berlin.
Berlin, 23 October 2026