BARC Start-up Award
for Data & AI 2026
Recognizing innovative software solutions that generate business value from data.
SOLISTIQ wins
the BARC Start-up Award 2026.
Background
Start-ups are a significant source of innovation in the software market for analytics, business intelligence, data management, and artificial intelligence. They introduce new approaches and solutions to address long-standing industry challenges.
To honor their contributions, BARC established the annual Start-up Award for Data & AI. The award honors software product providers for data & AI. Service providers are not eligible to apply.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify, a company must meet the following criteria:
- The business must have been operating for six years or less. This six-year rule also applies to spin-offs and new business units within established companies, such as a new standard software offering from an existing consulting firm.
- The company must be headquartered in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, or maintain an office in the DACH region.
- The solution must be a software product or a software-supported service in the field of analytics and AI, business intelligence, planning and simulation, or data management. The product must exist at a minimum as a functional, demonstrable prototype.
Get Your Start-up the Visibility and Recognition it Deserves
Participants in the BARC Start-up Award for Data & AI get significant visibility among decision-makers across data, analytics, and start-up ecosystems.
Finalists selected by the jury will present their solutions to enterprise users, established vendors, and investors at the DATA festival in Munich. The presentations will be available to both the live audience and virtual attendees via streaming.
The Jury
The jury members includes market analysts, investors, and end users:
- Prof. Dr. Peter J. Mirski, Head of Department & Studies & CIO | MCI The Enterpreneurial School
- Jörg Bienert, President & Founder | KI Bundesverband e.V.
- Wolfgang Beeck, CTO | Staedean Group
- Dominik Lohle, Founding Partner | MAY VENTURES
- Stefan Sexl, Senior Analyst Data & AI | BARC GmbH
- Holger Wagner, Investment Manager | EnBW New Ventures
- Christian Wirth, SVP APAC | IQGeo
- Simone Nierhaus, Chief Commercial Officer | Flyeralarm
- Arthur Michael Seidel, Senior Corporate Community Manager | Fraport
- Markus Roithmeier, Partner Zobito AB & Business Angel | IACD e.V.
- Dr. Thomas Endres, CEO | corporate momentum
- Frank Hoelzle, CEO | Care4 AG
- Prof Dr. Frauke Schleer-van Gellecom, Partner & Professor for Decision Intelligence | PWC
- Tobias Stein, Chief Venturing Officer | AI Hub Frankfurt
- Sören Dreis, Investment Manager | HTFG
- Chairman: Dr. Carsten Bange, Founder & CEO | BARC GmbH
Previous winners of the BARC Start-up Award
| 2025 | encentive |
| 2024 | Scavenger AI |
| 2023 | Frontnow |
| 2022 | Veezoo |
| 2020 | 4.screen |
| 2019 | minubo |
| 2018 | Open as App |
| 2017 | Process Analytics Factory |
| 2016 | Inspirient |
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