Press Release
Five start-ups reach the final of the Smart Country Start-up Award 2026
• On 14 October, five start-ups will pitch their ideas at the Smart Country Convention in Berlin
• The competition is seeking the best solution for a modern, digital state
From secure government networks and agent-based AI for public administration, through streamlined residency procedures and smart street lighting, to digital payment processes in care and support services: these are the solutions that the five finalists will present to the jury and audience during their pitches at the Smart Country Startup Award 2026 on 14 October. Get Started, the start-up and scale-up initiative of the digital industry association Bitkom, will present the award at the Smart Country Convention (SCCON) in Berlin to the company with the most compelling solution for a modern and digital state. The award is supported by Deloitte and the de:hub initiative. “The public sector must and wants to become more modern and digital, but often fails to make progress, or does so only too slowly. Start-ups can significantly accelerate this transformation – with fresh perspectives, new technologies and the ability to fundamentally rethink old processes,” says Daniel Breitinger, Head of Start-ups and Scale-ups at Bitkom. “With the Smart Country Start-up Award, we are offering these start-ups a platform and introducing them to the decision-makers who can put their solutions into practice.”
The finalists for the Smart Country Startup Award 2026 are:
ellamind: ellamind, based in Bremen, uses agent-based AI in public administration. For example, agents automatically check websites for compliance with accessibility requirements – such as contrast ratios, alternative text or keyboard accessibility – and generate a transparent audit report based on their findings.
ENVIOTECH: The start-up from Frankfurt am Main transforms existing street lighting into smart infrastructure for the smart city. To achieve this, existing lights are retrofitted with sensors, communication technology and AI, without the need to replace the entire infrastructure.
Parto: Parto digitises payment processes in the care and support sector. The Hamburg-based solution enables digital accounts, cards and automated administrative processes for organisations providing child and youth welfare, integration support and elderly care services.
PID1: PID1 aims to make ‘Zero Trust’ practically implementable in public sector networks. The software from this Berlin-based cybersecurity start-up enables identity-based access to applications and services and can be operated within the public sector organisation’s own data centre.
VisaFlow: Cologne-based VisaFlow digitises residence permit procedures at immigration authorities. Audit trails are coordinated automatically, whilst decisions remain traceable and under human control.
The winning start-up will receive a slot on stage at the Smart Country Convention 2027, as well as a one-year membership of Get Started at Bitkom. Full details of the Smart Country Start-up Award are available online at: www.bitkom.org/Themen/Startups/Smart-Country-Startup-Award
Smart Country Convention: Working together to make towns and regions smarter
The digital transformation of cities, regions and public authorities is also a key theme of the Smart Country Convention, Germany’s leading event for the digitalisation of the public sector. From 13 to 15 October 2026, more than 23,000 experts from the fields of public administration, politics, business and academia will gather at the Berlin Exhibition Centre. The focus will be on state modernisation, the digitalisation of public administration, artificial intelligence, digital participation, digital sovereignty, cyber security and, this year, resilience in the event of a crisis. For the first time, the Smart Country Convention is dedicating a separate ‘Resilience Day’ to this topic on 15 October. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation is acting as patron of the SCCON, whilst Portugal is the partner country for 2026. Further information and free tickets are available at www.smartcountry.berlin.
Note to editorial teams: Journalists can apply for accreditation for the Smart Country Convention online at: https://www.smartcountry.berlin/de/presse/akkreditierung
About Smart Country Convention
The Smart Country Convention is the leading event for the digital state and public services. With over 23,000 participants, SCCON is the meeting place for everyone involved in the digitalisation of the public sector. The combination of congress, workshops, expo and networking is aimed at employees from administration, politics, the digital economy, associations and science. SCCON is organised by Bitkom e.V. and Messe Berlin.
You can also find this press release on the Internet: www.smartcountry.berlin
Press photos of the Smart Country Convention in printable quality can be downloaded here. Videos about the event and the topics of the Smart Country Convention can be found here.