National Cup 2026: Enactus Köln is National Champion
July 2, 2026
Two Days of Impact in Cologne
39°C in Cologne, packed Sartory Halls and two days full of student-led ideas showing what entrepreneurial action can do for social change: The Enactus Germany National Cup 2026 brought together teams, judges, alumni, advisors, partners and guests from all over Germany.
At the center of it all was one project with a clear mission: Rivopump from Enactus Köln is the National Champion 2026. With their solution for low-cost water pumps for Kenyan farms, the team won the final and will represent Enactus Germany at the World Cup in São Paulo. Congratulations to the entire team on this outstanding achievement!
Science, Entrepreneurship and Strong Projects
The National Cup began a greeting video from Mona Neubaur, Deputy Premier and Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine Westphalia. It was followed by a keynote by Prof. Günter Faltin, who impressively showed how closely science and entrepreneurship can work together. His impulses made clear that strong entrepreneurial ideas are not only born from inspiration, but also from observation, research, conceptual strength and the courage to rethink existing systems.
Afterwards, things got serious for the teams. Across four leagues, 20 Enactus teams presented their projects to the juries. The competition was not only about good ideas, but also about impact, business models, team performance and the question of which projects had created the greatest sustainable change over the past 12 months. After an intense first day of competition, the four finalists were announced: InSEAlation from Enactus Münster, friGIS from Enactus München, veridu from Enactus Hamburg and Rivopump from Enactus Köln.
Exchange Beyond the Stage
Beyond the stage, the National Cup was shaped by exchange and connection. On Thursday evening, judges, advisors and sponsors came together for a networking get-together before everyone joined the students to watch Germany’s World Cup match. These encounters are exactly what make the National Cup special: people from universities, business, civil society and the Enactus network come together to support student-led impact projects.
Who Is Going to São Paulo for the Enactus World Cup?
Friday was all about the final. The four finalist teams once again showed how diverse social entrepreneurship at Enactus can be: from sustainable building insulation and climate-adapted cities to mental health and access to water for agricultural businesses. In the end, Rivopump from Enactus Köln convinced the jury and secured the title of Enactus National Champion 2026.
Further Challenges and Project Funding
In addition to the main competition, several challenges and special awards were presented. In the final of the #KeinerAllein Challenge, sponsored by the Postcode Lottery, the focus was on projects that make loneliness visible and strengthen social connection. ZweiMahl from Enactus Berlin won the challenge, followed by Moin!Münster from Enactus Münster. TrustMap from Enactus Stuttgart and B2gether from Enactus Braunschweig also reached the final round.
Another highlight was the Early-stage Innovation Final of the Enactus Startup Accelerator. The finalists were smileGreen from Enactus Mannheim and friGIS from Enactus München. Both teams had developed significantly since the final announcement in March. In the end, friGIS won and will therefore also represent Enactus Germany in the Early-stage Innovation category at the Enactus World Cup in São Paulo.
The winning teams of the Ford Challenge “Building Sustainable Communities” by Ford Philanthropy were also honored. Enactus Augsburg with Resilox, Enactus München with friGIS and Enactus Münster with InSEAlation each receive 5,000 euros in project funding. The award was presented by Antonia Gogolin from Ford Philanthropy.
Further special awards went to projects and people who shape the Enactus network in a special way. Procter & Gamble honored InnoSole from Enactus Bayreuth and basola from Enactus Karlsruhe. The Rookie Award, presented by the Enactus Germany Alumni, went to Enactus Leipzig. Lenia Römer from Enactus Köln was named Alumni of the Year. The Business Advisor of the Year award went to Klaus Sommer from Enactus Mannheim, and the Faculty Advisor of the Year award went to Prof. Dr. Silko Pfeil from Enactus Leipzig.
Thank You to Our Incredible Enactus Network
A special thank you goes to all teams who presented their projects with so much energy, professionalism and conviction, as well as to all judges, advisors, alumni, guests, sponsors and partners who made the National Cup possible. A big thank you also goes to NRW.BANK as event sponsor.
The National Cup 2026 once again showed that Enactus is at its strongest when students take responsibility, think entrepreneurially and develop concrete solutions for real-world challenges. We are excited to travel to the World Cup with two strong projects and cannot wait to see what impact will emerge from our network over the next year!