In the spirit of courage, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, six outstanding teams presented their business ideas at the International Founders Award 2025 at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Frankfurt am Main – founded by migrants in Germany, driven by diversity and innovative strength. The finalists were selected from more than 80 applications from across the country. The final once again made it clear that diversity is a driver of innovation and strengthens the local startup ecosystem in the long term.
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The winners of the International Founders Award 2025
- Puray – sets new standards in infection prevention for medical tubes
- Museful – makes museum visits more exciting and accessible
- COMESO – reimagines international money transfers and enables healthcare financing without borders
The other finalists—OhMyV GmbH, soyleapp, and GPTscore—also demonstrated the difference that bold ideas can make.
Third place for COMESO—presented by Kompass Frankfurt
A special moment for us at Kompass Frankfurt: Third place went to COMESO GmbH, a start-up that is rethinking international money transfers. Founder Gloria Ada Niquaye, who came to Germany at the age of two, experienced the downside of traditional remittances herself. When her aunt in Ghana fell seriously ill, Gloria’s mother transferred money for treatment. But the money was misappropriated – with the tragic result that the urgently needed treatment was not provided and her aunt died. This personal experience and many similar stories in her community inspired Gloria to develop a digital solution that ensures that transferred funds are actually used for medical purposes.
Together with business partners from Eritrea and Sri Lanka, she founded COMESO. The platform guarantees that transfers for medical treatment actually reach the healthcare system. An integrated documentation system ensures transparency, while cooperation with trusted healthcare services in Ghana provides additional security. Thanks to the digital solution, recipients can use a simple smartphone to access the transfer and treatment – a financially inclusive method that relieves the burden on families in the diaspora while ensuring adequate healthcare. Gloria Ada Niquaye emphasizes: “In many countries around the world, people cannot afford medical care and are dependent on the support of their families. My business partners and I have a common goal: we want to prevent people from dying because they receive inadequate medical care due to a lack of financial resources.”
We are particularly proud that COMESO is part of our history: Gloria Niiquaye’s team was among the former participants in our “Business Ideas for Development” program, which we were commissioned to implement on behalf of GIZ. We are delighted and grateful to have been able to present the award to the COMESO team. “What I took away from this evening was the spirit of courage and creativity of our international female founders, who enrich our German startup ecosystem,” said Mustafa Tahir, project coordinator at Kompass Frankfurt. “The award shows that our work to support international female founders not only serves to build businesses, but also to shape an inclusive and innovative future for Frankfurt and beyond.”
Overview of the International Founders Award 2026
The award continues to grow: Starting in 2026, regional finals will be held in several German states for the first time, with Saxony kicking things off. These will lead to a large international summit, which will provide a stage for even more founders.
We at Kompass look forward to walking this path together and continuing to support international founders in Frankfurt and beyond in transforming their bold ideas into sustainable businesses.
