„For start-ups, there are good reasons to start working on their contribution to the bigger picture right from the start. This creates the mix of courage and humility that is so important to the company’s success. The common good is not an old-fashioned idea, but has an attractive way of meaningfully growing together. The enormous response to the award shows the relevance of the topic“

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– Prof. Dr. Timo Meynhardt, HHL –

As with any start-up, the story of the EY PUBLIC VALUE AWARD FOR START-UPs starts with a “We’ll do it now!” In 2015, Prof. Dr. med. Timo Meynhardt and Dr. Justus von Grone were inspired by research on the public value contribution of organizations, as well as their background of value-oriented leadership and management training at HHL, to carry the idea of the common good into the start-up world. Young, innovative companies should not be judged and honored solely by their promises of growth and return, but by the value that they generate for society as a whole. The idea of a start-up award that focuses on the common good as an award criterion was born. Since 2016, the award has been presented annually.

Prof. Dr. Timo Meynhardt provided the conceptual and theoretical basis for the award with the Public Value Theory, its instruments, and the findings of public interest research. As the occupant of the Dr. Arend Oetker Chair of Business Psychology and Leadership at the HHL Graduate School of Management, he stands for value-oriented management, a central aspect of Leipzig’s leadership model that was developed at HHL, and puts the purpose of companies at the center of entrepreneurial action.

A suitable partner for the implementation of the award was found in EY, which has integrated the topic of public value into the consulting approach with its mission “Building a better working world,” and has committed itself to the promotion of start-ups.