LION Smart, a company of the LION E-Mobility Group, has been awarded the TOP 100 Seal 2026, placing it among Germany's most innovative mid-sized businesses. The award, based on a scientific selection process with over 100 assessment criteria, will be presented at the German SME Summit on June 26 in Heidelberg by former German President Christian Wulff.
The TOP 100 competition evaluates companies across five categories: innovation-oriented top management, innovation climate, innovation processes and organisation, external orientation/open innovation, and innovation success. Professor Nikolaus Franke, who leads the selection process on behalf of compamedia, noted, "At TOP 100, we analyse thoroughly and comprehensively how innovation-driven the applicants are. Those that are exceptionally well positioned receive confirmation in the form of the TOP 100 Seal."
LION Smart operates in the field of intelligent energy storage and battery solutions, specializing in modular, scalable storage systems for industrial, grid, and mobility applications. The company’s innovation-driven approach spans from early concept phase and system development through to market launch. Dr. Joachim Damasky, Managing Partner of LION Smart, stated, "For us, innovation is not a one-off project, but a permanent part of our day-to-day work and our corporate culture. The TOP 100 award confirms that we are setting the right course not only technologically, but also organisationally and strategically."
A key success factor for LION Smart is the close integration of research, development, and customer requirements, ensuring that new solutions are developed with real-world applications and future market needs in mind. The company views the TOP 100 Seal as recognition of its achievements and an incentive to continue shaping the energy transition with innovative storage solutions.
The TOP 100 competition, which has been awarding mid-sized companies since 1993, is organized by compamedia. The scientific direction is led by Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Franke, founder and chairman of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. The competition's mentor is former Federal President Christian Wulff. Project partners include the Fraunhofer Society and the SME association BVMW, with manager magazin as media partner and ZEIT fur Unternehmer as cooperation partner. More information is available at www.top100.de.
In the current 33rd round of TOP 100, 356 mid-sized companies applied for the seal, with 282 successful. A maximum of 100 companies can be recognized in each of three size categories. The award ceremony will take place during the German SME Summit at the Heidelberg Congress Center on June 26, where Christian Wulff will personally congratulate the winners.
