It’s that time of year once again. As of April 1st, 2017, startups are invited to apply to participate in our three-month accelerator program known as CONTENTshift. If you’re still hesitating, all we can say is “it’s worth it!” Some of the things you can expect to gain are valuable contacts, helpful tips, lots of industry attention, exciting experiences and a professional assessment and enhancement of your business idea.
In 2017, our jury will again comprise established industry players and experts on the lookout for innovation and exciting new partners. CONTENTshift creates direct links between startups and the content industry, which in turn generates rapid synergies, as participants proved in the first year: “Since getting involved in CONTENTshift, we were able to successfully complete a €1 million financing round and also become part of the Chinese accelerator Techcode in Berlin,” says an energized Meinhard Benn from SatochiPay, an online payment system for digital content. And there’s more: CONTENTshift also gave the company the opportunity to participate in the MediaMatch international startup program. In other words, the startups involved in the first round of CONTENTshift in 2016 agree that it was a springboard: “Any startup looking to gain a foothold in the book industry would be crazy not to consider becoming involved in CONTENTshift,” argues Karl von Wendt from Papego, winner of CONTENTshift 2016. His Papego app allows users to continue reading print books on their smartphones and tablets. “Our direct link to the Thalia digital team via the CONTENTshift jury paid off in particular. Thanks to these contacts, we were able to enter into a strategic cooperation with that large German retail bookseller,” notes von Wendt. And yet, it’s not just the startups that profit from CONTENTshift; the jurors and investors benefit as well: “In the first round of CONTENTshift we were able to generate a surprisingly large number of business ideas and relationships. For us, it’s a clear sign that we should take part again in 2017,” noted Dr. Wolfgang Pichler, Director of Business Development and Subsidiaries at the Manz Group – and a CONTENTshift juror of the first hour.
So, all you startups out there, get ready, get set and go! Click here to sign up!