CONTENTshift-Accelerator 2024: finalists have been chosen

The CONTENTshift accelerator initiated by the Börsenvereinsgruppe fosters the development of new and innovative business models in the book industry. A total of 36 startups qualified to take part in the accelerator this year. After a preliminary round earlier this month, the CONTENTshift jury has now chosen five companies at a pitch event in Frankfurt am Main. The startups from Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Cyprus will now be given access to a network of high-ranking investors, experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts drawn from the book industry and media sector. They will also participate in coaching sessions and a co-creation workshop designed to test their business models, define current challenges and identify further opportunities for cooperation. On 17 October at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the jury will select the ‘Startup of the Year’, which will receive a €10,000 grant.

The following startups are set to compete in the final round:

• Equalizent links digital versions of books with its own database containing explanations and translations of German words in German sign language. Each word for which there is an existing sign-language explanation is linked to a video in the database.
• Gamebook Interactive Books Platform is a web platform for the production, appraisal and promotion of new and existing brands (IPs) in an interactive book format. It offers a full-service approach to monetisation, AI translation, daily updates and marketing using playables and data analysis.
• Komprenooffers over 10,000 translated texts drawn from national newspapers, special-interest magazines and journalism projects covering a wide range of themes from 14 European countries in a web-based and app format.
• MyBookNet Pro is building a network of self-publishing platforms for e-books in several different languages. The initiative consists of a standardised service for authors that enables them to publish their work and distribute it worldwide with the help of AI translations.
• Qeludra provides a tool for high-quality data analysis in the form of „QInsights“, a software solution that uses generative AI to give researchers the ability to call up the information they need in a conversational format.

When asked about this year’s finalists, jury spokesperson Carla Scheunemann (Community Editions/Bastei Lübbe) said the following: “Our five finalists are developing innovative approaches to forward-looking themes in the book industry, including barrier-free accessibility, qualitative data analysis, translations and self-publishing. My fellow jury members and I were particularly impressed by the creativity and diversity of ideas these startups are bringing to the table, for example by using artificial intelligence to generate the greatest possible benefit for the industry. We’re looking forward to engaging in an intensive exchange with our fantastic top-5 startups in September!”

The CONTENTshift accelerator receives support from companies active in the book industry and media sector, with each company sending representatives to act as members of the expert jury. The members of this year’s jury are the following: Martina Fiddrich and Olaf Carstens (Cornelsen Verlag), Carla Scheunemann and Jonas Konrad (Community Editions/Bastei Lübbe), Alexander Woge (KNK Customer Engagement), Stefanie Penck (TeNeues Verlag), Nina Hugendubel and Per Dalheimer (Buchhandlung Hugendubel), Leif Göritz and Detlef Büttner (Lehmanns Media/Buchhandlung Thalia), Philipp Lindinger (Herder Verlag), Ronald Schild (MVB) as well as Lennart Schneider, an independent strategic advisor and external partner to the programme. The accelerator is also accompanied by Harald Henzler (International University SDI München) and Okke Schlüter (Hochschule der Medien/University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart) in an advisory capacity.

 

For more information on the schedule of the accelerator, please visit:  https://www.contentshift.de/accelerator/ablauf

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Twitter: @ShiftingContent

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About CONTENTshift

CONTENTshift is a Börsenvereinsgruppe initiative designed to foster the development of new business models for the German book market. The programme comprises an accelerator alongside regular pitch events (“ice breakers”) and a newsletter. The initiative was created as a way to support founders, to forge closer ties between startups and the book industry, and to more effectively distribute information on interesting new business models.

About the Börsenvereinsgruppe
 

The Börsenvereinsgruppe (Börsenverein group) represents the interests of Germany’s book industry and acts as its central service provider. The organisation consists of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers and Booksellers Association) and its business subsidiaries, which include the Frankfurt Book Fair and MVB, the Mediacampus Frankfurt and the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels Beteiligungsgesellschaft. The Börsenvereinsgruppe organises and oversees a number of services and professional education programmes for the book industry and media sector, including lobbying activities, cultural projects, trade fairs, training programmes as well as publishing and technology services. www.boersenvereinsgruppe.de