The stage is set for the international start-up competition at this year’s dmexco. The dmexco and Procter & Gamble Startup Hatch is a new pitch format, which will for the first time bring 20 selected start-ups to the dmexco stages for a live presentation.
Four semi-final pitches at the dmexco Start-up Village and a single grand finale at the Debate Hall will determine which of the contestants will take home the 20,000 euros in prize money provided by the presentation partner Procter & Gamble as well as other attractive prizes from the jury members.
The winners will be determined by the top-notch jury members of ‘The dmexco and Procter & Gamble Startup Hatch’. At the grand finale on the second day of dmexco, the jury will consist of Sophie Blum (Procter & Gamble), Dr. Florian Heinemann (Project A), Christoph Schuh (Lakestar) and Terence Kawaja (Luma Partners).
The dmexco Start-up Village has become a format of its own, in which participating newcomers can benefit from matchmaking with other start-ups and around 50,000 potential customers at dmexco. On site at the event, company founders will have the opportunity to meet with renowned investors, companies and business angels, and present their business cases at the Start-up Village and on stage. The Start-up Village is growing as the result of tremendous demand from within Germany and especially from around the world. With around 150 newcomers, the number of participants will double in 2017 and half of them will be international start-ups.
“We are proud to partner with the dmexco Start-up Hatch since this unique platform will bring together the most innovative early-stage Start-ups. We are looking forward to engaging with the brightest minds to shape the future of brand building and accelerate growth through an open innovation Eco-system,” said Sophie Blum, Vice President Brand Europe, Procter & Gamble.
“We will be welcoming 150 innovative founders, which is twice as many as in 2016, and half of them are from all over the world. At this year’s dmexco Start-up Village, we will be presenting an international overview of the trends shaping the digital (marketing) transformation! Thematically, the Village will be as diverse as the entire international start-up scene and it will have a hall of its own for the first time in 2017. We will also be launching the new pitch format ‘The dmexco and Procter & Gamble Startup Hatch’ this year. As a meeting point for founders, investors, potential partners and new customers, the dmexco Start-up Village serves as an incubator for new ideas. It’s all about real business,” said Christian Muche and Frank Schneider, dmexco.
