We can all learn from each other, use the skills of your colleagues. A strong network not only helps individual startups, but the entire industry can benefit from it.
Alexandra Folwarski, lead of the Media Innovation Lab and startup founder herself
Vienna (OTS) – The incubator program will start for the first time in January 2024 as a new, compact hands-on program that is free for participants. It is organized by the Media Innovation Lab of the Media Hub Austria of the Wiener Zeitung media group. Eight media startups were nominated from all applications, and their project ideas will be fleshed out in workshops over the next three months. This project evaluation is aimed at media makers at the beginning of their idea and at advanced levels. The program takes place twice a year and is an introductory program for content and media tech startups. A monetarily funded, nine-month fellowship program (next start in April 2024) is organized for media professionals with further developed ideas.
The topics of the selected startups are wide-ranging: The online special interest magazine “Clärchen finds” combines art, culture and everyday history. For the social media-focused “Notoko”, diversity is a top priority in everyday working life and “Orbit: a home for creators” offers an online platform for content creators. Four podcast formats were convincing: “A quarter more” deals with local journalism, “GenerationenSTUDIO” talks about mental health and being human across generations, “Heroes among us” highlights social injustices, the vegan live cooking channel “It’s your Treat “Appeals to the listeners’ taste buds. “kulturknistern” is a cultural guide that breaks down the wall between high culture and the general public.
Alexandra Folwarski, lead of the Media Innovation Lab and startup founder herself, knows the challenges: “We can all learn from each other, use the skills of your colleagues. A strong network not only helps individual startups, but the entire industry can benefit from it.
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The participants of the incubator – like those of the nine-month fellowship program or the alumni network – have the opportunity to use the coworking space, the audio and video studio, as well as contacts in the media world.
After the three-month program, it is evaluated whether projects, and especially the people behind them, qualify for the following fellowship.
The Media Innovation Lab is part of the Media Hub Austria, an initiative of the Wiener Zeitung media group to promote growth and innovation in the Austrian media market.
Questions & Contact:
Alexandra Folwarski
Lead Media Innovation Lab
alexandra.folwarski@wienerzeitung.at