StartupValley Startup of the Year Award powered by DMEXCO
Your startup. Your platform. Your next big step.
September 17 & 18, 2025 / Live on Stage in Cologne
DMEXCO brings together innovators, marketers, media experts, tech enthusiasts, and creatives. It’s the place to be for anyone who wants to shape the digital future. As Europe’s leading event for digital marketing and technology, DMEXCO offers your startup a unique opportunity to shine in front of top industry players and take your business to the next level.
Show the world what your startup is made of!
Win the StartupValley “Startup of the Year” Award powered by DMEXCO, secure exclusive prizes, and take the spotlight. Pitch live in front of investors, companies, and top decision-makers. Whether you’re a gamechanger, a disruptive business model, or a groundbreaking innovation – the DMEXCO Innovation Stage is yours!
Winners of the 2024 StartupValley Startup of the Year Award powered by DMEXCO:
🥉 3rd Place: Bind Genius – Beinf
🥈 2nd Place: Perfect-iD / Personal Information Data Exchange
🏆 1st Place: Promodoro GmbH
Why you should apply:
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Maximum visibility at Europe’s leading digital marketing event with 40,000+ digital experts
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Top-level networking with C-level decision-makers, VCs, and business angels
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Live feedback from industry leaders: gain valuable insights on your pitch and business model
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Your presence already counts: benefit from StartupValley’s media reach through exclusive social media promotion and a feature in the print edition
These are our sponsors – and here’s what you can win:
The winners will receive exclusive prizes provided by our sponsors.
VECTOR Informatik Simplifying the Development of Embedded Electronics
Vector is your competent partner for the development of embedded electronics and their networking for the development of automotive electronics – and has been for over 35 years. At 32 locations worldwide, over 4,500 employees support manufacturers and suppliers who develop complex electronic systems with high functionality and safety requirements, for example in the automotive industry, MedTech, IoT or aerospace. A professional ecosystem consisting of tools, cloud services and a professional software factory as well as services forms the basis for the development of embedded systems. Driven by our passion for technology we develop solutions which relieve engineers of their demanding tasks. Not only do our employees work on tomorrow’s electronic technologies every single day. We also engage variously in education, research and social responsibility.
Right in the Middle of It with SPORT1
SPORT1 is the leading multichannel sports and entertainment platform in the German-speaking world – known for premium live sports, entertaining formats, and a strong editorial voice that’s both knowledgeable and engaging. Under the SPORT1 umbrella, Sport1 GmbH brings together all its TV, digital, audio and social media activities. Its core offering includes the free-to-air TV channel SPORT1, which focuses on sport and entertainment and is available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland across a range of platforms. Online, SPORT1.de ranks among Germany’s top digital sports platforms, while the SPORT1 App is one of the country’s most downloaded sports apps. Together, they provide up-to-the-minute content, extensive live streams, and on-demand video formats covering various sports and entertainment segments. SPORT1 also runs its own YouTube channel, offering exclusive content. Since 2025, Sport1 GmbH has extended its entertainment offering to the new digital platform show1.tv, where selected free-TV entertainment formats are now also available to stream live or on demand.
New Business | Supporting Startups
Young startups in sports, publishing, tech and innovation have huge potential – and that’s exactly where SPORT1 gets involved. Through our startup programme, we work hands-on with founders, supporting them on their journey. We don’t just offer visibility and access to our media platforms – we also share our expertise, experience and a wide-reaching network of professionals across key industries. Our partnerships go well beyond financial investment. We actively contribute our industry know-how and operational experience in areas like finance, marketing, sales and IT. It’s a two-way exchange that benefits both sides: startups get crucial support to grow – and we boost our own capacity to innovate.
butterfly & elephant, the accelerator run by GS1 Germany, brings together the speed and innovative spirit of start-ups with the network, reach and standards of GS1 Germany. Its goal is to help start-ups unlock their full potential by using or promoting GS1 standards, accelerating their growth in the process.
What sets butterfly & elephant apart is its strong GS1 community, spanning the consumer goods industry, retail, e-commerce and healthcare – a network of over 97,000 companies in Germany and two million worldwide. At the heart of the programme is a commitment to bold ideas, which are scaled in close partnership with the start-ups.
Participants benefit from access to capital, real-life use cases, pilot partners, the power of the community and the entrepreneurial freedom to shape their own growth strategies.
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Address all laws like CCPA/CPRA, VCDPA, CTDPA, GDPR, and other global law regulations.
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Seamless consent management across desktop, mobile web, apps, and CTV, with regular updates for new laws.
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Granular legal consent choices with multi-source privacy-first data collection to maximize addressability and targeting.
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Customizable consent flow to fit your brand, infrastructure, and optimize consent rates.
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Rely on server-side infrastructure to regain control over privacy data
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Meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards out of the box.
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Supports Google Consent Mode, Microsoft UET, IAB TCF, and GPP.
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Active collaboration with IAB Tech Lab, IAB Europe, and regulatory bodies like CNIL.
Prize Overview:
The top 3 startups selected by our expert jury will receive the StartupValley “Startup of the Year” Award – honoring visionary ideas, future-oriented innovations, and the entrepreneurial courage that drives real progress.
1st Place
SPORT1 Mentorship: Exclusive Access to the SPORT1 World for Your Start-up
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Half-day strategy workshop with our experts, tailored specifically to your start-up
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Pitch your vision: exclusive business sparring with SPORT1 decision-makers, including Q&A and personalised feedback
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Investor insights: introduction to SPORT1 as a potential investor and long-term partner
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Behind-the-scenes tour: explore our departments, including a studio visit, with the opportunity to produce your own video
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Invitation to Doppelpass: experience our iconic Sunday show live, on a date of your choice
2nd place
Smart Capital Experience Day – powered by butterfly & elephant and GS1 Germany
Strategic Growth Lab
An intensive strategy and growth sprint with our venture and industry experts. We’ll challenge your business model, share fresh market insights and – if the fit is right – open the door for you to connect with butterfly & elephant.
Backstage & Beyond
Go behind the scenes at GS1 Germany: discover how standards, technologies and networks are shaping the future of retail, FMCG, health and logistics – and how your start-up can benefit.
Invitation to the Science Award
Experience one of the year’s most important innovation events live: enjoy exclusive access to the GS1 Germany Science Award – complete with networking opportunities alongside leading industry figures.
3rd Place
Vector Mentorship
Half a day of tailored mentoring with our Vector experts – either in person at our Stuttgart headquarters or customised to suit your start-up’s specific needs.
Hands-on sparring: your vision centre stage
An exclusive deep-dive with our specialists into strategy, product development and market potential – complete with Q&A and personalised feedback.
Behind-the-scenes insights
A guided tour of our departments, offering fascinating glimpses into current projects and cutting-edge technologies.
A legendary lunch break
Enjoy a meal together in our famous CANtine – a place where more than a few great ideas have been born.
The top three winners will also receive an exclusive five-hour go-to-market workshop and mentoring session with Sourcepoint executives.
How to participate:
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Your startup has a digital business model
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Your startup is no older than 5 years and is in a growth phase
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Your startup has its own booth at DMEXCO
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Submission deadline: August 24, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Find all terms and conditions here!
This is how you make it to the final:
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Online Voting (August 26 – September 7): The 15 participants will be determined via LinkedIn online voting.
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Preliminary Round on September 17: The 15 selected startups pitch live on the DMEXCO Innovation Stage. The audience votes live to decide who moves on to the final.
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Final on September 18: The top five startups pitch to an expert jury, who will select the three winners.
Important: Pitches can be held in either German or English.
Meet the Jury!
Benjamin Birker
Benjamin Birker is the Managing Director of butterfly & elephant, the investment arm of GS1 Germany. Specialising in strategic early-stage investments, he supports young companies in the retail, FMCG, e-commerce, healthcare and logistics sectors – providing funding, valuable connections and hands-on expertise.
His entrepreneurial track record ranges from founding his own ventures to taking on the role of investor. With mylivn, he developed a social tech platform that scaled in the direction of WeChat, attracted more than 1.2 million users and secured €11.5 million in funding. Through Surplus, he built an investment company that combines a portfolio of startup holdings, company building and digital consultancy.
Beyond his own ventures, Benjamin is active as a mentor, speaker and jury member in the startup scene. What sets him apart is the rare combination of founder mentality, a strategic investor’s eye and solid corporate know-how.
His foundation is almost two decades of business experience – including growth-focused positions at adidas, Deutsche Telekom (Techboost, T-Labs, hubraum) and Douglas, as well as senior roles at MediaSaturn in digital transformation and international expansion.
Calvin Fischer
Senior Project & Portfolio Manager, SPORT1 GmbH
Calvin Fischer studied International Management with a focus on sports marketing and has around ten years of experience across the sports, consulting and media industries. Since early 2024, he’s been working at SPORT1, where he leads key strategic projects and investments as Senior Project & Portfolio Manager.
With a strong focus on project management and partner development, he’s currently helping twelve start-ups bring their ideas to market as part of the New Business Team. Calvin is known for his structured approach, innovative mindset and collaborative way of working that’s grounded in mutual respect.
Manuel Atzler
Director New Business & Brand Commercial, SPORT1 GmbH
Manuel Atzler holds a degree in communications and has been part of the SPORT1 team for over eleven years. With more than 25 years of experience at leading sports agencies and media companies, he brings deep expertise in sports marketing, advertising and sponsorship. As Director of New Business & Brand Commercial, he is responsible for strategic partnerships and corporate investments. At present, he’s overseeing twelve start-up investments on behalf of Sport1 GmbH. His focus is on building future-ready business models at the intersection of sport, media and innovation.
Slatco Sterzenbach
Slatco Sterzenbach has successfully completed 17 IRONMAN races. He is a leading expert in achieving peak mental and physical performance for entrepreneurs. His new book “ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY” focuses on lasting freedom, fulfilment and entrepreneurial success.
Hans-Erik Junge
Hans-Erik Junge is SVP of Customer Success & Revenue Operations at Sourcepoint (acquired by Didomi), where he has spent nearly a decade building and scaling the company’s global operations across New York, London, and Berlin. A seasoned startup executive with 20 years of experience, Hans-Erik specializes in transforming early-stage companies into market leaders through strategic revenue operations and customer success frameworks. He has a proven track record of building high-performing teams, establishing international markets, and driving sustainable growth in complex technology environments. His expertise spans the full startup lifecycle, from initial market entry to global expansion, making him a recognized authority on scaling enterprise SaaS businesses.
Peter Guse
New Business Development, VECTOR Informatik
Being passionate about innovation, technology and building from scratch I currently drive electric mobility with sophisticated secure and safe solutions for electric charging at Vector.
In 2013 I founded Robert Bosch’s start-up platform ‘grow’ and served as it’s CEO for 6 years. Before that I held several management positions in manufacturing engineering, logistics and R&D worldwide.
Dominik Sedlmeier
Dominik Sedlmeier is a PR strategist and media expert. He helps companies, founders and public figures gain visibility in the media spotlight. Through his agency, he gets stories into the headlines and people into the conversations that matter.