Growing startups: why media should take an active role

Birgit Gray specialises in future media and resulting changes for broadcasters, content companies and journalists. In recent projects she covered data and AI driven tools, digital audio, blockchain for media, emerging news products and storytelling formats as well as digital transformation in media organisations. Birgit explores the impact of emerging technologies and new business processes for the media and content sector. For more than 15 years she worked as a strategic media consultant in London and Berlin. She has an industry background in the broadcasting sector and holds a Master’s in communication and business studies.

Melanie Schröder is part of the management board of APX, a joint venture of Axel Springer and Porsche. Based in Berlin, APX invests in early-stage, digital companies, via their 100-day acceleration program. Before joining APX, Melanie worked in different investment and finance positions within the Axel Springer group over the last 10 years. She combines her time at APX with her role as anaging Director of Axel Springer Plug and Play, managing a portfolio of 100+ companies like N26, Zizooboats, and Careship.

Hubert is the CEO of Demain, the startup studio of Prisma Media group, a French entity of the German media conglomerate Berteslmann, which reaches 3 French out of 4 every month. As a former entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Hubert has decided to convince Prisma Media to create an entity to support entrepreneurs and in 2018, Demain was born: an ideation period of 3 months with a dedicated budget to allow entrepreneurs to co create with Bertelsmann as well as intrapreneurs, the employees of the Group, who created 2 new divisions so far.

Sean is CEO of F6S - the fast-growing 3 million member strong global network that helps innovative corporates, programs and governments connect with startups. He has led growth at companies like Bebo (acquired by AOL), Intercasting (acquired by Good Technology), mp3.com (IPO'd and acquired by Vivendi). He has also completed coursework at the Harvard Kennedy School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Meiji Gakuin Daigaku (Japan) and ITAM (Mexico).