"Startups offer us fresh perspectives, unconventional ideas and a great potential for the future."

The German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) is the national association of the German book industry and part of the EU project Digital Cross Over. The association organises different innovation projects around the CONTENTshift umbrella brand to connect content startups with the book and content industries and to promote innovation under the theme "pushing the boundaries of publishing".

Digital Cross Over is implemented by the IMZ International Music + Media Centre in cooperation with Ars Electronica, Börsenverein Group, Centrica and Izneo in the framework of the Creative Europe funding programme of the European Commission. The EU project aims to demonstrate and explore the current challenges facing the creative and cultural industries: Who pays for the content created by cultural and creative professionals? How do I reach my target group in the digital age and how can I learn from players from other industries who are or have been facing similar challenges?

Dear Stefanie, could you please describe your job and your connection to Frankfurter Buchmesse?
I am working at the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels), the leading national association of the German book industry. Here I am responsible for the Strategy and Innovation department and organize innovation projects around the CONTENTshift umbrella brand to connect content startups with the book and content industries. Each year, our startup pitching event and "Content Startup of the Year" award ceremony takes place at Frankfurter Buchmesse.

The slogan of CONTENTshift is "Pushing the boundaries of publishing". How do you see the publishing industry developing during the next five years and which role will intersections to other creative and cultural industries play?
With our CONTENTshift accelerator and the EU funded project creativeSHIFT we want to support the exchange between the different content and creative industries. The goal is to learn from each other, to use existing synergies and to launch new projects together. We are currently working on a content platform to ensure the future networking of the creative industries across Europe. An important starting point are startups: They offer us fresh perspectives, unconventional ideas and a great potential for the future. That's why we want to closely intertwine the startup world with the established industry.

When does the next CONTENTshift accelerator round start and what do you recommend interested startups which want to apply?

Startups worldwide can apply for our accelerator from 1 March until 1 May 2021 at www.contentshift.de/en. Participants receive access to a network with strong ties to the industry, mentoring sessions, coachings, and have the chance to receive 10,000 EUR in funding. Our CoCreation workshop is the highlight of the whole programme which allows jury members and startups to exchange and develop ideas. Due to the current situation, the programme will take place online and hybrid. It's a great chance to make contacts and work on your business model. We are looking forward to receiving your applications!

Thank you very much for the interview, Stefanie!

If you would like to learn more about previous CONTENTshift startups, we recommend you to check out our Digital Cross Over blog for further inspiration.