Now for the third and final part of my re:publica coverage:
Schaltzeit started out as a startup and has been in touch with startups again and again ever since it was founded – whether in an accelerator context at Bayer, on our Peacoq platform, which has hosted various innovation competitions for 5 years now, or in our scoutings, where the goal is to find exciting startups on specific topics. Many new trends emerge from startups, and they try out all kinds of solutions to problems – a truly inspiring environment!
So here are some new startups from the field of journalism and news:
In the area of media and journalism, the “MIZ rapid fire pitch” featured several startups from the Medieninnovationszentrum Babelsberg (MIZ), an accelerator program on the theme of rethinking broadcasting. I found the following 5 ideas (out of 8 in total) interesting and timely:
- Yallah Deutschland – an interactive portal for/with/by refugees, with videos about life in Germany.
- How do you reach 17- to 19-year-olds and get them interested in current political affairs? There’s now an ARD-for-WhatsApp editorial project. The test phase has apparently gotten off to a very good start, and WhatsApp as a medium is working well – but how things can continue, and with which business model (including with WhatsApp), still needs to be worked out.
- Scape – augmented audio reality = 3D hearing. An example: I move around a historical site, and depending on where I look, relevant texts with information or an audio drama are played to me. I can walk through history, so to speak, and actively decide what I hear and what I hear about – thanks to gamification, I can “hunt” stories. The whole thing is GPS-based (and possibly also supported by markers at the sites).
- Mediasteak – finding the public broadcasters’ information landscape too confusing? How do you find the juicy cuts in the jumble of media libraries? This is where Mediasteak helps – initially a blog with daily tips on documentaries and good films in the public broadcasters’ media libraries, whose app is now entering beta testing.
- Catch – does radio know its listeners? Not as well as it could. With catch, radio listeners can quickly find out which song is playing, who wrote the report, and where to find more information on the topic – all centralized in one app. In return, radio makers can learn more about their listeners, their interests, and preferences.
- Sensor live reportage – was certainly the creepiest idea – but has surely already been put into practice by our intelligence services and every smartphone manufacturer. Do we want to know what people do and say when they feel unobserved? Then let’s hide audio sensors in everyday objects and collect live material for reportage that way. What are our kids up to in their room? No problem – Barbie’s head is hollow anyway. How do I feel while assembling IKEA wardrobes? A sensor in the cordless screwdriver will surely answer that question. Even if the possibilities of this project are certainly very exciting for science and investigative journalism (it isn’t fully developed yet – a box with software is the goal), it still leaves an uneasy feeling…
Of course, I saw so much more – come to re:publica 11 next year and see the bustle for yourself. You can read the other posts of my review here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).
—
