Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Media Lab Bayern do in Munich?
Pia Lexa, Team Lead: Media Lab Bayern has been supporting and promoting media professionals since 2015 in finding and implementing innovative ideas. Around 25 team members at the two locations in Munich and Ansbach develop targeted, regularly scheduled support programs for the industry and provide not only a broad network but also their expertise and spaces for innovation discovery.
Munich Startup: What are the strongest milestones from ten years of Media Lab for you? What are you truly proud of in retrospect – and why?
Pia Lexa: Since we’re just celebrating our 10-year anniversary, we’ve compiled some figures that we’re truly proud of: since 2015, our startups have acquired over 30,000 paying customers and raised over 60 million euros in venture capital. Beyond public funding, we’ve also raised an additional 2.5 million euros on the open market – from partners such as the Universität der Bundeswehr and the Robert Bosch Foundation. One figure makes us particularly satisfied: 84 percent of our startups are still active three years after completing the support program. That’s 27 percent more than the market average achieved by US startups.
Why Media Lab’s support design works
Munich Startup: You’ve supported over 100 startups – what makes your support design so effective?
Pia Lexa: We offer a mix of financial support, safe space to learn, meaningful methods, and close facilitation. Unlike other investors, we don’t take equity stakes and use public funds very strategically for our industry. We’re extremely well networked here and can consistently connect the talents in our programs with the right contacts in the industry. This community and the exchange among ourselves are immensely important – especially because the media industry is so dynamic. In the end, feedback often shows that the coaching and the strong hand of our program managers are particularly helpful. Of course, money is also important – but the space for learning experiences and accompaniment by experts is more significant. Everyone benefits from the fact that our programs are user-centered learning experiences that are constantly iterated and further developed. This mix is the reason why our founders can persevere and stay the course.
Munich Startup: Over 60 million euros in investments went to your startups and 250+ jobs were created through you – what’s behind this balance sheet?
Pia Lexa: I’d say: the tireless commitment of the Media Labbies over the past ten years and the simultaneously strong mentality of our fellows. The media industry is a people business – which is why our coaches and many cooperation partners also contribute to success, it’s not a solo achievement. And last but not least, of course, the fact that the public sector considers this commitment relevant and supports us.
Impulses for the media ecosystem
Munich Startup: How do you use your position to set new impulses in the media sector?
Pia Lexa: This is also an extreme team effort. All Labbies as well as all colleagues from our sister initiatives in Medien.Bayern GmbH are media aficionados who consistently use their own know-how and networks to share knowledge, promote innovation, and thus shape the future of the industry: in daily exchange with our community, via social media, or at our own or external industry events.
Munich Startup: How does the Munich startup ecosystem benefit from your work here?
Pia Lexa: On the one hand, through our network activities, where we bring together and strengthen founders – for example through our numerous events such as barcamps, meetups, or (side) events – for example as part of Bits & Pretzels. The network idea is important here, as well as the mediation of founder know-how. We also offer office space in our open space – of course exclusively to talents from the media sector.
Munich Startup: What are the most exciting startups that have emerged with you and your programs so far?
Pia Lexa: It’s difficult to make a selection here, since over ten years we’ve already supported quite a few good founders and teams. I would therefore decide on a selection from the batch that’s just concluding and mention Articly and So Done. Especially because both are tackling really pressing challenges: the monetization of journalistic content and reaching young target audiences as well as dealing with hate speech.
Events as a driver of innovation
Munich Startup: You organize countless events like BIPoC meetups, barcamps, a festival – what role do these formats play in your work?
Pia Lexa: Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation – it needs diversity of perspectives and exchange. And this works easily at events when the right people come together and learn from each other. That’s why the constant development of our events is also a real labor of love, in which we put a lot of passion and energy – the role of events is absolutely central.
Media Lab through time
Munich Startup: 10 years of Media Lab Bayern: What are you most proud of?
Pia Lexa: We’ve been successfully in the innovation business for ten years and not only hold our own but continuously expand our successes. By profession, we’re never bored, and that definitely makes us proud.
Munich Startup: And where will Media Lab Bayern be in ten years? What developments, partnerships, or scaling are you driving forward long-term?
Pia Lexa: Crystal ball gazing – our favorite discipline! Here we go… We’re convinced that whoever cooperates wins. That’s why, in perspective, we’ll be entering into significantly more partnerships and continuously expanding our network across all of Germany. Joint support projects that we currently have with SWR X Lab and Mastodon, for example, to work on new solutions for the Fediverse, serve as a blueprint here.
Munich Startup: What is your greatest wish for the media industry – and what can Media Lab contribute to it?
Pia Lexa: First, that the industry remains as wildly committed to the future as it has always been from the beginning. And that it joyfully embraces progress while maintaining healthy skepticism. And that it continues to cheerfully reinvent itself to shape the futures of tomorrow.
If you feel inspired and are working on a founding idea yourself, or are in the ideation phase for a startup in the media sector: Media Lab Bayern supports and promotes the development of innovative, digital media products! The application phase for the next startup batch has just started. You can sign up here.
