Deadline: 14-Jun-23
Applications are now open for the New Media Incubator Program to build a solid foundation for the media startup.
The New Media Incubator invests in media entrepreneurs developing creative, new business models and products shaping the media market today and tomorrow. This includes startups and new media ventures designing, launching and growing into viable businesses by providing financial support, coaching, network access and training. It’s important to have a strong team with a minimum of two people.
Funding Information
- New Media Incubator may cover any percentage of a project’s costs, up to 100 percent of the total. Co-funding is encouraged but not mandatory. Teams must declare any existing sources of funding on their application.
- Applicants to the New Media Incubator can request grants between €5,000 and €15,000.
- Selected projects will sign a grant agreement with IPI to receive the funds. The disbursement of funds will be made in two installments:
- 60 percent of the grant amount upon signing of the grant agreement
- 40 percent upon completion of the project, which is fulfilled through the submission of a final narrative report and completion of agreed milestones (due by the end of month six of the project timetable).
Activities and Project Support
- The New Media Incubator is a six-month programme for Europe-based new media ventures and early-stage publishers building on existing ideas. The programme supports publishers with a minimum viable product launched in their target community at least six-months prior.
- Publishers will work to identify market gaps, gain deeper understanding of their audience’s information needs, to prototype a product and to continuously experiment, test and maintain their startup or a part of their business or content model. Successful applicants will have an elaborate and strategic approach to their business model, but need financial support and mentoring in implementing it.
Eligible Countries
- Applicants must be based in one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applying media should be a new media startup with existing market and audience research, a solid business case and the energy to grow. During the six months of the incubator, your team will receive support to further develop your business’ prototype.
- The activities carried out during the incubator will be in the service of experimenting, testing, identifying your communities information needs and building your venture in a way that is set up with a sustainable foundation. Objectives that you will achieve during the incubator include gaining a deeper understanding of your target audience’s information needs, prototyping your news product in an effort to increase subscribers, achieving reader revenue and more.
- Applicable news media startups may be building, but are not limited to, the following types of revenue and content products:
- Reader revenue
- Membership bundles
- Gaining young readers
- Vertical, social video
- Ad-supported digital news
- Digital audio
- Newsletters
- Print and/or digital subscription
- Non-profit, donation
- Media technology
- Community engagement
- In your application, you will more clearly define your news media venture in terms of its market gap, audience and revenue potential.
- To apply, you must establish the following:
- You are a new media startup and open to leveraging audience and innovation methods to grow.
- Have identified a gap that needs serving, and have developed a business plan and financial forecast.
- Demonstrate that the team has a validated business idea
- Your team demonstrate the right mix of skills to deliver your project, such as media management and editorial experience
- Eager to facilitate news innovation and journalism collaborations
- Have a plan on how to identify and serve your audience, or be open to undertaking audience research and information needs assessment
- Commitment to community journalism is a plus.
Selection Criteria
- a clearly identified challenge or problem you want to solve
- a team ready to address the problem or challenge you identify
- a clear definition of your target audience and willingness to reach out to new audiences with quality content
- recently conducted audience research or other market testing activities
- well-articulated vision for growth
- likelihood of survival after the six-month project.
- To apply, you must have a team of two staff members who declare that will participate through the incubator’s duration of six months.
For more information, visit International Press Institute (IPI).