APX: Why Axel Springer and Porsche team up to find the best startups
Sometimes, one can easily be under the impression that innovations only come from Silicon Valley. We are convinced: It’s the right time to change this perception. That’s why we started APX, the joint accelerator program of Axel Springer Digital Ventures and Porsche Digital. At APX, we believe in Europe — as fertile soil for smart minds and great ideas, for innovation and growth. For us, Europe is the perfect hub for startups.
Our mission is to identify fearless founding teams with ambitious digital ideas and global aspirations. We want to help early-stage startups to pick up speed and to accelerate their growth. Therefore, we invest in digital business models across industries and sectors, including lifestyle, mobility, travel, fintech, media, and healthcare.
Startups that think beyond industry boundaries
Another corporate accelerator, you think? Well, think again — at APX, we do things differently. First of all, we believe that real value lies in people, not in business models. That’s why we support startups in the very beginning of their development, sometimes even before they enter the market. To follow this passion, we are willing to go great lengths — for example from Berlin to Helsinki to attend the Slush Festival in Northern Europe:
Secondly, we do not believe in batches as many accelerators do. Even though many founders face similar problems, each startup, product, business model, market and founding team is different — and requires individual support. Also, starting a business is often a matter of time — if you are too slow, somebody else could take your piece of the cake. That’s why startups can join APX anytime — our rolling tailor-made program starts every month.
APX: Our commitment means more than just money
Founding a company is a very costly undertaking. So, of course, we’re investing money in startups that made it into our accelerator program: they receive 50,000 EUR for 5% equity. But, and this is very important to us, we believe that success is not only a matter of funding. APX also offers a 100-day program called “tailormade”. During this time, founders are systematically prepared to grow their business — we make you investor-ready, through individual support as well as workshops and events with highly qualified experts and mentors.
All APX startups have the opportunity to use our workstations and infrastructure free of charge for six more months. As a bonus, we also help startups to join pilot projects with Porsche, Axel Springer or one of our more than 200 network companies. Check out the stories on our Medium blog, to get a glimpse of the startups that have joined APX so far.
On the search for innovation
For further information or to apply for the program, just visit www.apx.ac. Or attend one of our monthly events in Berlin, follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn. We’re really looking forward to hearing your idea!
Robert Martin is a Project Manager at Porsche Digital, who works alongside APX. He connects all the dots — APX and Porsche Digital, Berlin and Stuttgart, Axel Springer and Porsche — and is motivated by building and empowering strong, capable teams. Rob’s secret talent is that he was once a hip hop DJ and has a Master’s in Business Communication. Growing up wanting to be a car dealer and/or professional footballer, his role model is Magnus Walker, Porsche collector and all-around coolest guy on earth. To find out more about Porsche and Technology, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
