NGI brings together the most successful German creators with the most promising start-ups. The experienced founders have completely rethought the tried-and-tested media for equity model and are using the current market environment to disrupt the creator market.
The era of short-term advertising deals is changing with NextGen Innovators (NGI), a company that promotes long-term partnerships between start-ups and content creators. Sarah Kübler and Sebastian Niemann draw on their extensive experience in social media and influencer marketing.
The story of NextGen Innovators begins with a coffee and two people who know the influencer market better than the back of their hand: Sarah Kübler and Sebastian Niemann.
Both come from the world of social media and influencer marketing. Sarah founded her agency HitchOn in 2015, which now counts big names such as ARD, ZDF and dm among its clients. Sebastian has been working in the influencer sector since 2014 and has managed countless projects at EQOLOT. Their paths crossed when they realized that their respective experiences together offered new potential for innovation. The idea: an influencer who is not only the face of a campaign, but also invests in the startup. In words from the industry: Media for Equity for Creators.
Here you can find more information about the start-up incubator Media Lift.
To the program
NextGen Innovators brings together the most successful German stars, influencers and creators with the most promising start-ups so that the best in their industry can achieve great things together.
In contrast to conventional, short-term advertising contracts, NextGen Innovators aims for lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. These partnerships give start-ups access to an otherwise unattainable reach and involve creators as investors. However, this also changes the motivation; they don't just work as advertising faces, but are actively involved in the growth and success of their "baby". In addition, with a genuine investment, everyone involved benefits from the shared success, which significantly increases motivation and commitment.
"At NextGen Innovators, we bring creators together and organize everything around it," says Sarah. This means start-ups don't have to worry about whether today's influencer will still be interested tomorrow - NGI takes care of the structure and ensures sustainability.
"Many start-ups are always looking for the perfect creator, the one that fits perfectly. But what we do is much more flexible - we create a community of creators who complement each other and together take a startup to the next level."
The special thing about their model is that it is flexible and customizable. Every collaboration between creator and startup is unique and develops from the story that both want to tell. "There is no standard solution," emphasizes Sebastian. "Sometimes a startup is looking for a face for a campaign, sometimes it's about performance marketing. There's a lot of creative freedom, and that's what makes it exciting."
What drives the two of them is the idea of changing the market. "Many start-ups are always looking for the perfect creator, the one that fits the bill," says Sebastian. "But what we do is much more flexible - we create a community of creators who complement each other and together take a startup to the next level."
Sarah and Sebastian are determined to redefine the collaboration between startups and creators. "We want to enable innovative stories and offer a platform for creativity and entrepreneurship. The market is ready for it," concludes Sarah.
