These are the Media Lift Teams 2026

(updated on 29.5.2026)

AI is changing how ideas are turned into first products. This is why Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft is further developing its Media Lift funding program with its nextMedia.Hamburg initiative - and is supporting five teams with validation, market access and follow-up financing in 2026.

Hamburg, May 27, 2026 - Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft is supporting five start-ups from the fields of content, technology and digital media with its nextMedia.Hamburg2026 initiative. The teams FROST, laif, meelo care, Newsroom IQ and SO DONE were selected. They will each receive 12,000 euros in funding, a six-month mentoring and coaching program, workspaces at SPACE in Hamburg and access to a broad network from the media, technology, business and creative industries.

The range of selected teams shows which topics are currently shaping the media and digital industry: AI-supported workflows for film and TV productions, new forms of autobiographical storytelling, digital support for people with dementia, data-based topic finding in editorial offices and protective mechanisms against digital hate speech. The start-ups thus address key questions in the industry: How are AI and automation changing creative processes? How are new content products being created? And how can digital spaces be made safer, more accessible and more responsible?

Media Lift becomes an accelerator

Media Lift will take place for the eighth time in 2026, but for the first time as an accelerator rather than an incubator. In doing so, nextMedia.Hamburg is responding to a development that is particularly noticeable due to AI: Early start-up ideas can now be formulated, tested and further developed more quickly. Initial sparring sessions, market analyses and prototypes can increasingly be supported by AI tools. At the same time, this increases the need for reliable feedback, strategic classification, industry access and specific application partners.

This is precisely where the new accelerator approach comes in: In future, Media Lift will provide teams with more support in validating existing ideas, prototypes and MVPs, developing them further to make them marketable and positioning them specifically for follow-up financing, pilot projects or collaborations. The aim is to get four out of five teams into follow-up or follow-up financing after participating.

"As a business development agency, we have to keep a very close eye on how markets are changing - and develop our programs accordingly. AI in particular is shifting the needs of early start-ups: Ideas emerge more quickly, but access to relevant networks, partners, industry feedback and follow-up financing is becoming all the more important. With the further development of Media Lift into an accelerator, we are responding to this change and specifically closing a gap in the funding landscape: we want to provide support where it creates the greatest added value for founders and the industry," says Dr. Nina Klaß, Head of nextMedia.Hamburg.

"The five selected teams bring strong approaches from very different areas. Now it's all about making their products marketable and guiding them successfully into the next development phase. They will be supported by more than 40 mentors who will assist the teams with strategic and operational issues," says Bruno Marks, Program Manager Media Lift at nextMedia.Hamburg.

Mentoring, networking and industry access

From May to November 2026, the teams will benefit from individual coaching, workshops, mentoring and workspaces at SPACE, nextMedia.Hamburg's community and innovation hub. They will also gain access to relevant industry events and curated sparring sessions with experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts.

The 2026 highlight sparring partners include Vera Strauch, founder of Dear Monday, and Philipp Westermeyer, founder of OMR. In personal discussions, they provide feedback on the business model, positioning and growth strategy.

The five selected teams

FROST

FROST is an AI-supported platform for the German film and TV industry. It digitizes the production cycle from project development to execution - GDPR-compliant and in compliance with the EU AI Act.
Website: https://frost.vision/

laif

With the help of journalistic expertise and AI, laif enables people to write high-quality autobiographies themselves and thus share their life stories with others. In doing so, laif democratizes a previously time-consuming and cost-intensive process.
Website: https://www.laif.studio/

meelo care

meelo care is developing a digital reminder system for people with dementia and their relatives. The AI creates personalized reminder content that is played out via haptic devices - without a touchscreen or complex menu navigation.
Website: https://www.meelo.care/

Newsroom IQ

Newsroom IQ supports editorial teams in finding topics. The AI-powered software transforms the global news stream into a curated real-time feed and helps editors decide which topics are relevant next.
Website: http://www.newsroom-iq.com/

SO DONE

The legal tech startup SO DONE uses artificial intelligence to protect victims of digital hate crime. With a digital protective shield, SO DONE enables both victims and organizations such as media companies to effectively enforce personal rights in the digital space.
Website: https://sodone.de

Jury and selection

The teams were selected by a jury of industry experts. The jury included Guy Luchting (Account Executive Retail, Google), Ivonne Kutzer (Director Business Development, Believe), Maximilian Forster (Head of Business Development, FUNKE Mediengruppe), Michaela Hummel (Managing Director/Producer TV and Streaming, Doclights GmbH) and Noah Leidinger (Podcast Host at OMR & Managing Director OMR X).

Media Lift has already supported start-ups such as musicube, BotTalk and Dear Monday (formerly Female Leadership Academy) in recent years. In 2026, the program will enter its eighth round and continue to evolve with the new accelerator model.