Playing Mantis Studio, Denise Bieber's Content Affairs and eduTech startup easy pisy are among the Mediengründerzentrum NRW'S MGZStart 2026 stipendiates.
Ten startups are getting a stipend from the MGZstart Class of the Media Start-up Center NRW (Mediengründerzentrum). Among them are three teams from the games industry:
Playing Mantis Studio consisting of Janna Zimmer, Juniper Alves, Yannik Jansen, Thomas Rössig, eduTech platform easy pisy consisting of Christina Krebs, Thomas Krebs, Julian Labensberg, Simon Streit and Content Affairs, the creator agency of Denise Bieber. The other scholarship recipients include mostly people from the film and TV industry.
Jonathan Natzel, Managing Director of Mediengründerzentrum NRW: "Ten teams, ten different start-up ideas, and one common denominator: they are developing marketable companies for a media industry in transition. The new MGZstart cohort shows how creativity and entrepreneurial courage can give rise to business models that provide concrete answers to the current transformation of the industry. Especially in the 20th year of the MGZ, it is clear how important it is to have strong founders who lead with attitude and entrepreneurial clarity. We support them in turning good ideas into viable businesses."
The one-year MGZstart scholarship offers selected start-ups a qualification and professionalization program. It includes operating cost subsidies, workshops, seminars, coaching, and networking. The program is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW (Film and Media Foundation North Rhine-Westphalia), and the city of Cologne.
