Great ideas often start small – with a sketch, a pitch, or a bold question

At the Macromedia Start-up Contest we bring exactly these ideas to the stage.
In October we will celebrate entrepreneurial thinking, creative concepts, and innovative business models developed by students and alumni of Macromedia University. Selected teams will present their start-up ideas in exciting live pitches to a jury, the audience, and guests from the start-up and business ecosystem. The evening will conclude with a festive award ceremony.

The Macromedia Start-up Contest

stands for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community. It offers visibility, valuable feedback, networking opportunities. It is your chance to take your idea to the next level. We support and promote entrepreneurial thinking and activity among our students and alumni and honor the best business ideas of 2026 with the following awards:

• 1^st prize         3,000 euros
• 2^nd prize        2,000 euros
• 3^rd prize         1,000 euros

Application

To participate, applicants must submit until
Wednesday, September 30^th, 2026
to startupcontest@macromedia-community.de

• a short-form business plan (max. 10 pages)
• a pitch deck (max. 10 slides)

Both documents must be submitted digitally (maximum size: 50 MB)

FAQ

1. Students and alumni of all campus and all degrees at Macromedia University are eligible to enter.
2. Applicants must be the idea generator for the start-up and main author of the business plan/pitch deck.
3. Students and alumni who are involved in a start-up where the idea, initiative, business plan and pitch deck come from third parties are not eligible.
4. Macromedia University of Applied Sciences and the Förderverein Macromedia Community e.V. have no claims to the idea or to the business plan and pitch deck. The authors and holders of rights are always the submitters themselves.
5. Students invited to the award ceremony can apply for a travel support at their respective campus or at the Förderverein Macromedia Community e.V.
6. The sponsorship awards are bound to the submitting persons and must be used exclusively for the further development of the project.
7. Decision-Making: A pre-selection committee will create a shortlist from all submitted applications. A jury consisting of founding personalities, investors and entrepreneurs will then decide on the award.