Build, Test & Scale What Matters: Inside the Bayer G4A Startup Acceleration Program
Marking the End of the 8th Chapter in MediaMarkt Startup Innovation
The MediaMarkt Startup Challenge 8th Year was more than a program. It was a shared journey between startups and a leading retail brand, built around one clear ambition: turning emerging technologies into solutions that create real value for customers and the business.
Throughout the year, the challenge brought together entrepreneurial teams and MediaMarkt experts to work on concrete retail needs. The focus stayed consistent from start to finish: strong problem definition, realistic use cases, and solutions that can truly be applied in a retail environment.
From open call to focused collaboration
The journey began with a strong pool of applications from startups working across artificial intelligence, data, customer engagement, operational efficiency, and next generation retail experiences. Following a detailed evaluation process, 10 startups were selected to move forward:
Actins AI
AdBenchmarkLab
Eluvium
Factory Of Us
Graffiti
Meaningful
MonitEye
Punchline.ai
Tinkery
Once selected, the program shifted from competition to collaboration. Through mentoring sessions, feedback rounds, and direct exchanges with MediaMarkt teams, startups refined their solutions, tested assumptions, and aligned their offerings with real operational and customer challenges.
Once selected, the program shifted from competition to collaboration. Through mentoring sessions, feedback rounds, and direct exchanges with MediaMarkt teams, startups refined their solutions, tested assumptions, and aligned their offerings with real operational and customer challenges.
Building solutions with the retail reality in mind
What set this year’s challenge apart was its strong emphasis on applicability. Startups were encouraged to go beyond promising ideas and focus on feasibility, scalability, and measurable impact. Each step of the journey helped founders sharpen their value propositions while gaining first hand insight into how a large retail organization operates.
This hands on approach created a strong foundation for meaningful dialogue between startups and corporate teams, paving the way for potential pilots and long term partnerships.
Challenge Day: ideas take the stage
The journey reached its peak at the MediaMarkt Startup Challenge Day, where the finalist teams presented their solutions live.
The day opened with welcoming remarks by Sabina Babayeva from Tenity and Hulusi Acar from MediaMarkt, setting the tone for a full agenda shaped by innovation, exchange, and constructive discussion.
Across two pitching sessions, startups demonstrated how their solutions address concrete retail challenges, ranging from customer experience to operational efficiency and data driven decision making.
A keynote by Ufuk Tarhan offered a broader perspective on innovation and the evolving role of startups within the agent economy, adding strategic context to the day’s discussions.
Choosing the standouts
Following careful jury evaluation, the Challenge Day concluded with the announcement of the teams that stood out for their innovation strength, relevance, and collaboration potential:
1st Place: Graffiti
2nd Place: Punchline.ai
3rd Place: Eluvium
Special Prize: Factory Of Us
These startups demonstrated not only strong technological capabilities, but also a clear understanding of MediaMarkt’s needs and priorities.
Beyond pitches and prizes
While Challenge Day marked an important milestone, the MediaMarkt Startup Challenge goes beyond a single event. The conversations continued during networking sessions, where founders, jury members, and ecosystem partners exchanged ideas and explored next steps.
The program’s true value lies in these ongoing connections and the opportunities they create for pilots, partnerships, and long term collaboration.
Looking ahead
Now in its 8th year, the MediaMarkt Startup Challenge continues to serve as a bridge between startup innovation and retail execution. As this year’s chapter comes to a close, attention turns toward what comes next: turning validated solutions into real world impact.
A sincere thank you to all startups, jury members, mentors, and partners who contributed to this year’s journey. We look forward to seeing how these ideas grow and how future collaborations take shape.
