The Magazine for the Axel Springer Family December 2015 THE „OUR POWER BRANDS OF THREE SHINE OUT“ BILD‘s new Jan Bayer talks leading editors about journalism in interview and cultural change THE INTER- NATIONAL Nina Ranke, COO of Axel Springer International, works from Zurich taking care of journalistic projects Dear Colleagues, In our last issue of inside.mag this year, I normal- ly wish you all the best for the holiday season. I say that I hope you manage to find time for all of those things that we often miss out on in our hectic everyday lives – long chats with friends, time for the family, and time for yourself. I usually write about how we are coming along as a company in our com- petitive world, about what we have achieved. In this year, which has been so marked by the attacks on the editorial team of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7 and the terrible series of attacks in the French capital on November 13, such words do not seem fitting. We expressed our shock, our sadness and our anger about the unbelievable and in- humane terrorist attacks in the words “Je suis Paris” – but we are aware that we must do more now than just show our sympathy. Our freedom came under attack in the Bataclan concert hall, in front of the Stade de France, in the Rue de Charonne, and in the restaurant Petit Cambodge. The almost 1,000 employees of the Axel Springer family – and this is something I write with immense relief – remained unharmed, at least physically. The core of our society has been under attack. The state. Our securi- ty. Our confidence that everything is under control. And our life in freedom. The fateful question we now face is, to put it pointedly: should we bend to our fears, or should be begin to fight? The answer is clear. We must begin to truly defend our freedom – with all the means we have at our disposal in an open and pluralistic democracy. We must not let ourselves be deterred from going to restaurants, bars, stadiums and concerts. And we must fulfil our responsibility as Europe‘s leading digital publisher by reporting on the inconceivable, taking a stance on it and defen- ding our values in the words we write. 2015 has been a successful year for Axel Springer. We pursued our most important goals with passion and achieved a great deal, including growth in our classifieds business, growth in the offerings of digital paid content and the expansion of our English-language offerings with POLITICO and BUSINESS INSIDER, among others. However, all of us are aware that, in the times we live in, success is not enough. Without freedom it is nothing. In the past year we have become more international, more digital and more success- ful.Working with and in this ever growing family of United Artists is a joy for me and makes me confident about the future. I would like to wish you and your families a healthy and above all peaceful holiday season. My very best wishes Your Mathias Döpfner CEO The Magazine for the Axel Springer Family Axel Springer SE, Corporate Communications, 10888 Berlin Phone: +49 30 2591-77640, [email protected] 02 Ready, THE celebrities Steady, among the CONTENT Company founders from 25 countries start-ups Plug and Play These four start-ups are already real Since 2013, Axel Springer Center, offers fresh companies entrepreneurs profit from the stars on the start-up scene. Of the total Plug and Play has been coaching and access to a know-how of experienced media of 63 companies that have already run running three-month network of important mentors professionals. through the Accelerator, these have programs to promote start- and investors, among other During the program,04 the founders 08 been very successful to date: ups that fit in with the Axel things. relocate their offices to Markgra- Springer business model. This has advantages for both fenstrasse inPROFESSION: Berlin. REPORTER NEWS SYMPHONY The joint venture, which was set sides: while brand new compa- up by Axel Springer SE and the nies can provide Axel Springer inside.mag was on site to Californian Plug and Play Tech with new impulses, the young check out theSteffen situation. Schwarzkopf, Head The news platform Reporter at N24, about the UPDAY comes into being: A longest reporting job in his life a workshop visit 12,7 Number26 Mio. Dollar is an online bank. Its associated intuitively 3 designed app allows users to keep an eye on month Axel their finances. The founding team have More than already managed to get hold of 12,7 million program Springer Austria Netherlands dollars from external investors. Including receives a 12 16 Bulgaria Norway Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal. INTERVIEW INSIDE BUSINESSColombia INSIPolandDER 200 Start-up Croatia Romania mentors %Jan Bayer talks about We look at what‘sDenmark behindRussia the financing of 5share Egypt Slovakia France Slovenia journalism, marketing, sales biggest acquisitionGermany in digitalSpain 25,000 and cultural change journalism Greece Sweden euros classified Hungary Switzerland India United Kingdom ad models Zizoo Boats Israel USA 80 is the world’s biggest boat hire platform where % Italy users can book various boats for excursions. The idea is to make hiring a boat easy and 20 25 22 accessible to everyone. AXEL SPRINGER20 percent PLUG of the AND PLAY ON SITEothers Young vs. Old start-ups in the portfolio have at least one female Facts & figuresfounder. of Axel the Springer Start-up Job-finders with a Does age matter 20 19 Accelerator% Plug and Play is happy to global network – when starting a see an increasing number 63 of women among those Saongroup in Dublin starting up new ZenMate new company? companies. encrypts personal data while surfing. The inside.mag asked the youngest These are the free-of-charge browser plug-in conceals and the oldest participant. information like IP address and location. 2014 JOURNALISM business areas saw ZenMate voted start-up of the year by German online magazine 26 involved28 deutsche-startups.de. 21 49 UNITED Artist 7 A total of 63B start-upsIld‘S have E DITORIAL MANAGERS taken part in the Accelerator Nina Ranke talks about how she has Program. AxelThe Springer new Plug editorial trio running BILD Michael Hirn … Richard Witte … and Play still has shares in 53 of these today. inside.mag has has just given up his studies in Philosophy to achievedis a composersuccess and producerusing who her wrote head the 90s and talks about their future roles and assigned all 63 start-ups to one develop the start-up “Autumn” with his friend hit Captain Jack, among others. When he was of the following four categories. marketing Max Goisser. Their vision: a B2B software that forced to giverelying up his own on sound her studio, gut he feeling came expectations models increases the profits of companies by fully up with the idea of the Solid Sound software, Blogfoster automating and independently optimizing which improves the sound quality of music even makes it easier for bloggers to put adverts on complex corporate processes such as pricing. when it is played at low volume. He looks back their pages. They can position suitable ads “Our start-up is very technical at heart, which is fondly at his time spent at Axel Springer Plug and 12 simply using drag and drop and advertising why people tend to think we are older. People are Play: “The other founders were all much younger customers gain access to new target groups. often surprised when I tell them I'm only 21!” than me. That brought pep into my life, as things Media Impact has also been working together 34 36 with the start-up from the beginning. are pretty fast-moving at the Accelerator. It was refreshing!” MIC.COM NEW FAMILY MEMBER Founder Chris Altchek reveals Success story: holiday home agency the ten most important facts @Leisure relies on personalized and RENT about the news medium mobile content 40 42 FAMILY PERSPECTIVE SNAPSHOTS Julia Letetzki and other colleagues tell Members of management tell us us what they are up to at the moment about their best childhood Christmas – both in their job and personally memories 46 48 A LOOK BACK at 2015 MY WEEK Important achievements and With innovation in mind: out and developments over the last about with Frédéric Toquin, Product & twelve months Traffic Director, SeLoger.com 03 “The longest assignment of my life” Zig-zagging clear across the Balkans, N24 chief reporter Steffen Schwarzkopf accompanied refugees on their dangerous journeys. Ten weeks on assignment, dramatic moments, heart-rending scenes and everyday chaos – recorded in 350 live transmissions. ftentimes you forget exact- fence, and 3,000 refugees without any type Over the next few weeks and months, I will ly when a story first began, of support on the other – no water, no food be on the move in Serbia, Hungary, Croa- what the impetus was for and absolutely brutal heat. During our first tia and Slovenia. I will travel back and forth an assignment. Such is not live reports, several hundred people break throughout Austria and Germany, become O the case here. I can’t say through the barricades. A few collapse right acquainted with border towns whose names exactly why, in retrospect; perhaps becau- in front of the camera; heart-rending scenes I had not even heard before: Presevo, Röszke, se everything was so delightfully normal up play out before our eyes as families are torn Opatovac, Brezice, Nickelsdorf and Spielfeld to that point – but would not be again for apart, the children having made it through – to name just a few.