Digital Marketing Startups: Move Forward in the Start-up Area
For digital marketing startups, the Start-Up Area at DMEXCO 2026 is the place to meet the people who decide on budgets, investments, and business partnerships. No waiting for replies or callbacks. Just straight into face-to-face conversations.
From AI to adtech
The Start-Up Area covers a broad spectrum of topics: artificial intelligence, martech, adtech, data analytics, ecommerce, payment, search, SEO, social media, and content marketing. Do you already have a solution to a challenge that other companies are only just becoming aware of? Then this is where to find your audience!
But the Start-up Area is not only aimed at founders. It’s where managers meet founding teams, agencies discover new tools, and investors get to know the companies that could help shape the digital economy of tomorrow. For young companies, this is also a chance to raise their profile: By exhibiting here, they present themselves as innovators – exactly what the DMEXCO community is looking for.
Go from first conversation to new business partnership
Visibility is one of the most important currencies for digital marketing startups – and being seen by the right people is what makes that visibility valuable. Around 40,000 trade visitors and more than 700 partners are expected at DMEXCO 2026, including decision-makers from brands and agencies, startup investors, technology experts, and media representatives. A conversation between two sessions can provide feedback on your idea, lead to a business partnership, or connect you with your first customers. And as a large part of the audience at the event is international, the visibility you generate here extends far beyond the German market.
For those on the other side of the table, the Start-up Area is also well worth checking out: Established companies that want to know which young players and technologies are currently taking off can get a condensed overview of the digital innovation landscape.
The Start-up Stage: Ten minutes to present your idea
Appearing at a trade booth isn’t the only way to attract attention at DMEXCO. Startups can opt for a booth package that gives them just under ten minutes to deliver a curated pitch on the Start-up Stage and outline their idea, business model, and why the industry should know about them. In addition to their booth presence, this gets them in the conference program and in front of potential investors who could provide access to VC funding and who might otherwise have walked past their booth.
Jung von Matt START and StartupValley will further enhance the program by appearing on the stage themselves. What’s more, StartupValley will recognize promising young companies with the Startup of the Year Award powered by DMEXCO. The prizegiving ceremony will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on September 23. Save the date now!
What digital marketing startups can learn on the stage
The Start-up Stage isn’t just about presenting your idea. The program also addresses questions that concern young companies as they build and grow their businesses: How do you turn a good idea into a strong brand? How is AI changing brand building? And which investments in paid media actually lead to growth?
Two sessions will look at how technology is transforming brand management: “The Brand in the Engine Room” on September 23 will reveal why brands today are no longer created solely in campaigns but also via websites, online stores, CRM systems, algorithms, and AI applications. The session on September 24, “From Brand Handbook to Brand AI,” goes a step further: It will ask how brand knowledge can be structured so that it is not only set out in guidelines but can also be used by AI systems.
Another speaker lined up for September 24 is Marvin Hanisch, Senior Media Strategist at Jung von Matt IMPACT, who will challenge some widely held assumptions about media planning. In “10 Paid-Media Myths: What Startups Shouldn’t Believe. Or Should They?,” he will examine statements such as “TV is dead” and “More precise targeting automatically leads to more efficiency” based on actual usage and impact data. For startups with limited budgets in particular, the session will provide guidance on which channels actually contribute to reach, impact, and growth.
“The excellent organization, the opportunities to make lasting connections, and fantastic atmosphere proved once again this year that DMEXCO is a must-attend for us.”
The Start-up Area: In Cologne on September 23 and 24, 2026
When people think about DMEXCO, big brands appearing on the main stages are often the first thing to come to mind. The Start-up Area presents the other side of the coin: companies that everyone might be talking about in a year or two.
Be there: To attend as a visitor, get your ticket for DMEXCO 2026 now. If you’re a startup, register as a partner here.
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Thanks to his experience in the agency sector and clear, effective communication, he is able to quickly recognise customer needs and respond to them in a targeted manner.
