MY BEP EXPERIENCE

In my endeavour to analyse and understand the disruptive force of digitalisation on media, it is time to capitalise on my experiences along the way.
During my BEP time I made experiences in direct media selling (Direct Group), book publishing (Random House), TV broadcasting (Antena 3 / RTL Group) and music publishing (BMG Rights Management). Many times I complaint that large corporations where slow to act and adapt new trends and business model. Today, I understand that oftentimes very risky for large and established companies to be a first mover. If you want to play and capitalize on early trends, you have to be in venture capital. In July I joined BDMI, Bertelsmann’s venture capital arm.

BDMI is a strategic venture investor focused on innovative digital media technologies, products, and distribution channels across the globe. We look for opportunities where we can accelerate growth through BDMI’s financial and management resources and close connectivity with one or more Bertelsmann divisions.BDMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of  Bertelsmann AG.

The current portfolio comprises 16 investments in the US, Europe and Asia.

For the next couple of weeks, I will be focusing on several themes such as online video, gaming, e-commerce and online education, among others. Any input from you about interesting sectors and companies is very welcome.

Stay tuned,

Tobi