Your product. Your sustainability vision.
Our startup competition.
Your product. Your sustainability vision.
Our startup competition.
Be part of it. Be NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY.
Your innovation at SXSW 2021.
NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY
Germany´s most innovative startups | SXSW 2021 in …
NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY
Germany´s most innovative startups | SXSW 2021 in …
The idea. It’s always easier to make a difference together. That’s why omnichannel retailer QVC has launched NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development as its patron. The startup competition honors founders whose products add more sustainability to our everyday lives. We’re looking for products in the categories of:
- Fashion
- Food
- Beauty
- Innovation
The prize.
The three winners in the categories of Fashion, Food & Beauty can look forward to benefiting from QVC’s accumulated expertise in product development, marketing and sales. In addition to taking part in various coaching programs, the founders will have their products marketed via QVC’s high-reach sales channels. That means they could soon find their way into the wardrobes, kitchens and bathrooms of some 1.7 million customers in Germany and Austria. The package also includes being part of a mentoring program.
The category Innovation has an additional opportunity to offer: The category Innovation has an additional opportunity to offer: The 5 most innovative startups will participate in the NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY event during the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW Digital 2021) in mid-March, where the finalists can present themselves in front of an international jury and one startup will gain a ticket for SXSW 2022.
Greeting from the Federal Minister Dr. Gerd Müller
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) welcomes the competition’s focus on sustainable startups in fashion, food and beauty segments and in particular the pursuit of a clear sustainability strategy and production according to high social and ecological standards as a selection criterion. Sustainability along the entire supply chain is an important concern of the BMZ, which it promotes, for example, in the textiles sector with the Textiles Alliance or the Green Button.

FINALISTS
Madness! More than 100 startups have applied and we are completely overwhelmed by the wealth of great ideas and we are very sure that these startups will make our world a better place. The top 20 from all four categories has been selected:




















The winners will be announced in March.
SXSW

Join us for the QVC NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY startup pitch finale during SXSW. The public debate on sustainable consumption is here to stay and interest in a sustainable lifestyle is growing. Innovation is essential to overcoming the challenges associated with protecting the climate – and startups play an important part. The category ‘Innovation‘ takes their role as catalysts into account and provides founders with an international platform enabling them to showcase ideas for a sustainable future.
JURY
A jury of leading experts with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, sustainability, fashion and sales will be selecting in March the startups with the best sustainable product concepts in each category.

Organizer
QVC is a leading digital retail company in Germany. Every day, millions of shoppers are engaged in a journey of discovery through an ever-changing collection of familiar brands and fresh new products, from home and fashion to beauty, electronics and jewelry. Along the way, QVC connects with shoppers via live dialog, engaging stories, interesting personalities, and award-winning customer service. As part of the Qurate Retail Group – around 3,000 people at four sites – deliver a unique shopping experience to some 1.7 million customers in Germany and Austria across three TV channels, a web shop, shopping apps and social media platforms. NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY was conceived by QVC to promote new sustainable product concepts.

Umbrella Initiative
QVC has been working with startups for decades. In fact, you could say they’re part of QVC‘s DNA because it also began life as a startup in the US during the 1980s, and then ten years later in Germany. Since then QVC has been committed to giving visibility to extraordinary products. In 2017 it founded the QVC NEXT initiative to support startups on their journey to commercial success primarily by helping them to market and sell their products. QVC has already forged successful partnerships with startups such as Dankebitte, Foodist and Paudar. Now the search for innovative ideas and the stories behind them continues. As part of QVC NEXT, NEXT>IN SUSTAINABILITY is putting the focus on sustainable products for the first time.