The accelerator as a stepping stone to success: AKEYI's journey through the NRW Hub network

AKEYI is a platform for corporate games that helps companies use video games to win over their target groups in recruiting and marketing. The startup took part in the 18th round of the Digital Hub Accelerator in 2023. For Stephan and his team, the focus was on visibility, public relations, and marketing. For a long time, these areas had been treated as secondary. Stephan Egbringhoff explains: “The Hub network not only gave us the opportunity to present our solution on public stages, but also helped us to exchange ideas with other founders and entrepreneurs.”

For us, the focus was on marketing, reach, and public relations. For a long time, we treated these aspects as secondary.

This enabled AKEYI to further develop their business models and benefit from the experiences of others. Participation in the accelerator program and the connection to the DWNRW Hubs enabled AKEYI to position itself as a firmly established player in the North Rhine-Westphalia startup scene and gain valuable experience. “I think the accelerator and the Digital Hub are really cool, and I want the ecosystem to grow,” Stephan explains enthusiastically. “For us, it was a great opportunity not only to make new contacts, but also to increase our reach and position ourselves as an established company in the startup scene in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

The founder particularly praises the exchange in the one-on-one meetings with the startup coaches: “What I liked most was that no one forced us into a fixed pattern. We were able to take exactly what we needed - whether it was an exchange, matchmaking, support, or simply new perspectives. The personal contact, such as in the one-on-ones with Mihai or Kim, was incredibly valuable.”

Victory in the NRW Hub Battle opens new doors

In April 2024, AKEYI won the prestigious NRW Hub Battle in Bonn, in which startups from all DWNRW Hubs compete, overcoming strong competition. The victory came as a surprise to the AKEYI team. “We were incredibly surprised that we were even nominated for Münster,” says Stephan Egbringhoff. “With our corporate games, which focus on skills shortages and recruiting, we serve a rather niche market. I had expected other startups to come out on top.” Nevertheless, they managed to convince the jury with their innovative solution.

It was an important confirmation for us that our games offer a solution that is particularly relevant in times of skills shortages.

Winning the NRW Hub Battle was more than just an award - it brought AKEYI into the spotlight of the startup scene in North Rhine-Westphalia. “We went to Bonn without any great expectations, but when we won, we were overjoyed. It was an important confirmation for us that our games offer a solution that is particularly relevant in times of skilled labor shortages,” Stephan Egbringhoff continues. The event enabled AKEYI to increase its visibility and gain recognition among the general public. It gave them the opportunity to appear on various stages and present their concept to a large audience – an experience that was important for the further growth of the startup.

Among other things, AKEYI pitched on stage at the Startup Open Air in Bonn in the summer of 2024 and also had its own booth there. Thanks to the DWNRW network and the victory in the Hub Battle, the company also received an invitation from the Founders Foundation to attend the Hinterland of Things Conference. All of these startup events were interesting opportunities to learn new things, meet investors, and raise public awareness. At the same time, Stephan emphasizes that additional trade fairs are essential for AKEYI's customer acquisition because they allow the startup to target its specific audience. As an example, he cites Digital X in Cologne, a festival of digitalization, to which he was also invited thanks to his victory in the NRW Hub Battle. There, they were able to collect many leads and even win some customers.

A bright future with a strong network

Since joining the accelerator program, AKEYI has further developed its gaming platform and the project structure for its game development so that it can develop games faster and in parallel. By combining customized solutions with scalable template-based games, the company is ideally positioned to respond to customer needs even more quickly and cost-effectively. “We are discovering more and more what a powerful tool games are - they not only inspire our customers, but also create new connections,” says Stephan Egbringhoff. That's why they also use demo videos in their own customer acquisition efforts, which they send to potential customers: “An important lesson we learned from the Hub was that instead of just presenting people with classic product landing pages and lots of text, we simply let them try out the games. With our demo games, we can show what really inspires people – and that has changed everything.”

We are discovering more and more what a powerful tool games are. Not only do they inspire our customers, they also create new connections.

AKEYI has an ambitious long-term vision: to create a platform that companies can use independently to develop and publish their games. Automation and artificial intelligence will revolutionize this process. “We are currently experimenting with AI to completely automate the configuration and deployment of our games,” explains Stephan. “This will not only drastically reduce our working hours, but also offer our customers even more flexibility.” With this clear focus on innovation, AKEYI is optimistic about the future. Close cooperation with the network and other partners remains a key success factor. “We want to continue learning from each other and strengthening the ecosystem that has enabled us to get this far.” AKEYI is ready to take the next steps - with strong partners and a clear mission to shape the future of corporate gaming.