With hundreds of startups entering, the competition was fierce as Jude managed to win dmg ventures’ first Media Maestro competition
Just over a month ago, dmg ventures – the venture capital arm of DMGT – launched its inaugural Media Maestro competition, offering budding brands the chance to win a prize that could take their business to the next level.
With the application window open for just two weeks, Media Maestro saw over 200 applications from brands of all sizes, specialising in everything from made-to-order fashion to low- and no-alcohol drinks. The variety and quality of entrants was truly spectacular but, after video interviews with the top ten contestants, a winner had to be crowned.
Congratulations, Jude! Jude is transforming the way society thinks about bladder care. Selling supplements, underwear, and pads, it also offers personalised bladder care plans and a like-minded community. Founder, Peony Li, has overseen dramatic growth for Jude in what can be a stigmatised sector, with the firm now seeing big sales through retail partnerships and Amazon.
Peony Li, founder at Jude, said: “The alignment between Jude’s customer base and DMG’s readership is remarkably synergistic. Winning the MediaMaestro competition is fantastic for Jude because we can reach and re-engage with audiences in ways that online channels have not fully realised. I am especially enthusiastic about collaborating with the DMG team to challenge and dismantle the stigma associated with bladder care.”
Taos Edmondson, principal at dmg ventures, added: “Following 200+ applications and a highlight competitive selection process, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Jude and its brilliant founder, Peony, to bring their important message and products to our audience.”
With the winner ultimately being crowned by a panel of senior executives from both dmg ventures and Mail Metro Media, there were a few key factors that sealed the deal for Jude. Firstly, Jude is a community-led business that’s tackling a large social taboo. Its strong community ethos and willingness to challenge the status quo align well with dmg media’s strengths and values.
The judges also loved Jude’s female focus. Many titles in DMGT’s portfolio, such as MailOnline, have readerships which skew strongly toward women. Jude also has a phenomenal female founder in Peony, whose background in operating and investing in start-ups, as well as investment banking, has proved a solid foundation for the business.
The final factor was timing. After scaling rapidly through below-the-line marketing channels, Jude is at the ideal stage to test dmg media’s platforms as it seeks to build brand awareness.
As the winner, Jude will also get direct consultation with the publisher’s media experts, research from its insights team, and access to account management and design with our in-house creative team.
Don’t worry if you missed out this year – dmg ventures plans to bring Media Maestro back in 2025. In the meantime, keep a look out for Jude’s advertising to appear across DMGT’s titles soon.
Read more here.
