Slimmer into the future
Moneycab and Swisscontent go their separate ways together
Moneycab and Swisscontent are going their separate waysBy Markus Knöpfli Moneycab and Swisscontent are babies of the Internet hype - but with a bit of luck, they can save themselves as independent companies under new owners into the future of a well-behaved nursery. They have already slimmed down. Moneycab is even said to be so lean that it is already in the black!
Moneycab's sponsor Finanzfachmarkt AG is a late but not untypical child of the
Internet hypes. It was launched in 2000 with a share capital of 9.9 million Swiss francs. The portal opened its doors to cyberspace in spring 2001 - with 40 editorial positions. In January 2002, the former managing director Markus Gisler set the break-even date for the end of 2004; he estimated the 2002 operating budget at 10 million francs and the proportion of advertising revenue at 30 to 40 percent.
Moneycab is a long way from reaching such heights today - but it is obviously closer to an important goal than it was in Gisler's day. "We've been in the black from day one," claims Helmuth Fuchs, one of the new Moneycab owners. He and Georg Hess each hold 50 percent of Finanzfachmarkt AG. However, Fuchs does not disclose more detailed figures, even estimating the annual turnover for 2003 to be only "about the same as in 2002".
Swisscontent has numerous offers in the pipeline
At the same time, Fuchs refers to the now "massively reduced cost structure". Moneycab no longer has its own staff, so to speak. The editorial team was outsourced to content provider Swisscontent Corp. under Goldbach Media and reduced there. And the new crew with Hess, Fuchs, producer Andreas Gehrig, marketing manager Bernt Maullaz and the new three-person editorial team under business journalist David Strohm is not employed either. They all work on a mandate basis and can take a stake in the company in return.
Other costs were also reduced under Goldbach by merging the technology with Swisscontent, postponing various projects or keeping them on the back burner (pay channel or Moneycab radio, for example). Not much is to change in this respect. However, the basic concept will be retained. "Journalistic information, financial tools and market data - that's what we believe in, but focused on companies that are listed on the Swiss stock exchange. That's why our offering is smaller than it was a year and a half ago," says Fuchs. Nevertheless, the new editorial team is to produce its own content again from February 1 and refine the Swisscontent information.
On the revenue side, Moneycab intends to rely less on advertising and the barely communicated pay channel in future, instead expanding its marketing activities. Above all, Fuchs hopes to attract customers in the B2B sector who need either content or one of the Moneycab tools (share guide, teledata, rating tool) in an adapted form for their own website or for work. He wants to offer them customized packages. New tools are also to be developed. Content, tools and advertising will each account for around one third of the future revenue structure.
Incidentally, Moneycab will soon leave its former Goldbach sister company Swisscontent at Zypressenstrasse 60 and relocate to Hornbachstrasse 50 in Zurich's Seefeld district. Fredy Hämmerli, who was still CEO of both companies under the Goldbach umbrella, has bought 100 percent of Swisscontent and will continue to run the business, focusing on business information.
A marketer for the platform is still being sought
Hämmerli confirms reports that the content provider has an order volume of around four million francs for 2003 as "correct in terms of size". He puts the workforce at just under 30 people. In addition to Moneycab, Swisscontent supplies customers such as Postfinance, Tiscali and Orange. Further offers are in the pipeline. Even though Swisscontent's earnings situation deteriorated following the closure of the Redsafe.com financial portal last July, "we are still in an area where we can survive in the long term," says Hämmerli. Despite legal, personnel and now also local unbundling, the two companies are continuing their
path are hardly separated. Swisscontent will supply content to Moneycab, and Moneycab will manage the technical area and content distribution for Swisscontent. And the joint venture could take on even more far-reaching forms. According to Fuchs, the new owners are discussing whether they should intertwine financially and in terms of personnel. The constituent board meeting for Swisscontent will take place at the end of the month, while this could take a little longer for Moneycab. After all, there is also more money involved here. While
While Swisscontent's share capital will remain at CHF 800,000 according to Hämmerli, Fuchs wants to reduce Moneycab's share capital "to a reasonable amount".
It is still unclear at both companies whether and who of the previous board members, who have all resigned, will be brought back on board. Fuchs and Hämmerli are keeping quiet about this. On the other hand
Fuchs clearly distances himself from Goldbach Media. Strong personal ties with the company are not a priority, he said. Rather, a break seems to be on the horizon: Fuchs described the statement in the Goldbach communiqué of December 20, according to which the marketing of Moneycab "will continue to be handled by the Goldbach Media company Active Agent (AA)", as a "mistake". "We are also talking to others," he said.
Moneycab's sponsor Finanzfachmarkt AG is a late but not untypical child of the
Internet hypes. It was launched in 2000 with a share capital of 9.9 million Swiss francs. The portal opened its doors to cyberspace in spring 2001 - with 40 editorial positions. In January 2002, the former managing director Markus Gisler set the break-even date for the end of 2004; he estimated the 2002 operating budget at 10 million francs and the proportion of advertising revenue at 30 to 40 percent.
Moneycab is a long way from reaching such heights today - but it is obviously closer to an important goal than it was in Gisler's day. "We've been in the black from day one," claims Helmuth Fuchs, one of the new Moneycab owners. He and Georg Hess each hold 50 percent of Finanzfachmarkt AG. However, Fuchs does not disclose more detailed figures, even estimating the annual turnover for 2003 to be only "about the same as in 2002".
Swisscontent has numerous offers in the pipeline
At the same time, Fuchs refers to the now "massively reduced cost structure". Moneycab no longer has its own staff, so to speak. The editorial team was outsourced to content provider Swisscontent Corp. under Goldbach Media and reduced there. And the new crew with Hess, Fuchs, producer Andreas Gehrig, marketing manager Bernt Maullaz and the new three-person editorial team under business journalist David Strohm is not employed either. They all work on a mandate basis and can take a stake in the company in return.
Other costs were also reduced under Goldbach by merging the technology with Swisscontent, postponing various projects or keeping them on the back burner (pay channel or Moneycab radio, for example). Not much is to change in this respect. However, the basic concept will be retained. "Journalistic information, financial tools and market data - that's what we believe in, but focused on companies that are listed on the Swiss stock exchange. That's why our offering is smaller than it was a year and a half ago," says Fuchs. Nevertheless, the new editorial team is to produce its own content again from February 1 and refine the Swisscontent information.
On the revenue side, Moneycab intends to rely less on advertising and the barely communicated pay channel in future, instead expanding its marketing activities. Above all, Fuchs hopes to attract customers in the B2B sector who need either content or one of the Moneycab tools (share guide, teledata, rating tool) in an adapted form for their own website or for work. He wants to offer them customized packages. New tools are also to be developed. Content, tools and advertising will each account for around one third of the future revenue structure.
Incidentally, Moneycab will soon leave its former Goldbach sister company Swisscontent at Zypressenstrasse 60 and relocate to Hornbachstrasse 50 in Zurich's Seefeld district. Fredy Hämmerli, who was still CEO of both companies under the Goldbach umbrella, has bought 100 percent of Swisscontent and will continue to run the business, focusing on business information.
A marketer for the platform is still being sought
Hämmerli confirms reports that the content provider has an order volume of around four million francs for 2003 as "correct in terms of size". He puts the workforce at just under 30 people. In addition to Moneycab, Swisscontent supplies customers such as Postfinance, Tiscali and Orange. Further offers are in the pipeline. Even though Swisscontent's earnings situation deteriorated following the closure of the Redsafe.com financial portal last July, "we are still in an area where we can survive in the long term," says Hämmerli. Despite legal, personnel and now also local unbundling, the two companies are continuing their
path are hardly separated. Swisscontent will supply content to Moneycab, and Moneycab will manage the technical area and content distribution for Swisscontent. And the joint venture could take on even more far-reaching forms. According to Fuchs, the new owners are discussing whether they should intertwine financially and in terms of personnel. The constituent board meeting for Swisscontent will take place at the end of the month, while this could take a little longer for Moneycab. After all, there is also more money involved here. While
While Swisscontent's share capital will remain at CHF 800,000 according to Hämmerli, Fuchs wants to reduce Moneycab's share capital "to a reasonable amount".
It is still unclear at both companies whether and who of the previous board members, who have all resigned, will be brought back on board. Fuchs and Hämmerli are keeping quiet about this. On the other hand
Fuchs clearly distances himself from Goldbach Media. Strong personal ties with the company are not a priority, he said. Rather, a break seems to be on the horizon: Fuchs described the statement in the Goldbach communiqué of December 20, according to which the marketing of Moneycab "will continue to be handled by the Goldbach Media company Active Agent (AA)", as a "mistake". "We are also talking to others," he said.
