Founded in 2016, the start-up Airgreets is a home sharing service that enables frequent travelers to temporarily sublet their apartment during their own absences without incurring any expenses. Airgreets offers an all-round service package that includes advertising the apartment on platforms such as Airbnb, price management, communication with the temporary subtenants, check-in and cleaning of the apartment.
Airgreets' vision is, on the one hand, to ensure the efficient use of vacant residential space without any effort on the part of the landlord and, on the other hand, to develop the hotel of the future, i.e. to bring high-quality hotel standards to guests in apartments.
"Airgreets recognized early on the potential of the home sharing market, which has only been tapped to a fraction, especially in the DACH region. In addition to the general innovation and technology trends in the real estate industry, the increased travel demand of the population as well as the search for alternatives to hotels reinforces the trend towards the home sharing market," says Benjamin Solenthaler, Investment Manager Ringier Digital Ventures.
Airgreets operates in six German cities as well as Vienna and managed over 30,000 nights in 700 apartments. The investment from Ringier Digital Ventures is intended to help drive further expansion in Switzerland.
"Switzerland is an extremely interesting market for us. In major cities, there is great potential for frequent travelers, whose apartments are often empty for short periods and left unused. At the same time, the demand for short-term accommodation among travelers is very high," explains Sebastian Drescher, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Airgreets.
The fresh capital from the financing round will be used for expansion, further growth and the expansion of Airgreets' IT.
Zurich-based start-up Flatfox provides private individuals and professional administrations with a platform for the fully digitized rental process of residential properties. The residential market is one of the last sectors that has not yet been digitized by technology. On advertisement sites, viewing dates, email addresses or phone numbers are published publicly and a large administrative effort with forms and application dossiers arises for all parties involved. Flatfox solves these problems.
Interested parties, brokers and administrators can easily communicate via Flatfox and exchange all necessary documents online. All communication takes place in one place. Flatfox is thus a modern real estate service provider that guides its users through the application process. This enables an efficient search for apartments and tenants. Flatfox was founded in 2012 by Bernhard Mäder, Fabian Stutz, Mattia Regi and Silvan Spross and is today one of the leading providers in the field of digitalized apartment rental processes.
Ringier Digital Ventures sees the great potential in the further digitization of the real estate market. "Many areas in this segment are undergoing digital transformation, which offers great opportunities for young companies like Flatfox. The founders have understood how to understand the concerns of established market players and translate them into the digital world. The symbiosis of the team and the co-investors results in a promising mix," says David Hug, Managing Director at Ringier Digital Ventures about the investment in Flatfox.
Flatfox will use the new capital to expand the company both product-wise and geographically. In addition, the existing business relationships are to be further strengthened, the product further developed and new customers acquired.
"In 2013, we made sports nutrition presentable. In 2015, we paved the way for healthy functional foods in European kitchens and built up a powerful international team. We want to continue this fantastic development and are happy to have Btov, Ringier Digital Ventures and Deutsche Handelsbank on board as investors in addition to Econa in the future," says Tobias Schüle, CEO and founder of Foodspring.
David Hug, Managing Director Ringier Digital Ventures adds: "The desire for a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition is growing strongly, and not only in Switzerland. Foodspring's products address this need perfectly."
In addition to equity investors Btov, Ringier Digital Ventures and Econa, Foodspring also leaves nothing to chance in the area of bank financing and wins Deutsche Handelsbank for a working capital investment.
Foodspring is the brand for healthy functional nutrition and offers high-quality sports nutrition, fitness foods and superfoods for a healthy and modern lifestyle. The new capital is to flow into the expansion of the European markets. Ringier and Foodspring see great potential in the Swiss target group in particular. In addition, the financing round opens up more opportunities for the research and development arm consisting of food chemists, process engineers and ecotrophologists to develop innovative products. In the future, Foodspring therefore plans to develop other market segments in addition to the sports and health sectors.
Born in Germany, he has lived in Switzerland since 2004 and has held various management positions in the e-commerce sector for 17 years. From 2004 to 2007, Polzin was Head of Sales & Marketing at IT specialists ARP Datacon, where he was responsible for the ARP Group's e-commerce business in the German-speaking region. From 2007, the 43-year-old was Head of Marketing at Competec Holding, where he was responsible for the development of the social commerce platform Daydeal.ch, among other things. From 2011 to 2013, he was CEO of Brack Electronics, where he was responsible for the development of Brack.ch into one of the leading Swiss commerce platforms. Most recently, as a partner at Carpathia, Polzin provided strategic and conceptual advice to numerous companies in the e-business and e-commerce sector on digital transformation.
Vienna-based CheckYeti was founded in 2014 by Stefan Pinggera and Georg Reich in Austria and Switzerland and went live in December 2015. CheckYeti is already the world's largest booking platform and mobile app for winter sports activities with more than 2000 activities in over 300 ski resorts. Winter vacationers and mountain sports enthusiasts from over 27 countries use CheckYeti.
Ringier Digital Ventures sees the great potential of the founding team to successfully develop the product and bring it to the leading company in the outdoor activities sector, as CheckYeti offers a high-quality range in a niche market with great potential thanks to certified providers, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Ringier Digital Ventures invests in the company together with Startup300, Michael Altrichter and Stefan Kalteis.
"The outdoor activities market is currently undergoing a digital transformation and the strong founding team around Stefan Pinggera and Georg Reich recognized this early and in time. By getting ahead of the game, they were able to capture an appealing market share within a short time, which convinced us to invest in CheckYeti," says Benjamin Solenthaler, Investment Manager at Ringier Digital Ventures about the investment in CheckYeti. (pd/SDA/hae)
Benoit Henry joined Dein Deal in 2012 as CFO and in this position has played a key role in shaping Dein Deal's strategic development. In August 2015, Benoit Henry was appointed CEO of Dein Deal. Under his leadership and through the merger of the two eCommerce platforms Dein Deal and My-Store in 2016, the company became the leading online flash sales provider throughout Switzerland.
The separation from Benoit Henry is by mutual agreement due to differing views on the future strategic direction of the company. A suitable successor is being sought. Thomas Kaiser, CEO Ringier Digital and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dein Deal: "Benoit Henry has contributed significantly to Dein Deal being a profitable company today - five years after its foundation. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank him for his great commitment - first as CFO, then as CEO."
Makerist operates a handicraft platform for creative exchange. In the online courses, beginners and advanced users learn everything to do with sewing, knitting, crocheting and cake decorating using step-by-step video instructions. The integrated instruction market for ebooks from the creative sector and an online store for materials round off the offer.
Since its foundation in June 2013, the young company has taken 38 employees and a network of over 300 designers and creatives on board. 140,00 PDF instructions and over 100 video courses, including 1000 individual episodes, have been created since then. The Berlin-based start-up already counts over 520,000 people from Germany, Switzerland and Austria among its customers. Expansion into other European countries is planned in the near future.
Ringier Digital Ventures and Gruner + Jahr Digital Ventures are participating in the EUR 5 million Series B financing round together with existing investors Hightech-Gründerfonds and OZ Verlag. Makerist's national and international growth will be driven by the extensive reach of the media companies Ringier, Gruner + Jahr and OZ Verlag with over 800 print, digital, radio and television offerings.
David Hug, Managing Director of Ringier Digital Ventures: "The do-it-yourself sector is enjoying growing popularity in many countries. This is also the case in Switzerland. Above all, the transfer of knowledge through moving images is making a major contribution to this, and Makerist is very innovative and competent in precisely this exciting growth area. We look forward to further expanding the range and reach of Makerist in Switzerland."
Makerist founder Axel Heinz: "Ringier will be a driving force behind our internationalization. We can benefit not only from the investment, but also from the experience and visibility of this strong partner and its numerous media products."
Makerist founder Amber Riedl: "18 million Germans actively sew or knit. Gruner + Jahr's strong brands will now make us visible to a significantly larger proportion of this population group in addition to the core target group that we reach through our existing channels and cooperations. In addition, the topics of handicrafts and DIY are an excellent fit with the readers of Gruner + Jahr titles such as Flow and Brigitte kreativ."
The investment will also be used to finance course production, marketing measures and an advertising spot. The founders Amber Riedl and Axel Heinz will continue to make all company decisions.
The Zurich-based start-up Wine & Gourmet Digital has increased its turnover tenfold thanks to customer growth. In its first full financial year 2015, the company already achieved a seven-figure turnover, as detailed in a press release. Under the leadership of lead investor Ringier Digital Ventures and the existing investors, Wine & Gourmet Digital is receiving a further seven-figure financing round. Ringier Digital Ventures already announced an investment in Wine & Gormet Digital in September 2015 (Werbewoche.ch reported). The fresh capital will be used to accelerate growth in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In addition to launching new offers such as the direct link for local winegrowers on Wine.com Wine & Gourmet Digital is planning to set up a moving image channel.
Sebastian Post, founder of Wine & Gourmet Digital, said in a press release: "Thanks to strategic investors and genuine innovations such as the online sommelier consultation, the development in 2015 was extremely pleasing and well above plan. We want to build on the current momentum with further innovations and a few surprises for the wine world this year."
Founded in January 2015, the venture capital company Ringier Digital Ventures focuses on investments in innovative digital start-ups that benefit from the extensive media reach and expertise of successful companies from the Ringier and B-to-V network.
]]>The Biel-based start-up Foodarena was founded in 2006 and has developed into a leading digital delivery service in a rapidly growing market, according to the press release. On Foodarena.ch and via the mobile app, hungry people can search for a delivery service from their region and conveniently order from over 85,000 dishes from different countries. Transparent customer ratings serve as a guide for users. Ringier Digital Ventures and Foodarena are planning to work together with existing investors Delivery Hero and Global Founders Capital to further develop the services around the benefits for customers and the business model.
Karim-Alexandre Koubâa, founder of Foodarena: "I am delighted to welcome Ringier as a partner, investor and board member of Foodarena. We are convinced that the expertise we have gained will provide us with an ideal basis for further expansive growth and, in particular, further innovations for our customers." David Hug, Managing Director Ringier Digital Ventures: "We are convinced that the topic of online food delivery is becoming established among Swiss consumers and that the potential is far from exhausted. We look forward to working with the Foodarena team and the existing investors. Thanks to Ringier's very wide-ranging media services and extensive reach, we will be able to market the service optimally."
Founded in January 2015, the venture capital company Ringier Digital Ventures has an investment volume of CHF 30 million and plans to complete five to eight lead or co-investments per year. To date, Ringier Digital Ventures has invested in the companies Recommerce (Verkaufen.ch), Campanda, Movu and Wine & Gourmet Digital.
Omnimedia's national marketing business has been operated exclusively for Scout24 Switzerland for years and was fully integrated into Scout24 Schweiz AG at the beginning of the year. Scout24 Adbusiness acts as the marketer of advertising space on the Scout24 Schweiz online platforms and works closely with other sites in the Ringier network (including Ticketcorner.ch). The SME marketing business, which is offered in the market under the Ontrac brand, will be sold to Cleoo Limited Corp. as of July 1, 2015. An ideal buyer has been found in the company, which specializes in online marketing. Omnimedia and Cleoo Limited had already been working together in partnership for several years. Cleoo Limited also has the necessary know-how to further advance the online marketing activities and ideally complements its international portfolio with this acquisition.
The sharing economy trend does not stop at "Holidays on wheels": Campanda.com offers over 21,000 motorhomes and caravans for rent in 600 cities and 32 countries. The online platform provides travelers with vehicles from both private and professional rental companies. In addition to the two existing shareholders B-to-V Partners and Atlantic Internet, the three investors Ringier Digital Ventures, Ecomobility Ventures and Accel Partners are also joining Campanda as of May 2015. The investment totaling five million euros is intended to accelerate the growth of the online marketplace even further, as detailed in a press release.
According to Ringier, the potential of the online marketplace, which was founded in 2013, is huge. There are around 16 million registered vehicles worldwide, which are not used for an average of eleven months a year. Interested travelers and motorhome and caravan owners find each other on Campanda: travelers benefit from the enormous selection of vehicles in 32 countries and providers earn money by renting out vehicles when they are not traveling with their caravan or camper themselves. Campanda takes care of the insurance, handover, vehicle service, security, payments and any damage in return for a commission.
David Hug, Managing Director Ringier Digital Ventures: "Campanda is entering one of the last unoccupied areas of the shared travel market. We see great potential for this online marketplace and want to establish it even more strongly, especially in Switzerland with Ringier's media reach." Chris Möller, founder of Campanda: "We are very happy to have three additional investors on board. Ringier Digital Ventures will be able to provide us with significant support, particularly in building up the business in Switzerland."
Founded in January 2015, the venture capital company Ringier Digital Ventures has an investment volume of CHF 30 million and plans to complete five to eight lead or co-investments per year.
The online marketplaces for vehicles (Autoscout24.ch, Motoscout24.ch) and real estate (Immoscout24.ch) as well as the classifieds platform Anibis.ch are united under the umbrella of Scout24 Switzerland.
Marc Walder, Chief Executive Officer Ringier, in a press release: "As a family-owned company, we select our partners with great care. We are proud to join forces with KKR, one of the world's leading investment companies with extensive experience in the media and technology sectors, to drive forward the development of our digital business. Ringier already generates 30 percent of its revenues in this way. The aim is to achieve 50 percent digital revenue in three to four years." Walder will become Chairman of the Board of Directors of Scout24 Switzerland.
Philipp Freise, Partner and Head of the European Media & Digital Investment Team at KKR: "This investment is all about bringing our entrepreneurial capital to the partnership with Ringier. We see significant potential in Scout24 Switzerland and Omnimedia. Both have a strong national position in the attractive Swiss market. We look forward to realizing the full potential of these high-quality companies together with Ringier. The companies will have access to KKR's global network of advisors and investment professionals specializing in technology."
KKR has extensive experience in the digital media sector. Recent investments in this area include BMG Rights Management (joint venture with Bertelsmann), Fotolia, ProSiebenSat.1, Go Daddy, Internet Brands and Mitchell International. The owner-managed investor has worked successfully with many leading family businesses, both in minority and majority stakes. KKR uses its international network and financial expertise to support its partners in strategic and operational matters. The funds for the investment in Scout24 Switzerland and Omnimedia come from KKR's third European private equity fund.
According to the press release, the collaboration aims to further expand the already very good market position of the two companies in the coming years. In an international comparison, the Swiss online sector has considerable growth potential. While the proportion of online advertising in the overall advertising mix is very low, broadband and mobile Internet are used intensively. At the same time, Switzerland has a strong purchasing power and an innovation-oriented economy. The combination of these factors forms the foundation for Ringier's growth strategy in the digital sector. The transaction is subject to the usual regulatory approvals. The financial details are not being communicated.
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