The Hundert Magazine is becoming the ‘brand eins’ for the German startup scene.
And I took part in the annual issue as an illustrator.
The general concept of this issue was to make all articles illustrated, without any photos. 7 artists from around the world were invited to participate. And I was one of them.
My artworks with brief stories below.
PAULUS NEEF – YOGA FOR EVERYONE! UNYTE CROWDFUNDS MONEY FOR NEW, MODERN YOGA BRAND
Berlin’s own Paulus Neef is showing the world how business and yoga go hand-in-hand. The Pixelpark founder raised over €100,000 in equity crowdfunding to launch UNYTE, a new yoga studio brand that aims to target new yogis. The money will go toward opening a flagship studio in Berlin. Neef’s mission likely hits home for many of us: “We want to motivate as many people as possible to invest in themselves through yoga and meditation, which may support them in achieving personal and professional success.”
Link to the Startup Website: www.unyteyoga.de
STARTUP TEENS – TEENAGERS CAN ALSO HAVE EARTH-SHATTERING IDEAS, TOO!
When you were a teenager, what were you thinking about? For most of us, it was definitely not startups! We can imagine, though, how things would have been different if we would have had a mentor for our crazy ideas. Hauke Schwiezer founded Startup Teens this year to instill that power in teenagers. App developer Verena Pausder, among others, is a partner of the free program aimed at 14- to 19-year olds. Startup Teens is a step in the right direction for innovation, helping to inspire others at a young age.
BERLIN ECOSYSTEM – BERLIN IS NO SILICON VALLEY…YET.
Berlin’s beloved startup ecosystem might seem like the best in the world to us, but sometimes we need a little grounding in our thinking. San Francisco-based data service Compass released a 2015 “Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking” that put Berlin in ninth place and below a total of six US cities. But there was one redeeming aspect: Berlin climbed six spots from last year – more than any others ahead of it. At this rate, the rankings for Berlin next year should be stellar. Keep up the momentum, Berlin!
Link to the Ranking Website: www.compass.co
FINLEAP – SHAKING UP THE FINANCIAL WORLD
FinTech may be a buzzword these days, but it certainly is living up to its reputation as a major force in the financial industry. FinLeap is Berlin’s stake in that innovation as Europe’s first FinTech incubator. The company builder expanded into Switzerland this year under the expertise of Chairman Jan Beckers and supported by Senior Advisor Marc P. Bernegger. FinLeap hopes to bring a more innovative mindset into the Swiss financial market, where technology has been lagging behind in recent years.
Link to the Startup Website: www.finleap.de
HOME24 – EYING INTERNATIONAL GROWTH AFTER €120 MILLION INVESTMENT ROUND
Home24 is making it so you do not have to leave your old couch to shop for a new one. The leading online furniture retailer, founded by Philipp Kreibohm, scored €120 million to strengthen its existing grip on eight markets and expand into more. The round was led by UK-based investment firm Baillie Gifford, with additional money coming from Rocket Internet. The internet is changing the home furnishing landscape, and Home24 is an important player in this process.
Link to the Startup Website: www.home24.de
KOCHZAUBER – LIDL PLACES BERLIN FOOD DELIVERY STARTUP IN ITS CART
German grocery chain Lidl saw something promising in Kochzauber, a grocery delivery service similar to HelloFresh that was on the verge of collapsing after a series of challenges. Kochzauber offers a range of recipe boxes for customers and is a balanced alternative to regular grocery shopping and eating out. The acquisition was confirmed in November and may offer Lidl a chance to venture into the e-commerce realm. With the growing market for recipe delivery in Germany, it seems that Lidl made a smart move.
Link to the Startup Website: www.kochzauber.de
DAILYDEAL – COUPON PLATFORM SELLS FOR THE THIRD TIME IN ITS HISTORY
Founded by two brothers Fabian and Ferry Heilemann, coupon platform DailyDeal famously sold to Google in 2011 but was bought back by the Heilemanns two years later. This year, the company added another line to its history: DailyDeal sold to MenschDanke for an undisclosed sum in the single-digit million euro range. The company stands as a market leader next to Groupon and has generated significant revenue from its user base in Germany and Austria.
Link to the Startup Website: www.dailydeal.de
CHARLES VON ABERCRON – FOUNDER AND CEO OF GLOSSYBOX PASSES THE TORCH IN HIS COMPANY
Glossybox rolled down a bumpy road in 2013, but picked up steam again when it turned a corner to €30 million in revenue. Despite this, the company’s CEO and Founder, Charles von Abercron, stepped down in December after five years at the helm and passed the torch to Caren Genthner-Kappesz. Abercron will not be venturing too far away from his baby and will remain onboard as a consultant. „I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve…I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in this,” he said.
Link to the Startup Website: www.glossybox.de
CIARÁN O’LEARY – THE “FACE OF BERLIN INVESTMENT” TAKES FLIGHT TOWARD NEW FUND
Ciarán O’Leary, partner at pioneering Berlin venture capital company Earlybird, left the firm in August with plans to begin a new fund with a volume of €100 million. Joining O’Leary on this new endeavor is Jason Whitmire. The parting will not be sudden, but rather in installments over the next 4-6 years. This is a big step not only for O’Leary, Whitmire, and Earlybird, but also the evolution of the Berlin venture capital landscape.
Link: www.berlinvc.com
ERIC SCHMIDT – ALPHABET CEO DROPS BY TU BERLIN TO SAY: “GLOBALIZE!”
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google holdings company Alphabet, delivered a talk at TU Berlin alongside big data researcher Volker Marl in December. Among the topics of discussion were globalization, Google cars, and patents. Schmidt revealed that he is looking for a major city in which to test the Google car. He also elaborated on Google’s tendency to buy up as many patents as possible to eliminate patent wars. Above all, Schmidt encouraged everyone in the audience to “globalize” their startup ideas as soon as possible.
Link: www.abc.xyze
BPW – CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF GROWING IDEAS IN BERLIN
Germany’s biggest regional startup initiative, the Berlin-Brandenburg Business Plan Competition (BPW), presented the finalists for its 20th anniversary competition in July. The finalists’ business concepts ranged from transport supply chain monitoring systems to sustainable diapers. Over the course of two decades, BPW tested 9,120 business concepts and helped create 1,800 companies with more than 10,000 jobs. Music software company Ableton AG, perhaps the biggest success story from BPW, hosted this year’s press conference.
Link: www.b-p-w.de
Some snapshots from presentation
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Thank you!
