Second-round financing successfully completed
Hamburg, Bonn and Gütersloh, 29th September 2011 - T-Venture, Deutsche Telekom’s venture capital arm, and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) have invested approximately 3.5 Million USD in the Hamburg-based company Content Fleet GmbH. Venture capital fund Neuhaus Partners, who have been investors since 2010, have also co-invested as part of the syndicate.
Content Fleet plans to use the fresh capital from the second-round financing to further develop trend detection. The team will also be strengthened in key areas. The internationalization of the business model has already kicked off and will also be a primary focus in the coming months.
The company, founded in July 2010, generates tailor-made content and portals for publishers as well as other content distributors. Content Fleet uses sophisticated analysis methods to automatically identify new themes and product trends found on the internet. These analyses find their input data via social media networking sites, content publishers, online retailers, key word sources, and so forth. The collected data is then assessed in terms of its reach and monetization potential, forming the basis for content production and portal management. In the background, a dedicated network of authors ensures that up-to-date, relevant and high-quality content, already search-engine optimized, finds its way directly to the consumer. Content Fleet has clients including leading digital media groups such as Deutsche Telekom, Bertelsmann and Axel Springer.
“We support our partners in the cost-effective development of new markets and user groups,” explains Mattias Protzmann, founder and CEO of Content Fleet. “Our technological back end ensures that we make the right decisions about themes and ultimately about how we approach the production of content.” The company sets itself apart from so called “Content Farms” that aim only for short-term search-engine effects. “It's our goal to keep visitors returning and convince them long-term of our content quality,” Protzmann says. “Quality, information and, above all, added value are therefore the most important factors.” Ralf Bauman, who is responsible for Deutsche Telekom’s T-Online portal, said: “Content Fleet is a competent and pro-active business partner with whom we can, in a very short space of time, launch new projects such as our themed verticals zuhause.de and wanted.de. The content, data and analysis provided by Content Fleet greatly complement the work of our editorial team.”
Since its founding in 2010, the company has continued to build out its range of services. Parallel to the creation of portals and content, the focus has moved in-creasingly more toward providing Software as a Service (SaaS). By the end of 2011, Content Fleet will bring a SaaS solution to the marketplace that allows clients access to the company’s back-end technologies. According to Neuhaus Partners’ Paul Jozefak, who was responsible for the original investment in the summer of 2010, this is an exciting time. “We fully support the strong team at Content Fleet and the products impressed us from an early stage as unique.”
“We were always being asked how we manage to produce content and portals so cost-effectively and efficiently,” adds Content Fleet CEO Mattias Protzmann. “Our software solution will give publishers the opportunity to supply their employees with the same tools that we are already using. They can better identify potential demand and then implement the resulting measures to gain an edge over their competitors.”
As well as content services for large businesses, the trend experts from Hamburg operate a whole range of special-interest portals reaching a monthly total of approximately ten million visitors.
Jan Borgstädt, Head of European Ventures at BDMI, is also satisfied with the future prospects of the fledgling company: “Behind Content Fleet stands, not only a good team, but also an experienced circle of investors. Together we are involved in the early stages of an emerging growth market.”
About Content Fleet:
The Hamburg-based Content Fleet GmbH is a 2010 division of IT service providers Getanet. The company uses a sophisticated analysis system to automatically identify new themes and trends on the internet. The sources for these calculations are, among others, social media networking sites, content publishers, online retailers, and keyword sources. With this knowledge the firm, which was founded in July 2010, produced customised content and portals for publishers and other content distributors. Content can actively increase the reach as long as the optimisation of the content and product offerings has been adopted. Content Fleet counts among its clients large concerns such as Deutsche Telekom AG, Bertelsmann AG and Axel Springer AG.
For further information please visit www.contentfleet.com.
Press Contact
Content Fleet GmbH
Mattias Protzmann
CEO
Semperstrasse 26
22303 Hamburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 (40) 650 529 00
Fax: +49 (40) 950 692 344
E-Mail: mp@contentfleet.com
www.contentfleet.com
About Neuhaus Partners:
Neuhaus Partners GmbH, based in Hamburg, Germany, is a leading European venture capital group. It invests throughout Europe in technology companies. Since its founding in 1998 it has completed 57 investments and in 49 of those Neuhaus Partners participated as lead investor. Track Record: Two IPO’s, 20 trade sales, three buy-backs, ten insolvencies. Neuhaus Partners is now investing from its third generation of funds.
For further information please visit www.NeuhausPartners.com.
Press Contact
Neuhaus Partners GmbH
Thomas Preuss
Investment Manager
Jungfernstieg 30
20354 Hamburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 (40) 355 282-0
Fax: +49 (40) 355 282-39
E-Mail: preuss@neuhauspartners.com
www.NeuhausPartners.com
About T-Venture:
The T-Venture Holding GmbH was founded in 1997 as a 100% subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Since then, T-Venture have invested in young companies that demonstrate economic and technological synergy with the business ideas of Deutsche Telekom and who also promise an above-average potential for growth. The company is based mainly in Bonn and supports and supplements the commitment of T-Venture of America Inc. in Foster City, Silicon Valley and in Seattle. Regional areas of core investment activity are in Europe, the United States of America and in Asia. Currently T-Venture manages the T-Mobile Venture Fund, The Connected Life and Work Fund, the T-Home Venture Fund, the T-Systems Venture Fund, and the T-Corporate Venture Fund.
For further information please visit www.t-venture.de.
Press Contact
T-Venture Holding GmbH
Sabine Kohl
Tel.: +49 (228) 308 48-0
Fax: +49 (228) 308 48-819
E-Mail: t-venture@telekom.de
www.t-venture.de
About Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI):
BDMI is a strategic venture investor focused on innovative digital media technologies, products and distribution channels worldwide. Drawing upon the vast resources of its parent firm, Bertelsmann AG, BDMI brings emerging companies a wealth of experience and opportunities. The fund aims to be a trustworthy partner for companies that can benefit from Bertelsmann’s creative, entrepreneurial spirit and global leadership in media, communications and services. BDMI also invests actively in European seed funds. The fund looks for opportunities to accelerate growth through financial and management resources as well as close connectivity with one or more Bertelsmann divisions. With consolidated revenues of over €15 billion (U.S. $22 billion), Bertelsmann is an international media company encompassing television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), and outsourcing services (Arvato) in 50 countries.
For further information please visit www.bdmifund.com.
Press Contact
Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments
Stephan Knuettel
Tel.: +49 (52 41) 80 77 69
Fax: +49 (52 41) 80-94 277
E-Mail: stephan.knuettel@betelsmann.de
www.bdmifund.com
29.09.2011