#StartupTicker
+++ #StartupTicker +++ Aleph Alpha founder Jonas Andrulis starts CNTR +++ Just Spices says goodbye to the internet +++ Bergzeit grows to 207 million in sales +++ Speedinvest is separating from 10% of its workforce +++
What’s up New? In ours #StartupTicker we provide a compact overview of the most important startup news of the day (Tuesday March 31st).
#STARTUPLAND
STARTUPLAND: Founders. VCs. Visionaries
+++ Our fourth STARTUPLAND Conference will take place on March 10, 2027 at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. A fascinating journey into the startup scene awaits you again – with lectures from successful founders, educational interviews and pitches that inspire. More about STARTUPLAND
#STARTUPTICKER
CNTR
+++ Restart with millions from Roland Berger! Aleph Alpha founder Jonas Andrulis is known to be founding a new startup. Now there are new details. The startup from Frankfurt am Main, a joint project with the management consultancy Roland Berger, goes by the name CNTR. “At CNTR, we create the technological foundation for a world where humans and AI systems collaborate,” says the background of CNTR. “The program is aimed at corporate customers and is intended to be integrated into internal processes. The AI carries out tasks independently and applies human knowledge,” reports WiWo via CNTR. In addition to Andrulis, the founding team of the young company also includes developer Alejandro Molina, who also once worked for Aleph Alpha. Aleph Alpha was once considered Germany’s greatest AI hope. There was no success and founder Andrulis had to leave. (WiWo) More about Aleph Alpha
Just Spices
+++ Bitter! The billion-dollar food giant Kraft Heinz is shutting down the busy spice company Just Spices – at least on the Internet. “After much consideration, we had to make a difficult decision: We will close our online shop and Amazon shop in June as they are unfortunately no longer economically viable,” said Just Spices, which has been part of Kraft Heinz since 2021, via Instagram. Just Spices has been in crisis for a long time (exit sum: 250 million): in 2024, the company, which has established a real love brand on the market, generated sales of 31.5 million (previous year: 41.4 million). “Sales revenue in 2024 was approximately T€ 10,609 below budget planning. The weaker development resulted primarily from a significant decline in DtC sales as a result of the decline in the e-commerce market and the shift in the company’s focus to investments in retail; as part of the integration into the Kraft Heinz Group, certain retail sales were transferred to HJ Heinz GmbH,” it says in the annual financial statements for 2024. This The D2C segment still accounted for around 15.8 million euros in the reporting period, and the trend is falling. Just Spices, founded in 2014, has developed from an online star (which was certainly a reason for the acquisition) to a simple retail company under Kraft Heinz. For the food giant, online business has recently been nothing more than a “marketing channel to increase brand awareness”. The profit after taxes at Just Spices was 13.4 million euros in 2024 (previous year: 19.9 million). Overall, the online demise of Just Spices seems a little out of date, even with these figures. Sentences like “You can use our store finder to see where you can find us near you” provide impressive evidence of this. (Instagram) More about Just Spices
Mountain time
+++ Number check! The Munich outdoor retailer Bergzeit will grow to 207 million euros in sales in 2025 (+ 17%). For the first time, the team cracked the magical mark of 200 million in sales. What’s exciting is that “loyal repeat buyers” make up 70% of sales. Competitor Bergfreunde achieved sales of 362 million (16%) last year. In the long term, the team is aiming for 700 million in sales. Two exciting e-commerce stories that show that some segments work well even in times of crisis. For comparison: The well-known retailer Globetrotter recently achieved sales of around 200 million. (Linkedin, Exciting Commerce, Manager Magazine) More about Bergzeit
Speed Invest
+++ Job cuts! The Viennese investor Speedinvest is shedding around 10% of its workforce – especially in the operational area. “Following a period of employee churn, the early-stage investor is making further cuts to increase efficiency” – reports Sifted on job cuts. The AI age is also having a full impact on the venture capital scene. Most recently, Speedinvest launched two so-called continuation funds (total volume: 60 million euros). (Sifted) More about Speedinvest
Hanover
+++ Hanover is always worth a startup trip. That’s why today we’re taking another look at the digital scene in Hanover and introducing some up-and-coming startups from the capital of Lower Saxony that more people should know. More in StartupsToWatch
Startup Radar
+++ New founders are on their way! Today we present the following selection of fresh startups that you should know: YOU(th), TensorFive, we connect work, Messpunkt.io and CiviReach. More on the startup radar
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Investments & Exits
+++ Uber buys Blacklane +++ AlphaPet Ventures buys Cpro Food +++ Main Capital Partners takes over Gingco +++ Nature Robots receives 4 million +++ deeplify raises 2 million +++ Summiteer invests in cuisyn. More in the deal monitor
What else happened recently? That’s always in the #StartupTicker
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