#StartupTicker
+++ #StartupTicker +++ Million-grab Quandoo is ceasing operations +++ Aleph Alpha and Cohere are to merge +++ Ames Foundation launches habitat fund (6 million) +++ PianoLoft: From the children’s room to million-dollar sales +++
What’s up New? In ours #StartupTicker we provide a compact overview of the most important startup news of the day (Tuesday, April 14th).
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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
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Quandoo
+++ End! Out of! Over! The Berlin restaurant reservation platform Quandoo, founded in 2012, will cease operations at the end of September. The service will go completely offline at the end of 2026. The company calls this a “business decision”. The team continues that this is a global decision that affects all countries in which Quandoo offers its services. A look at the numbers shows the whole dilemma at Quandoo. The reservation platform, which has belonged to Recruit Holdings since 2015, has generated massive losses for years. In 2024, the annual deficit was 23.8 million euros (previous year: 22.3 million). Quandoo planned to significantly reduce losses for 2025 and 2026. In total, setting up Quandoo by the end of 2023 had already cost more than 260 million. The company’s gross profit fell to 7.3 million euros in 2024 (previous year: 12 million). The Japanese company Recruit Holdings once took over Quandoo for an impressive 198.6 million. Quadoo was always a successful exit, but never a successful company. It’s actually amazing that Recruit Holdings has stuck with Quandoo for so long. More about Quandoo
Aleph Alpha
+++ Together instead of alone! The former AI hope Aleph Alpha and the Canadian AI company Cohere are probably negotiating a merger – reports Handelsblatt. Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) is said to have “significantly pushed forward” the deal. (Handelsblatt) More about Aleph Alpha
Ames Foundation
+++ Investments in wildlife and nature conservation! The non-profit Ames Foundation, which is supported by numerous well-known founders, is launching a 6 million euro habitat fund. The for-profit fund invests particularly in ecotourism in Africa. “The first money from the fund went into the purchase of an ecotourism lodge on the beach in South Africa’s Mkambati Reserve,” says the Handelsblatt. (Handelsblatt)
Piano Loft
+++ Worth reading! Brutkasten reports in detail about the Viennese startup PianoLoft, which is all about pianos. “PlavierLoft founder Benjamin Mujadzic focused on affordable instruments at a young age, acquired his own know-how and, step by step, built a business that today delivers to the USA and Asia,” says the report. (incubator)
Startups To Watch
+++ The multi-million dollar startup world is home to many up-and-coming (young) companies that deserve much more attention. These include startups such as blue activity, eternal.ag, Tower, ISPTech and Logistikbude. More in Startups To Watch
#DEALMONITOR
Investments & Exits
+++ Pixel Photonics receives 13.5 million +++ ToolSense collects double-digit million sum +++ Conxai receives 5 million +++ Blocks receives 6 million +++ smartvillage collects million sum +++ Meinhaus Digital receives million sum. More in the deal monitor
What else happened recently? That’s always in the #StartupTicker
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