Almedia takes over zave.it

The Berlin-based adtech start-up Almedia has announced the acquisition of the German cashback platform zave.it. With this step, the third fastest growing company in Europe according to the Financial Times FT1000 is expanding its business model in the direction of traditional retail and e-commerce.

Almedia operates data-driven platforms for mobile user acquisition, including Freecash.com in particular. There, users are rewarded with real money for testing and using mobile apps and games. The concept falls into the area of Rewarded User Acquisition (UA). According to AppsFlyer's Performance Index, this segment now accounts for more than a third of the leading acquisition sources.

The app

The popularity of zave.it is largely due to Dave, former co-owner and successful YouTuber. Thanks to his enormous reach and a strong network in the creator scene, the app was able to attract considerable attention right from the start and enter into collaborations with numerous social media celebrities. At the same time, the response was not without controversy. In the comment columns under the videos for the app, users repeatedly expressed criticism, for example regarding functions, user experience or individual partnerships.

Strategic expansion through zave.it

With the acquisition, Almedia is transferring its expertise in user acquisition to stationary retail for the first time. zave.it had differentiated itself in Germany by working closely with creators and influencers, thereby building up a young, loyal user base. This network helped the company to build strong partnerships with retailers and financial service providers. These are industries in which Almedia was not previously active.

With the combination of our data science team, global reach and zave.it's tech stack, we are creating a platform that connects brands with their target audience in an even more targeted way.

Moritz Holländer, founder and CEO of Almedia

zave.it co-founder Dominik Oppelt is also convinced:"The merger is the logical next step. Together, we want to create a unified platform that gives consumers real, tangible rewards."

Bootstrapped and fast-growing

Particularly noteworthy: Almedia has pursued a bootstrapped approach since its foundation, i.e. growth without external investors. With more than 50 million users and over 500 advertising partners, the company is now one of the most visible players in the international adtech market. Awards such as Singular's Global ROI Index Leader 2025 and a top 20 ranking in AppsFlyer's Global Casual Gaming Channels underpin its success.

With zave.it, Almedia aims to further diversify its reach and product offering. The acquisition adds clear added value to the existing reward ecosystem by integrating e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers more closely.

Looking ahead

Almedia sees the integration of zave.it as an important step on the way to becoming the"world's most intelligent engagement engine". The merger is primarily intended to create new synergies in the areas of data analytics, performance marketing and user engagement.

The market for digital reward models is still considered to be growing strongly. By combining mobile marketing expertise and cashback know-how, Almedia is positioning itself as a provider that can offer advertisers cross-channel solutions from a single source and consumers a real incentive to try out brand offers.