News week 23 - 2024

Matrihealth GmbH secures seed financing. Yodel acquires tech start-up LAYZR. SurFunction receives millions in funding. EcoG expands through acquisition and partnership. Nicole Schaar takes over management of Ballou PR in Germany. Navan appoints Amy Butte as CFO. ChargeX and SAP partnership. Jolt Energy and Tamoil Netherlands announce expansion of high-power charging stations. Motatos achieves 87 million euros turnover.

Matrihealth GmbH secures seed funding for industrial elastin production

matrihealth GmbH, which specializes in the insulation and processing of elastin, has successfully completed a seven-figure seed financing round, supported by two private investors and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. With the capital, matrihealth plans to expand its production capacities and open up new market segments. Elastin, an important structural protein, is in demand for applications in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical and food industries. Founded in 2022 by Dr. Christian Schmelzer, Dr. Marco Götze, Tobias Hedtke and Dirk Schuster, matrihealth will drive forward the establishment of a production site in Saxony-Anhalt with the support of the Fraunhofer IMWS and Fraunhofer Venture. By the end of 2025, matrihealth plans to produce medical-grade elastin and expand its product range to include medical applications.

SurFunction GmbH receives millions in financing for expansion

SurFunction GmbH, a Saarbrücken-based specialist for laser-based surface finishing, has successfully completed a financing round and received a mid-single-digit million euro amount from Capnamic and other investors. The company plans to use these funds to further develop and commercialize its DLIP technology, which enables high-precision and sustainable surface structures. This should strengthen its market position and drive its international expansion.

Jodel acquires tech start-up LAYZR

The social media startup Jodel is acquiring the tech startup LAYZR, which is known for its avatar technology in the streaming and gaming world. The aim of the acquisition is to make LAYZR's avatar technology accessible to a global audience and to open up new monetization opportunities for Yodel. Users will be able to create avatars to demonstrate support in the digital world in a similar way to the physical world. This integration is intended to strengthen user loyalty and engagement on Yodel while creating new ways to monetize via in-app purchases and subscriptions. Both companies share investor Atlantic Labs, which supports this strategic partnership.

EcoG expands through acquisition and partnership

EcoG, a company in the field of charging systems for electric vehicles, is strengthening its market position with the acquisition of the Josev charging operating system and a partnership with Switch EV. With this expansion, EcoG now offers AC and commercial charging solutions and supports industry giants such as ABB and Siemens. This strategic decision comes at a time when the need for reliable charging infrastructure is growing, especially after Tesla's withdrawal from this area. EcoG will assume operational responsibility for the Josev team and its products, utilizing Switch's cloud-based platform to ensure a seamless charging experience worldwide. CEO Dr. Jörg Heuer emphasizes the synergies and the importance of this cooperation for the promotion of sustainable transport solutions.

Nicole Schaar takes over management of Ballou PR in Germany

Nicole Schaar becomes the new Managing Director of the German office and succeeds Jörn Dunker, who will head the new office in Barcelona. Schaar plans to drive the growth of Ballou Germany and further develop the team. Schaar has been with Ballou for over a decade and is excited to take over the management of the Berlin office. Ballou PR is a pan-European communications agency that supports high-growth technology companies and VCs.

Navan appoints Amy Butte as CFO

Navan, a travel and expense management company, has appointed Amy Butte as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Butte assumes her position in June, leaving her role as Chair of the Audit Committee. With over 25 years of experience in the financial industry, including at the NYSE, she joins Navan's leadership team. CEO Ariel Cohen sees her as the ideal fit for the company's next phase of growth. Navan has quintupled its revenue from 2021 to 2023 and sees great potential in the growing business travel market.

ChargeX relies on SAP E-Mobility for charging infrastructure

Munich-based e-charging infrastructure provider ChargeX has opted for the SAP E-Mobility cloud solution to efficiently manage its charging points. Due to the rapid growth of the company and the high demands on reliability and security, the SAP solution offers optimal support. After several months of migration, over 5,000 charging points at more than 700 customers are now connected to the SAP E-Mobility backend. The existing user interface remains intact, while integration into the SAP ecosystem enables future enhancements and better process control. ChargeX thus benefits from a scalable and legally compliant platform for its e-mobility services.

Jolt Energy and Tamoil Netherlands announce expansion of high-power charging stations

Jolt Energy and Tamoil Netherlands have announced the expansion of a high-power charging station network in the Netherlands. The partnership focuses on the installation of High Power Charging (HPC) infrastructure at Tamoil stations, with Jolt's approach targeting urban micro-charging parks with up to four charging points. The integration of battery storage enables charging capacities of up to 300 kW without grid expansion and contributes to grid stability and the integration of renewable energies. So far, HPC charging stations have been installed at Tamoil filling stations in several Dutch cities, with more locations planned throughout the year.

Motatos generates 87 million euros in revenue and improves cash flow

Motatos' Annual General Meeting adopted the Annual and Sustainability Report 2023 on May 30, 2024. The company recorded sales growth of 17 percent to around 87 million euros, with sales of 58 million euros in the Nordic countries, 28 million euros in the DACH region and 3 million euros in the UK. The equity ratio rose to 80 percent and an additional 40 million euros were secured in a financing round. Despite stricter criteria for recycled goods, which led to a decrease in the amount recycled to 21,858 tons, Motatos saved over 19,000 tons of CO2e. CEO Peter Beckius emphasized the challenges of 2023, but was proud of the growth and the measures taken to improve profitability, including the automation of the German warehouse and personalized customer experiences.

FleetGO Group expands market position through acquisition of Data2Track

FleetGO Group, a provider of logistics software solutions, has acquired Dutch software provider Data2Track, backed by Main Capital Partners. This marks the third strategic acquisition since FleetGO Group was founded by Main Capital Partners. Data2Track, known for its cloud-based fleet management system, offers solutions for fleet analysis, time tracking and a Drivers App that optimize logistics operations. With this acquisition, FleetGO expands its product range and strengthens its technological leadership position. Data2Track serves around 420 customers, including Verhoeven.eu and Koopman Logistics.