News week 25 - 2024

HUMAX and HeyCharge develop new generation of charging stations. Kfund secures 70 million euros for sixth fund. innocent drinks focuses on growth. Bling appoints Christian Hellmann as Head of Brand. HHL and Central German Foundation promote entrepreneurship and diversity. Gilion appoints Andreas Hedlund as new CFO and deputy CEO. Round2 Capital finances DealCircle with a seven-figure sum. Mark Fleming becomes the new CCO of Mangopay. Lighthouse acquires HQ revenue.
Kfund secures 70 million euros for sixth fund to support start-ups in Southern Europe
VC Kfund has successfully raised over €70 million for its sixth fund to continue supporting high-impact projects in Southern Europe. The fund, known as K3, builds on the success of its predecessors K1 and K2, which have supported numerous technology initiatives in Spain over the past eight years. Kfund provides comprehensive financial support to entrepreneurs at every stage of development of their projects, from pre-seed to Series A, and focuses on technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and 5G connectivity.
HUMAX and HeyCharge develop new generation of charging stations

The technology group HUMAX and the Munich-based charging infrastructure provider HeyCharge have announced a strategic partnership to develop new, calibration-compliant AC charging hardware. This solution enables electric vehicles to be charged without an internet connection and reduces installation costs by up to 50 percent. The aim of the cooperation is to facilitate charging in apartment buildings and office buildings, especially in underground parking garages with insufficient mobile phone coverage. HUMAX contributes its experience in cost-optimized electronics production, while HeyCharge contributes its offline technology "SecureCharge". The new wallbox, which is set to be launched in the first quarter of 2025, is aimed at property owners and charging infrastructure operators and aims to significantly reduce the total cost of ownership.
innocent drinks focuses on growth: one billion more portions of fruit and vegetables by 2030

Innocent drinks, a provider of healthy beverages, plans to offer one billion additional servings of fruit and vegetables by 2030. CEO Nick Canney presented the new growth strategy, which emphasizes the expansion of the product range and the availability of the products. By 2023, the company will have already reached 1.2 billion portions. New strategic personnel decisions are intended to support these goals: Dietmar Wamser will become Head of Alps and Managing Director Switzerland and Austria, while Carla Bayer will serve as Head of D-A-CH and Managing Director Germany. Sustainability initiatives remain a central component of the corporate strategy.
Bling appoints Christian Hellmann as Head of Brand and plans first major brand campaign

The family super app Bling has appointed Christian Hellmann as its first Head of Brand. Hellmann, who previously worked at Mytoys and Homeday, brings with him around 15 years of experience in brand development and will support Bling's ten-strong marketing team as Creative Lead. With this appointment, Bling is investing in the next expansion phase to make the app a well-known brand for 12 million families in Germany. CEO Nils Feigenwinter emphasizes Hellmann's key role in the brand positioning. Hellmann, a family man himself, is looking forward to leading Bling's brand marketing and creating entertaining and activating campaigns.
HHL and Mitteldeutsche Stiftung promote entrepreneurship and diversity with new scholarship

HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management and the Central German Foundation for Science and Education of VNG AG are intensifying their cooperation to promote start-ups and are introducing the "International Women in Business" scholarship for international female students. This cooperation supports entrepreneurial endeavors in the region through activities in the early-stage incubator "Digital Space" and strengthens the diversity of the student community at HHL. The initiative includes scholarships for the Master in Management program and aims to promote innovative business ideas and intercultural exchange.
Gilion appoints Andreas Hedlund as new CFO and Deputy CEO

Gilion (formerly Ark Kapital), the Swedish platform for growth and credit, has appointed Andreas Hedlund as its new CFO and Deputy CEO. This appointment comes shortly after the company closed a new EUR 10 million equity financing to prepare for the next phase of establishing credit in the technology sector. Andreas Hedlund has more than 20 years of international finance experience at Trill Impact, Danske Bank, EQT and Goldman Sachs, making him ideally qualified to lead Gilion's finance operations during its next phase of expansion. Gilion, backed by prominent investors such as Annika Falkengren and John McCormick, is focused on leveraging AI for real-time insights to revolutionize the credit decision process for early-stage technology startups.
Round2 Capital finances DealCircle with a seven-digit amount
Round2 Capital provides seven-figure revenue-based financing to M&A technology solution DealCircle to support the company's growth and expansion. Founders Kai Hesselmann and Graig Gröbli will retain full control of the company, which they built without external equity investors. The investment will be used to expand the company's tech stack and develop additional AI tools. DealCircle plans to hire more machine learning engineers and data scientists. The company aims to optimize M&A processes in the small and mid-cap segment by using intelligent search algorithms and an extensive investor database.
Mark Fleming becomes new CCO of Mangopay
Mangopay, a provider of flexible payment infrastructure for platforms, has appointed Mark Fleming as Chief Commercial Officer. Fleming, who brings over 20 years of experience in payments and SaaS, including at Worldpay and GlobalCollect, will drive international expansion and growth into new customer verticals. Mangopay, which was acquired by Advent International in 2022, has already processed over 100 billion euros in transactions and supports over 250 million end customers. CEO Romain Mazeries welcomes Fleming as an experienced leader who will strengthen the company through innovative solutions and market expansion. Fleming emphasizes the growth opportunities and is looking forward to the collaboration.
Lighthouse acquires HQ revenue
Lighthouse, formerly OTA Insight and the leading commercial platform for the hospitality industry, has acquired Berlin-based HQ revenue. This acquisition brings together two leading technology providers and drives investment and innovation for existing clients of both companies. Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of Lighthouse, emphasized the joint commitment of both companies to innovative products and services. Roland Hehn, CEO of HQ revenue, sees the collaboration as an opportunity to increase added value for customers and expand global reach. The acquisition is part of Lighthouse's strategy to combine advanced technology and teams to provide the best data-driven solutions for the hospitality industry.

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