Startupnews KW 10 - 2024

Deel strengthens its position with the acquisition of PaySpace. SPRK.global celebrates fourth anniversary with success against food waste. Hornetsecurity acquires Vade. E-mobilio and Rabot Charge announce partnership. Shiftmove strengthens management team for European expansion. Saxon Founder Award 2024: record number of applications. Kynda presents innovative mycelium protein products. Qonto announces merger with Regate. German Entrepreneurship becomes Start2 Group. Cooperation at Trade Republic and tights brand saint sass. Partnership between Vytal Global and PepsiCo.

E-mobilio and Rabot Charge announce partnership

E-mobilio and Rabot Charge have announced a partnership to make electric mobility more user-friendly and cost-efficient from March 2024. The collaboration will integrate Rabot Charge's dynamic electricity tariff into e-mobilio's 360-degree ecosystem to enable electric car drivers to charge at particularly favorable times and thus save costs. In return, Rabot Charge will offer e-mobilio's e-purchase advisor to facilitate the transition to electric mobility. The cooperation aims to offer electric car drivers a holistic solution from vehicle selection to the optimal charging station and thus contribute to the promotion of electric mobility.

Shiftmove strengthens management team for European expansion

Shiftmove, a pioneer in digital fleet management, is strengthening its management team following the merger of market leaders Avrios and Vimcar in January 2023. With the introduction of three experienced top managers - Christian Reichert (CRO), Amy Downs (VP Customer Success) and Jason Kolt (VP Marketing) - the company is setting the course for sustainable growth, high customer satisfaction and expansion into further European markets. The expanded management team will drive the cloud-based software solutions to manage more than one million vehicles by 2028. Shiftmove CEO Francine Gervazio emphasizes that the goal is to establish the Avrios and Vimcar brands as Europe's leading mobility operations software and to drive digital transformation in fleet management.

Unusual cooperation: Trade Republic and tights brand saint sass

To mark International Women's Day, Berlin-based tights label saint sass and trading platform Trade Republic have announced a collaboration to promote private pension provision for women. The joint "RETIRE RICH" campaign aims to address the gender pension gap in Germany and encourage women to invest more in their retirement provision. Trade Republic presents data indicating that, on average, women achieve a 2% higher return than men due to a more long-term and diversified investment strategy. Despite this positive trend, women in Germany receive on average 30% less pension than men. As part of the initiative, Trade Republic donates 100% of the profits to the organization "seiStark e.V.", which is committed to the financial education of women in local projects. The accompanying website on the Gender Pension Gap and Female Investing will go live on March 8, 2024, while the limited edition "RETIRE RICH" tights will be available exclusively on saintsass.com.

Kynda presents innovative mycelium protein products

Biotech company Kynda has announced the launch of the first vegan zero-waste mycelium protein-based food products on the European market. The new product called "Kynda meat" is a next-generation burger patty that is produced in a sustainable way without creating waste products. Kynda uses a fermentation method that produces 700% less greenhouse gas emissions than the production of pea protein. Kynda's mycelium protein products have a protein content of 37% in dry matter, are allergen-free and low in fat. The company is cooperating with the food brand The Raging Pig for the market launch in Germany. The partnership aims to reduce dependence on livestock farming and reduce the ecological footprint of meat production. The products will be presented for the first time at the Internorga trade fair in Hamburg, where visitors will have the opportunity to try the burger patties.

Deel strengthens its position with the acquisition of PaySpace

All-in-one HR platform Deel has announced the acquisition of PaySpace, a company with over 20 years of experience in payroll and HR services in 44 countries. This acquisition strengthens Deel's position as a market leader in the global payroll space and expands its infrastructure and reach. Through the acquisition, Deel becomes the first global Payroll & Employer of Record (EOR) provider with its own full-stack payroll engine. The benefits for organizations include greater efficiency, faster payroll cycles and local compliance insights. Deel aims to offer its own payroll engines in 100 countries over the next four years. In addition to the PaySpace acquisition, Deel has achieved an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of over 500 million US dollars within five years. This news follows the recent acquisition of PayGroup and Zavvy, which expands Deel's HR product suite and makes the company a one-stop store for global teams.

SPRK.global celebrates fourth anniversary with success against food waste

Berlin-based tech scale-up SPRK.global is celebrating its fourth birthday by reflecting on its achievements in the fight against food waste. Since its foundation in March 2020, the company has already redistributed 5,500 tons of surplus food, equivalent to 13,500 tons of CO₂. With its B2B marketplace for food from the supply chain, SPRK has gained 250 operational partners and plans to expand its B2B network and improve its tech platform in the coming year. The company aims to create an efficient and waste-free supply chain and minimize food waste worldwide.

Hornetsecurity acquires Vade

The Hornetsecurity Group has announced the acquisition of Vade, a French email security provider. With the increasing use of cloud-based solutions and multiple cyber threats, both companies recognize the need for flexible and adaptable cloud solutions. Hornetsecurity, already an established partner for companies, offers corresponding cloud services and security solutions. Vade's expertise in email security complements Hornetsecurity's portfolio. The joint initiative is intended to provide customers and partners in all markets with a more comprehensive product offering and position Hornetsecurity as the global market leader in cloud-based cyber security. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Qonto announces merger with Regate

Qonto plans to acquire the French fintech company Regate. This strategic merger expands Qonto's existing solution with additional financial tools and introduces a dedicated product for accounting firms. The goal is to become the preferred financial solution for one million SMEs and freelancers in Europe by the end of 2025. Regate, which already serves 10,000 SMEs and 500 accounting firms in France and Spain, is launching its platform. The integration enables a comprehensive offering for SMEs and accounting firms, including invoice processing capabilities. The 100-strong Regate team will be integrated into a new business unit at Qonto focused on financial tools for accountants.

Saxon Founder Award 2024: record number of applications

The application period for the Saxon State Prize for Entrepreneurship 2024 ended on March 4 with an impressive 72 applications, with the information/communication technology and software sector taking center stage with 18 applications. More than half of the founding teams have at least one female member. The Saxon Founder Award, endowed with 50,000 euros, will be presented on June 19, 2024 at the Saxon Innovation Conference. Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Dulig is delighted with the high level of participation and emphasizes the importance of the competition for Saxony's start-up scene. Steffen Beer, Managing Director of futureSAX, emphasizes the diversity of the innovation ecosystem. After the formal review by futureSAX, the jury will evaluate the entries, followed by the announcement of the nominees in April and the award ceremony for the winners in June. Non-nominated start-ups will have the opportunity to take part in the futureSAX public award from mid-April.

German Entrepreneurship becomes Start2 Group

German Entrepreneurship has successfully changed its name to Start2 Group to emphasize its ongoing development into a global player in the international innovation and startup space. The newly created umbrella brand reflects its international growth and positioning as a global partner for startups, corporates, investors, universities and the public sector. The Start2 Group, with locations in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Asia, now offers direct access to key markets in a total of 18 countries.

Partnership between Vytal Global and PepsiCo at INTERNORGA 2024

Vytal Global, a provider of returnable software solutions, has announced an away-from-home partnership with food and beverage manufacturer PepsiCo. At the opening of INTERNORGA, they presented the first PepsiCo reusable cup with dual-tracking technology for sustainable customer loyalty and efficient logistics. At the same time, Vytal entered the event industry and presented various technological innovations at the trade fair. The company recently founded a subsidiary called Vytal Events & Entertainment Solutions and launched reusable equipment at the Berlinale 2024. Vytal Global and PepsiCo plan to roll out 100,000 of their Vytal Pepsi Cups over the next two years to minimize the use of disposable cups and create sustainable customer experiences.