News | Bertelsmann Investments | Berlin, 04/20/2012

BDMI Invests in Group Shopping Startup Dealvertise

Bertelsmann’s venture capital fund Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) is investing a seven-digit sum in the online startup Dealvertise. The investment will serve to promote the further growth of the group-shopping company, which was founded in June 2011 with the support of Found Fair Ventures GmbH (FFV), an incubator in Berlin. Group shopping expands the e-commerce market by adding a form of offering known as ‘daily deals’: products and services are offered to customers at a discount as short, limited-time specials.

Dealvertise offers a full-service solution including the IT platform and special deals that enable high-reach companies to integrate daily deals into their own Web sites. The reach-boosting partner can keep their own branding and build and enhance their own, targetable customer base. The Dealvertise solution is an attractive way for media and retail companies, as well as Internet portals and service providers to monetize their traffic. The company’s current cooperation partners include Der Club Bertelsmann and the want-ads portal Quoka, whose users are already served appropriate nationwide and local daily deals by Dealvertise.
“We are pleased that we were able to win BDMI, our preferred partner, for our concept. Already, this has resulted in some valuable business contacts at a number of Bertelsmann companies,” says Guido Hegener, co-CEO of Dealvertise.

Tobias Schirmer, a Principal at BDMI, comments: “This investment is an excellent and existing opportunity to participate in the growing Group Shopping market with an experienced team and an innovative model.” BDMI systematically invests in up-and-coming young companies in the digital media sector.