French startup Yakaz just announced the launch of a new platform for real-time social classified ads (Update – December 2022: The startup seems to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the link). The service, which includes a chat feature, helps its users to sell, buy and rent items in a fun and…
“The EU startup scene is already very competitive with the US”: Interview with co-founder of language learning startup busuu, Bernhard Niesner
Today we interviewed Bernhard Niesner. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Madrid-based language learning community, busuu. The busuu website can be used for free, however you have the option to pay a minimal monthly fee to become a Premium Member. With that Premium Membership you gain access to additional functionalities and more material….
London-based Moneybookers rebrands name to ‘Skrill’
Moneybookers, the Paypal alternative coming straight out of Europe, just announced it will rebrand as Skrill by the end of 2011. Skrill, the short form of ‘skrilla’, is a slang word for money. Moneybookers explains further: “Skrill means flexibility. Skrill means choice. Skrill means reliability and peace of mind. Skrill makes you online safe.” Moneybookers…
German online baby shop Tausendkind launches with funding from abroad
The German online baby shop Tausendkind just launched with financial support of some international investors. The two founders, Anike von Gagern and Kathrin Weiß, just started the Berlin-based online baby shop just this month. Tausendkind provides its target group of parents with fashion, toys and accessories from well known brands like Petit Bateau, Sigikid and…
Join ‘The Festival’, an event bringing together Europeans in Berlin, July 2012!
Is there a European feeling, a European identity? The Festival is an event where people from all over Europe can create and experience a European identity together (Update – December 2022: The Festival seems to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the link). What’s the rationale behind the festival? Europe grows thanks…
Rumour or true? Shoe shop Zalando valued at €370 million
Was the German Zappos-clone Zalando really valued at €370 million in its last round of financing? We’ll let you decide! Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is a German-based but European online fashion platform that offers a wide assortment of shoes for men, women and children. German press reports have indicated that the Swedish investment…
London and Zurich-based Sandbox, entrepreneur network, launches in France
UK and Switzerland-based Sandbox, an international network of young entrepreneurs under the age of 30, has just announced that it’ll launch its operations in France (Update – December 2022: The startup seems to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the link). The London and Zurich-based network is a members-only group, which, although is…
German product-recommendations startup Loved.by lands €141K funding
Hamburg-based startup Loved.by has just landed fresh funding from Lars Hinrichs and his incubator HackFwd (Update – December 2022: HackFwd and Loved.by seem to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the links). The German online platform offers users cash for their product recommendations. But how does it work exactly? Users can recommend…
Swiss company NetPurse unites nano- and mobile-payments
NetPurse, a mobile payment service from Switzerland, is on its way to disrupting the payment scene and making its customers’ lives easier at the same time (Update – December 2022: The startup seems to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the link). NetPurse is based in Zug, Switzerland, but also has a…
German early-stage fund Team Europe Ventures invests in two startups
German early-stage fund Team Europe Ventures, which primarily invests in internet companies, has just announced two new investments in European startups (Update – December 2022: The fund seems to be no longer active and we therefore deactivated the link). Both investments are in interesting sectors that are experiencing a lot of innovation right now. The…
Will there be a bidding race for the acquisition of SeLoger?
The proposed acquisition of the French real estate portal SeLoger by Axel Springer AG (a major German media company) is threatening to become a bidding race. Originally, the German media company Axel Springer, which already owns 12.4% of proptech company SeLoger, wanted to pay round about €500 million for the acquisition. A few days after…
Join LeWeb, a European internet event, on 8-9 December in Paris!
Are you working in the online sphere, and interested in the hottest innovations from Europe? On 8-9 December, you can join over +2400 Participants, from +50 countries, at LeWeb in Paris, France. The slogan from this year’s event is the “#1 Internet European event” (Update – December 2022: The event seems to be no longer…
The first month of EU-Startups.com!
After the first month of EU-Startups.com, it’s time to reflect on how this project is moving along! We have published 34 articles, including news on acquisitions, funding rounds, and some interviews with some of the most innovative European entrepreneurs about their startups. We’re already on our way to become one of the top destinations for…
Join ‘The Europas’ (TechCrunch’s Europe Awards) on 19 November in London!
Are you interested in the startup, tech, innovation or online industries? Do you want to find out which companies and startups are currently being hailed as ‘top of their game’? Do you want to meet interesting players from these worlds? Then you should check out TechCrunch’s Europe Awards, otherwise known as ‘The Europas’! The TechCrunch…
Swiss startup Paper.li, a curated content tool, launches in German and French
Paper.li, a free service that turns Twitter feeds into an easy readable online newspaper, has just announced its global expansion by launching in more languages. In addition to the English version, the media platform has now launched in German and French, with the next language on their launch list being Spanish. Almost 100,000 registered users…
German on-demand-content startup textbroker lands funding
German startup Textbroker, a service-platform for on-demand-content, just received financial support from ViewPoint Capital Partners, via an undisclosed sum. The young project, which was started by Sario Marketing GmbH from Mainz in Germany, has not only expanded in Germany but also in the United States. The startup will use the fresh funds to finance its…
German publishing platform Popmog secures fresh financing from the IBB and private investors
Popmog, the independent publishing platform for browser games, just closed a fresh round of financing, right around the time the new company also celebrated its first birthday (Update – December 2022: The startup seems to be no longer in business and we therefore deactivated the link). The investors in this round are a selection of…
Madrid-based Weblogs, a blog network, launches its Q&A service
Weblogs SL, the leading Spanish blog network has just entered the Q&A space (Update – December 2022: The company seems to be now called Webedia and we therefore deactivated the original link). By launching a new service which it calls ‘Respuestas’ (meaning ‘answers’ or ‘responses’ in Spanish), the young internet company continues to embrace more…