AlphaPet Ventures GmbH
ePetWorld GmbH: HELIAD and GMPVC invest in current Series B financing
HELIAD and GMPVC invest in ePetworld as part of current Series B financing Munich, 24 June 2014: ePetworld GmbH, www.hundeland.de and www.katzenland.de, the specialist Ecommerce-shop with focus on food and accessories for dogs and cats, successfully closes its current Series B financing round. Institutional investor Heliad Equity Partners, www.heliad.de, acts as lead investor contributing a seven-digit Euro amount. Further funds have been provided by the existing shareholders and strategic media investor GMPVC German Media Pool, www.gmpvc.de. The new funds will fuel the manifestation of the leader position in the expert segment, especially through pushing the product portfolio in the high-quality range, the enhancement of usability and consulting via the in-house Foodfinder Technology, as well as the implementation of responsive and mobile capabilities. “Our market offers a huge potential and we have a thorough plan how to establish ourselves as the go-to shop with a unique customer value proposition for conscient dog and cat owners” says epetWorld’s MD Dr. Rainer Brosch. “We are excited to welcome such top investors as HELIAD and GMPVC on board, both of which share our vision and will support us tremendously in our way forward.” Thomas Hanke representing HELIAD, is convinced of the strong growth ahead: “I am deeply impressed by what the team has achieved so far. Alongside the refinement of the online product and positioning, ePetWorld has enhanced its supply chain and backend processes – now serving as a sound basis for the next growth phase.” Aljoscha Kaplan, GMPVC’s founder and Managing Director adds: “ePetWorld has reached a level of maturity where an offline media campaign can help generate lasting growth. Aside from generating additional sales in the short term, the media investment with media from our partners RTL2 and N24 will strengthen awareness for ePetWorld’s unique offering.” ePetWorld currently runs the two shops www.hundeland.de und www.katzenland.de. This vertical strategy enables a superior customer interaction in online marketing, CRM and customer service. It thrives to be the leader in the expert segment for dogs and cats, especially through online consulting, cutting-edge assortment and customer retention. About ePetworld Epetworld GmbH features a specialized online shop for dog and cat lovers respectively, delivering food and accessories at home. The two domains www.hundeland.de and www.katzenland.de provide a unique competitive edge through the products and services provided, and have seen strong growth in the past. And it’s not only the pet market that is an attractive ecommerce field – the online segment continues to pick up at a two-digit rate. Day by day, nearly 30 employees invest themselves fully into further developing the website, testing products, and supporting customers on the phone. Surely a dog is not a recruiting requirement – but is more than welcome at work. By now Australian Shepherd Elmo und French Bulldogs Sissy und Peedy have really become an integral part of the team, always ready to volunteer and test new snacks before they are listed. About Heliad Heliad is a private equity company providing capital for companies which are in growth or change phases. The particular characteristics of the investment strategy include active support for the investments and the possibility of developing individual funding solutions. Heliad invests in both listed and non-listed companies and may acquire minority or majority interests. Further information on Heliad can be found at www.heliad.com About GMPVC German Media Pool GMPVC is Germany’s leading media for equity advertising fund combining different media types. GMPVC provides entrepreneurs with the ability to achieve breakthrough cross-media campaigns while conserving cash to finance their growth. GMPVC is partner of the media groups RTL2, N24, REGIOCAST and WallDecaux. Pooled media consisting of TV, radio and out-of-home advertising is exchanged for an equity stake in high-growth businesses. Experience in entrepreneurship, venture capital fund management as well as valuable knowhow of how media functions for startups is combined and made available to entrepreneurs. GMPVC’s investment focus lies in consumer-facing companies with a mature product offering. End of Media Release Issuer: ePetWorld GmbH Key word(s): Finance 24.06.2014 Dissemination of a Press Release, transmitted by DGAP – a company of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. DGAP’s Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de |
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