You are here:
11.09.14, 08:12
Rocket Internet
A week after Zalando urges the next Berlin company, Rocket Internet, onto the trading floor. That makes three founders billionaires. They started in Kreuzberg with a ebay copy.
From Björn HartmannFrom the founder a billionaire – yet rarely experienced this history Berlin: Now it is even written in triplicate. The brothers Alexander, Marc and Oliver Samwer email is advancing with two IPOs in the group of super-rich. The company’s developers Rocket Internet, where they hold the majority will still go this year on the stock market. Last week already announced the online retailer Zalando this step on, even to him the Samwers are extensively involved.
The Samwers founded Rocket Internet seven years ago. The company is involved in numerous start-ups – Online furniture retailer, Food Delivery Services, Internet fashion retailer and payment processor. On average they are two years old and operates in around 100 countries and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide. “We are convinced that the Internet will change people’s lives fundamentally, especially in emerging markets,” Oliver Samwer said.
Great Factory of companies
Rocket Internet has developed a modular system, established by the company, are brought to the market and enlarged. A kind of large-scale factory for company – consistent processes, uniform technical basis. It can access all company recently formed. Samwer relies on the efficiency of mass production: “In the global market, the platform wins,” Samwer said in a conference call. People everywhere would need the same things: fashion, food, loans. These basic needs would meet Rocket Internet. Behind the company’m a “beer-and-burger-model”. This is especially efficient
Critics claim that the Samwer brothers could one thing. Copy. So they began in 1999 with Alando, a copy of Ebay for the German market, in the Blücherstraße in Kreuzberg. So it was with City Deal, a German version of the portal Groupon deals. Also, the online retailer Zalando, they mitgründeten 2009 and did great in the episode, was originally a copy of the US-shoe vendor Zappos. Sometimes the copy can be also very fast very profitable sale to the original as Alando (1999, after six months) and City Deal (2010, after six months). But copy is the one making the copy is successful, the other.
Largest Internet platform in the world
where Rocket Internet relies on emerging markets, especially in emerging countries, markets that are not for emerging US firms initially are interesting because they have to do with their home market enough. For example, Zalando copies in Uganda and South Africa operate in Brazil and Venezuela, Russia and Indonesia. The business wants to Rocket Internet now expand. The goal: to become the largest Internet platform in the world outside of the United States and China, as it is on the Internet in large letters on the IPO completely revamped home page of the company. CEO Samwer does not tend to be small close. The IPO was in any case the next step.
So far the Berlin gathered in several rounds of money from investors. Work primarily with Kinnevik together the Samwers, the Swedish financial investor participates in Rocket Internet and at Zalando larger scale. Finally, the ISP United Internet had entered with 10.4 percent among Berliners and had it issued 435 million euros. Thus would be worth 4.3 billion euros Rocket Internet. Now to get fresh money from the stock market, via an IPO (Initial Public Offering), as it is called in the jargon of the market operators. Apparently, it is planned to collect 750 million euros over newly issued shares.
Berliner number one dethroned
The exact date for the IPO is not yet clear, nor is the issue price of the shares. Currently, each of the existing more than 120 million shares worth around € 35,80. Rocket Internet strives for the so-called Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, whose requirements are not so tight as regards the reporting requirement. Some investments are obviously not ready to meet the extensive requirements of the regulated market. But in 18 to 24 months it will be so far. Then Rocket Internet would also be a candidate for the MDAX the medium values.
The Internet retailer Zalando, which helped the Samwers to size, has also announced a week ago, to the stock market to go. The company strives in the so-called Prime Standard of the regulated market in Frankfurt / Main and is targeted with a market capitalization of around five billion euros a candidate for the MDAX. Rocket Internet and Zalando would dethrone even Berlin’s number one each based on market capitalization: the media group Axel Springer, which currently comes to around 4.5 billion euros.
Opaque mesh
Five billion euros are a high rating for a company whose business operations are clear. According to published in the Federal Gazette figures, sales of Rocket Internet amounted to 26 million euros last year. Gains have not been made the company. The capital lies rather in the interests – and especially in their chances. Critics said that participation braid is somewhat obscure. Recently the company announced that, after all, to bundle a part of the online fashion retailers under one roof. Zalora, Dafiti, Jabong, Lamoda or Namshi include future for Global Fashion Group (GFG), established in Luxembourg for tax purposes more interesting. It remains unclear whether two IPOs of this size can ever be successful more or less simultaneously. Moreover, especially the Chinese online retailer Alibaba tries to collect $ 23 billion through an IPO in New York. In contrast, the 750 million euros act will redeem Rocket Internet, and those around 500 million euros, the Zalando want to take according to unconfirmed reports, quite clearly.
Money Rocket from the IPO in any case is urgently needed: data shows Kinnevik the top ten online business of Rocket Internet set to 2013 although around 743 million euros, but with an operating loss of just under 432 million euros. Whether the investors could alienate? Oliver Samwer is as confident: “It takes to get to profitability, but we have a clear roadmap and we are long-term oriented…” The existing shareholders will in any case at least twelve months to sell any shares
© Berliner Morgenpost 2014 – All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment