cliqe’s Post

🗞️ The news is out! Today we can finally share that cliqe was acquired by stylink. 🤝   Together with my co-founder Tiên, we started building cliqe with the mission to help content creators to benefit financially from their passion and the audience that they have built, and to provide brands with cost-efficient access to authentic ambassadors for their offerings.   With stylink, we found the perfect partner to pursue this mission. As the largest end-to-end influencer marketing platform for brands and creators in Europe, stylink combines the maturity of an established player with the dynamic of a young upstart and fits perfectly with the cliqe DNA. From the first conversations with the stylink-team, we got the strong feeling that joining forces is not just a personal fit, but also a great opportunity to build something special and lasting in the creator economy.    As part of the acquisition, I’ll join the stylink-team as Head of Product to steer existing and new products and integrate our technology and expertise into their portfolio.   I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who supported us on our journey. Without them, this path would have been a lot more challenging! 🌱 Startup Incubator Berlin for helping us to grow the seeds of our business and supporting us with the Berlin startup scholarship. Nora Revermann Marvin Göldner Sandra Thumm   🛤️ CODE University of Applied Sciences for giving us a creative space to work and access to a strong founder community in their startup summer program. Justus Tölle   🚀 Vali Berlin - Entrepreneurship Hub at ESMT for putting us in the room with like-minded entrepreneurs, knowledgeable experts, and mentors. Baris Efe Juanita Corredor Joachim Behrendt … among many others. 👏 Last but not least, to my co-founder Tiên who has been a force in the past months and remained a source of calm and clarity in the good and challenging moments. I’m now looking forward to establishing stylink’s presence in Berlin together with Tiên. If you are passionate about the creator economy and believe you would be a great addition to the team, feel free to check our open positions or send me a DM. Onwards 🚀 Read on for the full story Gründerszene (Business Insider Deutschland) ⬇️ #startup #acquisition #exit

The Mediaspace Global Changemakers' Awards is open for entries, calling all progressive projects until 30 September 2024! If you are a marketer, publisher, media or platform company, an adtech or martech firm, a media/digital agency, startup, consultant, or legal/policy player with a progressive solution (case study. project, method, approach or tech innovation) born in the 2020s, submit your application in September 2024 here: https://lnkd.in/dDVJmEXD Meet Melinda Doczi, Global CMO at Logiscool Ltd., who is joining the jury for the Mediaspace.global Changemakers' Awards and will also be joining the global conversation at the Mediaspace Global Changemakers' Summit on 30 Oct 2024: https://lnkd.in/d_3v-whb. Why join the Awards co-opetition? 👉🏽 Shine among progressive companies with your brands—from corporate solutions to startup innovation, all sizes and locations, born in the 2020s are welcome. 👉🏻 Broad awards categories: we defined 4 categories to break siloes and let more solutions get to the spotlight. 👉 Co-opetition: A longer list of submissions will be published on Mediaspace.global, so this competition is not just about the top winners. 👉🏿 The awards ceremony will be at the Changemakers' Summit on the 30 Oct 2024 virtually and in London at the Rakuten Viber offices, where not only the winners will be invited to join the conversation at our interactive summit: https://lnkd.in/dxXw5dQA Entries are open until the end of 2024 here: https://lnkd.in/dSSH9XQK Other confirmed jury members so far for the 4 categories include Tamima Ibrahim of Pan-Africa Network Group / StarNetwork, Mazen Mroueh of Publicis Media, Nene Obichie of SeaD Digital, Sarah Thompson of The Mantis Group, Krisztina Palinkas of Molson Coors Beverage Company, Alessandro De Zanche of ADZ Strategies, Farrell Tan of Orchan Consulting | Asia Sdn Bhd, Cecilia Dones of 3 Standard Deviations and Columbia Business School, Pam Moore of Marketing Nutz, Timothy "Tim" Hughes 提姆·休斯 L.ISP of DLA ignite, Juan Ramon 胡安•雷蒙•扎尔 Zarco, Esq. of Silicon Valley Ventures Growth Partners/ Crimson Growth Partners, Herbert Pratter, Evgeny Popov of Mediaspace.global. More announcements will follow. Cc. Lavina Suthenthiran, Jeremy Walters, Zineb Serroukh-Ouarda, Kinga Incze #changemakers #callforentries #progress #coopetition

Thanks to Lionel Messi, it was a record-breaking year for the MLS. But now, they are taking a page out of the NBA’s playbook... The MLS has launched an Innovation Lab program to collaborate with new start-ups and test innovative soccer technology. This approach is not new for sports; the NBA has seen major success with its Launchpad program that launched in 2022. To date, the NBA has successfully helped 12 different start-ups through their initiative. The MLS program will focus on a few key areas: • Player development • Fan Engagement • Media Technology Given the enormous attention US soccer is receiving, the league is offering startups a unique opportunity to refine their products and gain access to the U.S. soccer market. The program received a lot of interest so far, with over 500 global companies applying in the first year. The SVP of Emerging Ventures for the MLS, Chris Schlosser, had an interesting take on the long-term vision of the program: "Our goal is to build a robust portfolio of companies we've made investments in that drive the sports industry forward." The sports technology market is currently worth $13 billion, but is expected to expand rapidly to $65 billion within the next decade. It remains to be seen if the MLS will direct investments into these companies, but judging how the first year goes, this could be a big possibility. With the sports industry heavily influenced by media deal revenues, the MLS can add new value by acquiring stakes in global startups, aiming for successful exits in the years to come. 𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲: While this is speculative, a unique approach could involve putting seed investments into these start-ups and spreading the equity across all the teams in the league. With MLS valuations lagging behind other US sports, giving each team a small portfolio in equity start-ups could be an interesting way to boost valuations across the league, while also encouraging clubs to support and champion these start-ups. Again, this idea is more speculative than a tangible option due to various complications, but I’m excited to see how the MLS will expand and evolve this program in the years to come.  #sportsbiz #sportstech https://lnkd.in/e5KKeNvr

Attention Sports Tech Founders! 🚀 Avoid these six common mistakes to accelerate your startup's success: 🤷♂️ Ignoring Immediate Needs: Align with what sports properties need right now. 📈 Underestimating Risk Aversion: Make your offerings risk-free. 💸 Overlooking Revenue/Cost Impact: Show clear financial benefits. And another 3 are waiting for you here! 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dynH4r7N Learn more about these pitfalls and how to overcome them! #SportsTech #Innovation #StartupTips #Entrepreneurship #HYPESportsInnovation

🔶Diamonds in the [Tech] Rough: The first failure: In 2016, we embarked on a bold journey with the launch of HYPE, fueled by a vision to bridge the gap between sports tech startups and industry giants. My co-founder, armed with invaluable insights from Adidas, and I leveraged our deep networks to champion the cause of emerging innovators. The first failure: We initiated a program dedicated to identifying and nurturing startups that represented the real “diamonds” of innovation. Despite our enthusiasm and industry connections, none of the startups managed to secure a deal or even a pilot test with the brands during that period. The feedback was… Full story: #AI #SportsTech #Sportsbiz #News #Media #Sports HYPE Sports Innovation

It’s getting busier out there people. Those hands that have been sat on for so long are breaking free. Here’s a selection of the latest funding news from across the globe. C’MON! GigPig live music marketplace secures £1.3M to create new gig opportunities - GigPig has secured £1.3 million in a seed funding round led by Haatch Ventures (which invested in Thingtrax and Made With Intent ) and Notion Capital. Other investors in the seed round include Chris Tottman of Notion Capital and Mark Bennett of Haatch, Angel investors and music industry experts Chris Meehan & Richard Flint, Wolfgang Allisat, and Andrea Mihalovits are among a syndicate of individuals who backed the company. Hexis scores £1.6M for its AI-driven personalised nutrition platform for athletes - headquartered in London, Hexis has announced that they have scored a £1.6 million pre-seed funding round. It saw participation from APEX Capital an athlete-backed venture capital firm, and Sport Republic, a global sports investment company with controlling ownership of the football clubs Southampton FC, Valenciennes FC, and Göztepe SK. It was also supported by high-profile sports VCs including Dopamine Sports Ventures along with Tour de France stage winners and Olympic medallists. Female-led Opmed.ai secures $15M to address healthcare labour shortages with AI - Boston-based Opmed.ai, a company developing AI solutions for healthcare operations, has secured $15 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by NFX and Grove Ventures, with Secret Chord Ventures, the Impact investor Sir Ronald Cohen and UnBox Ventures also participating. UK fintech Abound secures up to £800M to expand access to fair credit - London-based credit technology company Abound has announced a new financing round of debt and equity combined which in aggregate, according to the company, could extend up to £800 million, expanding total funding to up to £1.3 billion. In March last year the company secured over £500 million in debt and equity funding. The new funding includes a multi-year asset-backed debt financing arrangement (backed by loan originations) from existing financier Citi, while Silicon Valley-based GSR Ventures led the Series B equity round. Silicon Valley startup Anetac unveils real-time service account security with $16M funding - Anetac, a cybersecurity startup focused on service account security, has emerged from stealth mode with $16 million in funding. The company aims to revolutionise service account security by offering a real-time streaming solution that addresses a major vulnerability in hybrid environments. The latest funding round was led by Liberty Global, joined by Shield Capital, The General Partnership, Anetac CEO Timothy Eades and cybersecurity expert Jason W. There’s so many more to mention but I just don’t have the space! So congratulations to all recipients of new funding! I’m Warren Beazley, #TheCTORecruiter #fundingnews #venturecapital #vcs #angels #privateequity

When celebrities invest cash into startups they often get lower valuations in exchange for promotion. And I believe that is exactly what happened with Ronaldo’s latest investment in wearable technology company WHOOP. The Portuguese soccer icon just invested and became an official global ambassador for Whoop, the wearable technology company. “Whoop has had a transformative impact on my life both on and off the pitch,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “I wear Whoop while training, sleeping, and recovering. It’s been one of the most important tools helping me elevate my game and monitor my health.” The financial details of the investment have not been disclosed, but according to Whoop, the deal represents one of Ronaldo’s “most significant investments to date.” Although it could definitely be true that Ronaldo invested cash, I don’t believe he paid the full price for it (but this is just an assumption). Often when celebrities invest, they get discounted valuations or do a part equity deal in exchange for promoting the company. Ronaldo for example has 629 million followers on Instagram and is the most followed person on the platform. One post about a company and the website will probably blow up (which is exactly what Ronaldo did this morning btw announcing his partnership with Whoop). Besides getting a financial injection, most often the startups receiving the celebrity investment also gain a lot of social exposure, which they normally have to pay millions of dollars for. So it makes sense to do a part equity deal or offer a lower valuation. What do you think? 

📢 Exciting News: GetNano is now part of stylink! 🎉🚀 I’m thrilled to share that GetNano has officially been acquired by stylink! From our first humble beginnings in school to becoming part of a global influencer platform, it’s been a wild ride! 🔍 Our Journey: It all started back in school, when Daniel Keinrath and I already tried building some sort of marketplace startup. Ambitious: YES! 🫡  Successful: Not yet! 🥲 However, 3 years later, we found ourselves knee-deep in starting the next big thing during my first year of university: GetNano. I still recall a night before a major pitch. It hit me—why would anyone invest in us if I wasn’t fully committed? I decided to quit university and go all in. And this worked out: Raphael Sperlich joining as a late co-founder, with Michael Rosenzweig-Steiner, Norbert Himmelbauer, and Stefan Ortmair as early investors. 💡 Learnings & Triumphs: But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there, and we did our fair share of rookie mistakes. Top of the list— not talking to our customers right from the get-go. Fast forward to when we actually did, and it led to our biggest triumph: a major pivot. We shifted our focus from nano influencers to high-performing user-generated content, which really resonated with our customers. Turning us into a startup that finally scaled to 2,500 B2B customers and 20,000 creators. 🙌 Shoutout to the Dream Team: Big shoutout to Raphael Rotter, our head of sales, who basically acted as a co-founder and did so much more than sales! Speaking of game changers, none of this would have been possible without our amazing team! Special thanks to Jennifer Novomesky & Benedikt Brauner! 📚 Personal Reflections: Sometimes I felt out of my depth, especially not having gone the traditional uni route like many of my friends. But the lessons in business, leadership, and product development I’ve picked up along the way? University can hardly teach that. 🤝 Looking Forward: I’ll be staying on as an advisor to ensure getnano by stylink thrives under stylink and reaches new heights.  Personally, I’m also stoked to dive back into the Austrian startup ecosystem to support other ambitious founders. Excited to connect with everyone who's been part of this journey. I’m just a message away if you need advice, or if you just want to have a chat. Let’s keep creating and innovating together!

A quick filler on the exciting sports-tech news these last two weeks! Startups & VC: ⛳️Whoosh, Inc. raised $10.3M (series A) to modernize golf software for clubs and courses 🎥Spiideo raised $20M (growth) to automate sports video production and analysis 🎾USTA ventures invests undisclosed amount into PlayReplay AB to elevate tennis line-calling solutions M&A and Investments: 🏏England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) taps The Raine Group, Deloitte to advise sale of eight ‘The Hundred’ team stakes 🏈Big 12 considers up to $1B investment from CVC Capital Partners for 15%-25% stake in the conference 🐺Mike Bloomberg agrees to join Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore to acquire majority stake in Minnesota Timberwolves Strategic Ventures: 🪰Greenfly partners with Yahoo Sports to deliver breaking sports news to fans faster 🇺🇸Arctos partners with UMichigan Ross School of Business to launch NA sports franchise index 📊Bayer 04 Leverkusen extend partnership with Kitman Labs for athlete performance tracking across senior and youth teams Check out this week’s edition for more! ⬇️ #The4thQuarter #Sportstech #VC #Startups

🚀 Exciting news 🚀 We are delighted to announce the acquisition of the up-and-coming Berlin-based startup cliqe. This marks a significant step forward for our company, emphasizing our dedication to continuously diversify and enhance our product offerings for creators. 🌐 Founded in 2022, cliqe has established itself as an innovative platform in the creator economy, offering content creators a link-in bio page with direct access to over 250 brands. This allows influencers to monetise their reach with brand and product recommendations, while brands gain access to a pool of credible and effective brand ambassadors. 💡 cliqe’s founders, Tiên Grünewald and Felippe Wick, recognised not only the common content base, but also the same goals, visions and motivations. Thus, stylink's acquisition of cliqe and the seamless integration of functions were finalized. Both founders will lead the charge in developing new products, opening up new verticals and setting up a new office in Berlin. As a result, stylink is also gaining two fascinating, committed and motivated talents. Michael Elschenbroich, CEO of stylink, emphasises the importance of this digital leap: "The merger not only promises to strengthen our market position, but also to create a more diverse and inspiring experience for content creators. The technological synergies and integration of two motivated entrepreneurs, Tiên and Felippe, will contribute to a dynamic, creative working environment." 👥 stylink and cliqe's collaboration is focused on reshaping the future of the influencer industry, putting people before technology. Together, they aim to set new industry standards by introducing innovative solutions that redefine how content creators and brands work. The link to the press release can be found in the comments!