HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds

Namhafte Branchengrößen investieren in Amazon-Analytics-Tool

Munich-based Emax Digital, a software and technology company focused on Amazon analytics, secured a seed investment of €1.4 million. The round was led by HTGF (High-Tech Gründerfonds) and Bayern Kapital, with notable industry figures Dirk Freytag and Arndt Groth joining as investors and advisers. Emax Digital intends to accelerate development of its AI-powered reporting and analytics SaaS, currently centered on Amazon data, and plans future expansion to platforms like Shopify and marketplaces such as Otto and Zalando. Founders include Andreas Kleofas (CEO) and co-founders Dominik Pietrowski and Dimitri Dumonet. Groth highlights Digital Retail Media as a fast-growing segment, noting Amazon’s advertising revenue around $16 billion in 2020 and that 75% of Amazon marketplace customers are also advertisers. The platform aims to translate complex e-commerce patterns into actionable insights to help brands optimize their Amazon business and drive growth.

M&A and VC Activity in Online Marketing Accelerates

An analysis by RBS RoeverBroennerSusat (RBS) and a Hamburg digital evening on November 20 examine mergers and acquisitions and venture capital activity in Germany’s online-marketing sector. The study highlights a shifting provider landscape beyond Google and Facebook, with players spanning publishers, large IT/software groups, agency networks, media owners, and investors. Although the biggest deals, VC rounds, and IPOs remain abroad, German transactions in number and size are rising. Private-equity investors are backing online-marketing models, as Equistone Partners Europe bundles Performance Media, Blue Summit Media, Delasocial, and Econda under the Performance Interactive Alliance (PIA), which subsequently welcomed DYMATRIX CONSULTING GROUP. Hamburg’s digital evening featured Jochen Maaß (Hanseventures), Erik Siekmann (Digital Forward), and Philipp Westermeyer (Metrigo) among others, discussing the sustainability and investor perspectives of the trend. The study includes interviews with Thomas Dold (DYMATRIX), Patrick Klingberg (Artaxo), and Dr. Ole Mensching (Careerteam).

Aktive Nutzer statt tote Downloads gesucht

Trademob, a Berlin-based mobile advertising and analytics company, explains its approach to boosting app acquisition by prioritizing active users over raw download counts. Founder Ravi Kamran describes how Trademob aggregates multiple mobile ad networks (AdMob, Smaato, iAD, InMobi, Adfonic, Mojiva) to identify valuable inventory across networks and optimize bidding. The platform tracks not only downloads but downstream in-app actions (such as coupon purchases and hotel bookings) to quantify ROI for advertisers. Kamran notes that advertisers define an active user differently, with many aiming for users who open the app several times, and emphasizes monetization through in-app purchases or paid services. The company advocates Freemium models, citing that free apps reach far more users than paid ones, and mentions that about half of App Store revenues come from in-app purchases. Trademob was founded in late 2010 and is headquartered in Berlin; investors include HTGF and Tengelmann.