NEWS
April 1, 2009
Seventure, Wellington and Endeavour invest €7m into Retailo AG
 
Cologne, Germany, April 1st, 2009 Retailo AG, a Cologne based retailer, specialized in gift card business has successfully concluded a second financing round of 7 million Euros. The round was led by Seventure Partners with participation from existing investors Wellington Partners and Endeavour Vision.

The core of the Retailo business model is selling gift cards of various providers through a unique system. Retailo combines prepaid cards of various trading companies to one overall range which is presented at several thousand highly frequented sales locations and on the internet. The market leading “Geschenkkartenwelt” platform offers advantages for all involved parties; for the first time consumers are able to choose from a wide range of cards at one spot whilst the card providers benefit from an enormous expansion of their sales opportunities. Retailo is currently selling gift cards from approximately 40 leading brands and serves 5.000 POS in Germany and Switzerland.

“We continue to make significant efforts to attract additional excellent brands and point of sales partners and open further European markets for our existing partner base”, commented Christian Lindner, CEO, Retailo AG.

Dr. Wolfgang Krause, of Seventure Partners, who will join the Board of Directors of the company, said: “Retailo has demonstrated an outstanding execution in implementing the gift card mall business into the German and Swiss market. This has convinced us to participate in Retailo’s further growth and shows our continued strong commitment to financing excellent German-based ICT companies with strong growth potential”.

Bernard Vogel, Managing Partner and Board member said: “This round of financing will further speed up the deployment of the company and its international roll out. We are pleased to welcome Seventure to the leading European gift card marketplace and distributor.”

Rolf Dienst, General Partner of Wellington Partners, explains: “We invested in Retailo at a very early-stage in 2007 and we have since been impressed with the excellent execution of the ambitious business plan. The new financing round will help Retailo to expand their competitive edge in Germany and beyond.”

Profiles:

About Retailo:
Retailo is a pioneer in selling prepaid and gift cards of various providers through a unique system. As a retail industry company, Retailo operates the market-leading, transorganisational distribution system for gift and prepaid cards. The trend-setting system brings together providers, traders and consumers. It is centred around the “Geschenkkartenwelt” which is present at several thousand highly frequented sales locations, where consumers can find a vast range of gift and prepaid cards from first class brands. Retailo activates and invoices the various cards through a standardised procedure. The Cologne-based company is currently active in Germany and Switzerland and is planning to expand to further European countries. www.retailo.de and www.geschenkkartenwelt.de.

About Seventure:
Active partner of companies with high growth potential, Seventure Partners invests since 1997 in two innovative business areas: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Life Sciences (LF). The Seventure Partners team has a proven track-record and deep knowledge in technology, entrepreneurship, operations of venture capital, and the needs generated in fast-growing European companies. With 500 million Euros in assets under management, Seventure has invested in more than 120 innovative start-ups. www.seventure.fr

About Wellington Partners:
Wellington Partners is one of the most successful pan-European venture capital firms. With some € 800 million under management and offices in London, Munich, Palo Alto and Zurich, the firm invests into companies throughout Europe that have the potential to become global leaders, in the areas of Digital Media, Cleantech, Electronics, Software und Life Sciences.
Since 1998, Wellington Partners has invested in more than 100 companies in Europe and Israel, including the now publicly traded Actelion, SAF and XING and successful privately held companies like Alando (acquired by eBay), Ciao (acquired by Microsoft) and ImmobilienScout24 (acquired by Deutsche Telekom). For more information please visit www.wellington-partners.com .

About Endeavour Vision:
Endeavour Vision combines a team of experienced venture capital professionals responsible for investments in 70 companies in 12 countries in both Technology and Life Sciences since 1989. Endeavour Vision targets European early stage companies that have potential to become global leaders. Beyond access to capital, Endeavour Vision brings years of experience, expertise and network to its entrepreneurs, plus a passion for success. www.endeavourvision.com .

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partner of the European Tech Tour "With Endeavour Vision we have been able to establish at fast speed the personal trust level needed and also come to terms very quick. They are highly professional partners and support us in every possible manner"
Christian Lindner, Co-Founder and Member of the Executive Board Retailo AG