Amazon Web Services opens Pop-up Loft in Berlin

Co-working space, workshops, lectures and more: AWS offers startups a free tech program from October 15th to November 13th! Amazon Web Services: technology on demand for customers of all sizes Agility, flexibility, low costs: It’s not without good reason that numerous startups decide to deploy cloud software.  For many years Amazon Web Services (AWS) has … Read more

Greylock Partners raises $1bn fund – with marketplaces and enterprise in mind

Greylock Partners, one of the oldest venture capital firms in the US, will be eyeing up marketplaces and the enterprise cloud with its new $1bn fund. It’s the firm’s 14th fund since 1965 and first since moving from Boston to Silicon Valley. The firm has managed several big internet hits over the last decade: including … Read more

Delivery Hero invests $5m in India’s TastyKhana

Berlin-headquartered online food ordering empire Delivery Hero is delivering a new $5m investment to its partner in India, TastyKhana. The news – with the size of the deal confirmed by TastyKhana founder and CEO Shachin Bharadwaj in a tweet today – follows an earlier seed investment in 2012. Since the seed deal, TastyKhana, founded in 2007 in Pune … Read more

Delivery Hero gobbles up UK rivals Hungryhouse and Eatitnow

Delivery Hero, the Berlin-headquartered international food ordering platform, has completed a full takeover of former rival Hungryhouse in the UK. The German company today also announced the purchase of smaller player Eatitnow. Delivery Hero already owned a “pivotal stake” in HungryHouse and initiated a merger in March 2012. The full takeover – taking Delivery Hero to 73 per … Read more

How to be German in 20 easy steps – part 1

Adam Fletcher, Startup Hipster and honorary German, shares his insights into the top tips to becoming a real citizen of Schland. Just remember to obey the red man and get some qualifications… And you can now buy the book here… #1 Put on your house shoes So, here we are then my little Ausländer. Your first day … Read more

Delivery Hero takes on Asia’s giant, China

Berlin-headquartered Delivery Hero now offers online food ordering in China, after reportedly acquiring restaurant delivery site Aimifan.com. The opening of Delivery Hero’s Shanghai office comes a few months after opening its new office in South Korea and launching similar venture YoGiYo into that market. Delivery Hero, which reported 84 per cent growth in Q1 2012, is now active in 12 … Read more

The Top 10 Russian internet brands out to conquer the world

In Russia, it’s not Google, but Yandex you tap up for a search query. Mail.ru outstrips Yahoo!, Amazon is trounced by OZON, and Vkontakte outperforms Facebook. Russian versions of global brands are outstripping the market leaders, thanks to targetted local market knowledge, massive internet growth and a reticence of “western” brands to target the territory. The Russian … Read more

Shortcut Ventures places first bet – on “free talk for all” startup Yuilop

Hamburg VC Shortcut Ventures just announced its first investment – in Barcelona startup Yuilop, as the leader of a €4.5 million Series A funding round alongside Russian VC Bright Capital and private telco investor Bruno Ducharme. Dirk Freise, Thorsten Rehling and Martin Ostermayer started Shortcut Ventures (previously known as Fast Lane Ventures – not to … Read more

Fred Wilson anticipates good times for entrepreneurs, bad times for VCs

Berliners keeping an eye on venture capital trends in the US, take note. Fred Wilson, blogger and co-founder of top New York VC firm Union Square Ventures, says capital markets are swinging more in favour of founders. Speaking at the Grind co-working space in Manhattan yesterday (not pictured), Wilson suggested some deep changes will be needed for VCs in the … Read more

Founders Fund invests in the Facebook for scientists: Founder Ijad Madisch on confidence, Luke Nosek, and what the world needs more of

ResearchGate, the largest professional network for scientists and researchers, today announced the completion of its Series B financing. Led by Founders Fund partner Luke Nosek, co-founder of PayPal, with participation from Benchmark Capital, Accel Partners, Michael Birch (co-founder, Bebo) and David O. Sacks (founder/CEO, Yammer, Inc.) the round marks Fund IV’s First Investment in Europe. ResearchGate has earned itself the … Read more