• Auctionata

  Participated · Equity · Apr 2013

  Auctionata operates an online auction platform that livestreams auctions of art and luxury collectibles, enabling global bidders to tune into the hall and bid via its website or mobile app. The company auctions items across categories including contemporary and fine art, antiques, Asian art, watches, wine, vintage luxury goods and classic cars, and leverages patented real-time streaming technology. In 2015 Auctionata reported a Gross Merchandise Volume of €81m, a 165% increase versus the prior year, with around 76% of GMV generated from livestream auctions and 24% from fixed‑price sales. Nearly 80% of GMV was realized through the Berlin office, with the remainder from New York City and London; the strongest turnover categories were Watches (25%), Classic Cars (23%) and Fine Art (22%). The company sold about 16,000 items in 2015, held 249 auctions (44 broadcast live from New York), recorded more than 100,000 bids totaling €483m, and reported net commission revenue of €21m versus €6m in 2014. Auctionata operates a live-streamed auction platform for fine art, antiques and luxury collectibles, running weekly live auctions since May 2013. The company combines online streaming with an expert-driven vetting process, calling on about 300 experts across 40 countries. It maintains full offices in Berlin and New York and smaller offices in London, Zürich, Rome and Madrid. Auctionata plans to expand into new geographies and new categories, and to invest further in the technology behind its live-stream format. New auction areas it intends to add include musical instruments, memorabilia, architectural and garden pieces, diamonds and real estate, while continuing investments in watches, classic cars, wine, jewelry, design, contemporary art, fine art, antiques and Asian art. In 2014 the company reported net sales of €31.5 million and posted €12.5 million in net sales in the first quarter of 2015. Auctionata operates an online platform for art, antiques and collectibles, broadcasting live auctions in HD to computers, tablets and mobile devices and providing valuation and auction-house services. Its categories include Old Masters, modern and contemporary art, porcelain, silver, antiques, design, photography, jewelry, watches, wine, Islamic and Asian art, textiles, books and manuscripts. The company leverages a global network of 250 experts to provide free valuations and has conducted 17 online live auctions in 2014 with total net turnover of €4.6m. Auctionata reports 75,000 customers from over 100 countries and about 500,000 website visitors per month. It employs over 100 people across offices in Berlin and New York. The company intends to use the new funding to expand globally. Auctionata is a Berlin-based online fine art auction house that brings the services of a traditional auction house to the internet. It broadcasts live auctions in TV quality to computers, tablets and mobile devices. The company operates a global network of 250 experts who provide free valuations for art, antiques, collectibles and luxury vintage items. Founded one year ago by Alexander Zacke and Georg Untersalmberger, Auctionata also maintains a New York office and employs about 100 people. The company recently raised $20.2M in funding and previously secured a $2.5M round from Bright Capital Digital in 2012. Auctionata, founded in 2011, operates an online auction platform focused on antiquarian items and collectibles. It offers a patented real-time bidding system run by international experts, state-licensed auctioneers and experienced professionals. The platform enables users to bid on and sell items such as diamond rings, works of art, furniture and rare stamps. Sellers can list via weekly auctions (every Friday at 6pm CET), special themed auctions, or a sales gallery offering expert-priced fixed listings. Experts provide valuations and professional photography for auction catalogues. Financially, the company has raised $2.5M from Bright Capital Digital and is also backed by e.ventures and Holtzbrinck Ventures; the company is currently hiring.

• Heverest.ru

  Led · Equity · Feb 2012

  Heverest.ru is an online retailer selling sportswear, leisure and travel goods. The site offers more than 6,000 items from 150 major sport and leisure brands, including Nike, Columbia, Adidas, Reebok and Puma. It reports an average of 600,000 visitors per month. The company says it will use new funding to expand its online product offering, boost sales and marketing, and improve customer service by enhancing its CRM system. Heverest.ru was launched by the startup incubator and accelerator Fast Lane Ventures, which has been operational since June 2011. The business is Moscow-based and recently secured additional external financing to support growth. Heverest.ru operates an online store selling major international sport and leisure brands and combines e-commerce with an online community for active‑life users. The site offers interactive tools for expert counselling, newsfeeds, articles, traveler recommendations, feedback, interviews and offline specialist events. Product assortment is regularly refreshed and deliveries are transferred to all regions of Russia. The company was launched by Fast Lane Ventures on 1 June 2011 and Fast Lane acts as an investor and operational partner. Heverest.ru positions itself to capitalise on a growing Russian sport goods market that analysts estimate could expand materially by 2015. Financially, the company has attracted external investment and reported total funding of around $2 million including seed financing.

• Farfetch

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2012

  Farfetch operates a global e-commerce marketplace and technology platform for the luxury fashion industry, connecting customers in over 190 countries with items from more than 50 countries and over 1,300 brands, boutiques, and department stores. Its businesses include Farfetch Platform Solutions (enterprise e‑commerce and tech services), retail brands Browns and Stadium Goods, and the New Guards brand-development platform. The company invests in retail technology and innovation, including a "store of the future" augmented retail solution. Farfetch plans to expand its footprint across China via a strategic partnership and joint venture with Alibaba and Richemont, and to launch on Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Luxury Soho and Tmall Global. The partnership also establishes the Luxury New Retail initiative to accelerate digitisation across the luxury industry. Financially, the company secured a package of strategic investments announced in 2020–2021, including convertible notes, a China JV equity investment and a share purchase by Artemis. Farfetch operates a marketplace for luxury brands and multi-brand retailers, partnering with merchants to sell high-end fashion. The company has focused on expansion in Asia and in the prior year raised $110 million specifically to support that effort. In China—where Farfetch launched in 2014—the company had become its second-largest market and partnered with about 200 brands and 500 multi-brand retailers. The new strategic partnership with JD.com gives Farfetch access to JD’s logistics network (including JD Luxury Express), online payment and microcredit tools, social-media resources such as its partnership with WeChat, and big data. CEO Jose Neves highlighted the alliance’s role in helping Farfetch combat counterfeit products among Chinese luxury consumers. The deal makes JD.com one of Farfetch’s largest shareholders and includes a board seat for JD’s founder and CEO, Richard Liu. Farfetch operates an e-commerce platform that connects fashion lovers with a global community of independent boutiques through a single website. The site aggregates inventory from more than 2,000 brands and serves fashion-forward consumers. Founded in 2008 and led by José Neves, the company maintains offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, São Paulo and Porto. In April 2016 Farfetch raised $110M in a Series F funding round. The company has raised over $305M to date. It intends to use the new funds to continue to expand operations globally. Farfetch is a London-based online marketplace that connects high-end retailers and boutiques to global consumers without holding inventory. Founded in 2007, the platform aggregates roughly 300 businesses and reports about 450,000 users. Its gross merchandise value is around $1 million per day, and the average customer basket is $600–$700. The company expanded beyond Europe and the U.S. into China, Russia and Japan and plans further growth into markets such as Latin America, Germany, South Korea and Spain. Farfetch is investing in growth, and it is not clear whether it is currently profitable; it has raised nearly $200 million to date. Management says the new capital will be used to continue global expansion and may keep the company private for now with a potential IPO considered in the next couple of years. Farfetch, launched in 2008, operates an e-commerce marketplace that brings independent fashion boutiques from Europe and North America under one roof. The site curates a network of more than 300 boutiques, listing designer brands such as Fendi, Gucci, and Chloé alongside emerging designers. It offers clothing for both men and women and aggregates boutiques from cities including Paris, New York, Milan, Bucharest, Helsinki, and Honolulu. The company reports annual sales of $275 million and year-on-year growth of 100 percent. Farfetch says the investment will fund international expansion in the U.S., Brazil and Asia and advance its omni-channel strategy. Plans include developing local-language sites for markets such as Russia, Japan and China and accelerating engineering work to improve the site's responsiveness.

• Sapato.ru

  Participated · Equity · Jun 2011

  Sapato.ru is a Russian online shoe retailer launched in June 2010. It secured $12 million in additional capital from Intel Capital, with existing investors Direct Group, eVenture Capital Partners and Kinnevik participating, bringing total funding to approximately $20 million. The company said the investments will be used to expand its assortment, increase marketing and improve customer service by enhancing its CRM platform. By May 2011 Sapato.ru’s turnover had grown 50-fold to more than $2.8 million and it has handled over 75,000 orders in less than a year. It currently offers more than 5,700 models from over 200 brands and reports about 100,000 active customers. Sapato.ru is the first startup of Fast Lane Ventures, a Russian company set up by Western investors to launch, accelerate and promote innovative Internet projects. Sapato.ru is an online footwear store launched in June 2010 that positions itself as a Zappos clone. The site stocks more than 3,000 models from 100 world-known brands and aims to expand to 10,000 models of men, women and kids footwear in 2011. The company plans to use new funds to increase assortment, improve customer service and to launch an aggressive marketing campaign. Sapato.ru says it will emulate Zappos’ customer-service focus as it scales. The Russian footwear market is estimated to be worth over $15 billion but remains almost entirely offline, presenting a large addressable opportunity. CEO Matthieu Lannegrand described the online footwear market as still immature but full of potential.

• 9flats

  Led · Equity · May 2011

  9flats operates as a German Airbnb-clone travel startup with teams in Hamburg and Berlin. The company has grown to over 90 employees representing 16 nationalities. It recently published about 60 open positions, signalling continued hiring and expansion. 9flats secured a $10 million investment to fund its next phase of growth. The fresh capital is intended to support international expansion into new markets and to reach new customers for its platform. Leadership communicated the fundraising as a “major” round via co-founder Stephan Uhrenbacher’s announcement on Twitter.

No current team members are available.