Rocket Internet
| File:Rocket Internet logo.png | |
| Societas Europaea | |
| Industry | Online retailing, Venture capital |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
|
Area served
|
World |
|
Key people
|
Oliver Samwer (CEO), Peter Kimpel (CFO), Alexander Kudlich (Group Managing Director) |
|
Number of employees
|
300 (2015), incl. ventures 30,000 |
| Website | www.rocket-internet.com |
Rocket Internet SE is a German Internet company headquartered in Berlin. The company builds online startups and owns shareholdings in various models of internet retail businesses.[2][3] The company model is known as a startup studio or a venture builder.[4]
It provides office space to new companies at its headquarters in Berlin, with IT support, marketing services and access to investors. The company aims to operate outside the US and China.[5] As of 2016, Rocket Internet has more than 30,000 employees across its worldwide network of companies, which consists of over 100 entities active in 110 countries.[6][7]
Contents
History
The company was founded in Berlin in 2007 by three brothers: Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer[8] and was once also connected to the European Founders Fund, an associated company.
In 2008 Rocket Internet founded Zalando,[9] inspired by US online retailer Zappos.com.[10]
On July 1, 2014, Rocket Internet changed its legal form from a GmbH (private limited company) to an AG (public limited company).[11] The initial public offering took place on October 2, 2014 at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company is listed in the Entry Standard. On March 18, 2015 the company changed its legal form into an SE (Societas Europaea).[12] In mid-April, Global Founders held 38.1% in Rocket Internet, Kinnevik 13.2%, United Internet 8.3%, Baillie Gifford 6.8%, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company 6.1% and Access Industries 6.0%. Holtzbrinck Ventures held a 1.8% share, with main investors holding shares of 3.4%; 16.3% was held in free float.[13]
The company’s market value was approximately 8 billion euros in April 2015.[14]
In 2015 Rocket Internet announced to move into a new Berlin headquarter designed by Sauerbruch Hutton, for which they received a Stirling Prize nomination in 2000.
The network of companies
Rocket Internet follows the strategy of building companies on the basis of proven models. The company holds multiple companies including Foodpanda, Jabong.com, Lazada Group, Zalora, HelloFresh and Zalando.
Controversy
The company has been criticised for its “copycat” strategy of founding startups which replicate the business models of other established, successful companies.[2]
In 2011, 20 of the then-130 employees left Rocket Internet at the same time.[15][16] According to media coverage at the time, the reason for this string of layoffs was “bad quality of new products” and a “gruff manner” towards employees in the course of Rocket Internet’s expansion into a “large corporation”. The former Rocket Internet managers subsequently went on to found the incubator Project A Ventures with help from the Otto Group.[17]
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21593586-how-build-companies-kit-rocket-machine
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- ↑ Bloomberg Businessweek; 3/5/2012, Issue 4269, p74-80, 6p, 5 Color Photographs
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Further reading
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- Rocket Internet acquires Dutch couponing company Imbull. DOD News. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
