STS VENTURES INVESTS IN GIPEDO

Hamburg, 12 August 2024 – Institutional early-stage investor STS Ventures invests a 7-digit figure in GIPEDO. With STS Ventures, the Hamburg-based software startup welcomes a renowned and experienced tech investor as strategic partner. STS Ventures provides GIPEDO with a strong financial foundation and will support its further growth. GIPEDO will use the investment to drive market expansion and further accelerate product development. The GIPEDO platform is already being used by over 60 professional teams in Germany.

WITH STS VENTURES GIPEDO WINS A RENOWNED INVESTOR

STS Ventures is an institutional early stage investor from Cologne that was founded by serial entrepreneur Stephan Schubert. Among other things, Stephan founded OnVista and successfully led it to an IPO. With STS Ventures, Stephan has already invested in over 60 start-ups including audibene, Emma, and Zooplus. STS always strongly supports its portfolio companies closely and for the long term. With the mindset of a business angel and the financial strength of a VC, STS Ventures invests in innovative startups that have the potential to become hidden champions.

STRONG FINANCIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE FURTHER GROWTH OF GIPEDO

The Hamburg-based startup GIPEDO develops industry-leading software solutions for professional sports. GIPEDO Workspace automates pre- and after-sales processes for clubs, which previously involved a great deal of manual effort. The SaaS solution saves clubs valuable time and allows them to unlock new marketing potential. GIPEDO Marketplace helps clubs and leagues to access previously inaccessible media budgets with their valuable perimeter inventory. Brands and agencies can easily integrate professional sports into their media mix based upon GIPEDOs CPM- and reach estimates.

AN EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF CLUBS ARE CHOOSING GIPEDO

To date, big names in professional sport have already opted for GIPEDO's SaaS solution. These include the reigning German champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen, VfL Bochum, TSG Hoffenheim women's team, and the European League of Football (ELF). Automating their processes and increasing their efficiency of internal processes through GIPEDO Workspace. Over 60 teams from several pro sport leagues in Germany including Bundesliga, 2nd Bundesliga, and Women's Bundesliga sell their inventory as media deals via GIPEDO Marketplace. Although many teams are already working with GIPEDO, the Hamburg-based startup is only at the start of its journey.

WHAT STS VENTURES AND GIPEDO HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

"From the start, GIPEDO's vision was very attractive to us. The founders were able to convince us quickly with their outstanding expertise. We are particularly enthusiastic about the innovative platform for in-content advertising in pro sports, which significantly improves marketing for clubs. With the increasing use of virtual feeds, the clubs revenue potential is growing substantially and the associated complexity can be perfectly automated via GIPEDO. We are looking forward to the future together with GIPEDO!"

Oliver Kaul, Partner, STS Ventures

"We are very pleased to welcome STS Ventures as strategic partner at GIPEDO. The investment is a big step for us and comes at the right time. In our discussions, we quickly realised that we are at the beginning of a strong and trusting partnership. With the expertise of STS Ventures and the substantial financial basis, we will further strengthen the team and accelerate our product development noticeably."

Lars Gantenberg, Co-Founder und CEO, GIPEDO

"From the very first meeting, I had the impression that STS Ventures and GIPEDO were a good match. Further discussions were constructive and characterised by a high level of trust. With STS on our side, we will be able to further accelerate the growth of GIPEDO and our product development. This boosts the energy of the entire team!"

Matthias Rettenmeier, Co-Founder & CPO, GIPEDO

ABOUT STS VENTURES

STS Ventures invests in early-stage start-ups and thematically forms the bridge between business angels and other venture capital funds. The investment focus is on capital-efficient and adaptable companies in niche markets with hidden champion potential in the DACH region. The fund attaches particular importance to close cooperation with its portfolio companies and their active support. With its investment strategy, STS Ventures has already succeeded in achieving above-average returns in three successive fund generations.

 

ABOUT GIPEDO

Founded by Lars Gantenberg and Dr. Matthias Rettenmeier, GIPEDO is a tech startup that views clubs, leagues, and associations as valuable content publishers. The company launched its first product in January 2022, the GIPEDO marketplace and TV perimeter advertising in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. Since then, the platform (www.gipedo.io) has seen significant expansions, integrating three key aspects of sports marketing: automated buying and selling of advertising campaigns in sports, providing data and media KPIs for marketing decisions, and assisting with the organization of media inventory through SaaS solutions. These software solutions allow leagues or clubs to manage and control their entire media advertising inventory with minimal effort. Advertisers gain easy access to the high-reach and emotionally engaging world of sports, previously only available with inflexible and long-term commitments. GIPEDO gives clubs and leagues control over their advertising business and opens new opportunities for advertisers to enter professional sports. The intuitive use of GIPEDO software simplifies processes for both partners.

 

ABOUT THE GIPEDO FOUNDERS

Lars Gantenberg moved to Transfermarkt, a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, in 2018 after 10 years in sports marketing at SPORTFIVE. As managing director, he was responsible for marketing, sales, strategy, and finance, driving the internationalization and global growth of the football portal. He conceived GIPEDO during his Global Executive MBA program at EADA Business School Barcelona and HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management.

Dr. Matthias Rettenmeier has been developing data-driven software products for over 15 years, starting with data compression at the Fraunhofer Institute (SCAI). His entry into the startup Metrigo led him to Hamburg, where he developed technology for determining bid prices for real-time advertising auctions. After Metrigo was acquired by Zalando in 2014, he worked as Chief Data Scientist for Zalando's subsidiary ZMS. After successfully completing the integration, he was ready for something new, leading to the creation of GIPEDO.