DGAP-News: German Startups Group Berlin GmbH & Co. KGaA / Key word(s): Investment German Startups Group increases its investment in the AdTech company TVSmiles 16.12.2016 / 18:13 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- +++ Press release +++ for immediate publication German Startups Group increases its investment in the AdTech company TVSmiles - German Startups Group restructures its management - German Startups Group was the third most active FinTech VC investor in Europe during the last year Berlin, 16 December 2016 - German Startups Group, the second most active venture capital investor in Germany in the time period since 2012 (CB Insights, 2015), increases its investment in TVSmiles. The AdTech startup has recently expanded its business model through the launch of its Kwizzad platform. The new product enables publishers of mobile apps to integrate the quiz-based ad format themselves, which has been optimised by TVSmiles over the course of three years, and therefore enhance their monetisation. According to the company, the app publishers achieve the highest advertising revenues per thousand impressions compared to other digital advertising platforms. This is due to the fact that the playful engagement with the advertising content allows for an effective realisation of campaign goals. Since the marketing conference dmexco Kwizzad is being rolled out very successfully with numerous customers and increases TVSmiles' potential to scale tremendously, according to view of German Startups Group. The AdTech company also recently achieved the top spot in the growth ranking of the online magazine Gründerszene among German mobile/ app companies. The management of the general partner of German Startups Group Berlin GmbH & Co. KGaA, founder and CEO Christoph Gerlinger and Chief Investment Officer Nikolas Samios, have mutually decided to change the structure of the management in order to continue the successful collaboration. In this light, Nikolas Samios has resigned his management position and has instead committed to act as German Startups Group's service provider and authorised signatory for the longer term through his long-standing consulting firm. Nikolas Samios successfully operated in the same constellation for German Startups Group already from 2013 to the end of 2014. The team thus reestablishes a successful structure. In the management's view, no disadvantages for the shareholders are associated with this. There are also no direct financial effects because the compensation of Nikolas Samios or his consultancy takes place on the general partner level of German Startups Group and therefore not within the publicly listed limited partner German Startups Group Berlin GmbH & Co. KGaA. German Startups Group is the third most active venture capital investor in European FinTech companies in the time period from 3Q15 to 3Q16. This was reported in a joint study of the consultancy KPMG and the venture capital platform CB Insights. German Startups Group shares the third place with the British VC Balderton Capital and the publicly-financed High-Tech Gründerfonds. Press contact German Startups Group Theo Bonick Tel: +49 30 6098890 84 Mail: [email protected] German Startups Group - We Love Startups! German Startups Group is a listed investment company based in Berlin that focuses on young, fast-growing companies, so-called startups. The company acquires majority and minority shareholdings mainly by providing venture capital. The portfolio companies that German Startups Group holds also stand to benefit from German Startups Group's expertise, experience and network with respect to strategy development, financing rounds, restructuring necessities, M&A transactions or selling the company, including a possible IPO. According to its own assessment, German Startups Group provides startups with so-called "smart money" by acquiring a shareholding. Its focus is on companies whose products or business models represent a disruptive innovation, allow for a high degree of scalability to be expected, and in which it has a great deal of trust in the entrepreneurial abilities of the founders to whom it feels that it obtains early access to due to its close relationships to relevant players in the startup scene. The geographical focus is on the German-speaking region. Since it commenced with operations in 2012, German Startups Group has in its opinion built up a diversified portfolio of investments in young companies and become the second most active venture capital investor in Germany since 2012 (CB Insights, Germany Venture Capital Overview). 25 of the 47 minority stakeholdings in operationally active companies are of particular significance to German Startups Group and together comprise 89% of the total value of all 47 active minority stakeholdings. The ten core holdings alone make up 60% of the value of all active minority stakeholdings. According to German Startups Group, its investment portfolio reflects a cross-section of promising German startups of various maturity stages ("Seed," "Early" and "Growth Stage," by German Startups Group's own definition) and includes some of the most successful and best known German startups. More information is available on our website at www.german-startups.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16.12.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 530951 16.12.2016