German Startups Group GmbH & Co. KGaA: German Startups Group in 3Q17 again with positive result

+++ Press release +++
for immediate publication

German Startups Group in 3Q17 again with positive result

Berlin, 6 October 2017 - German Startups Group, a leading venture capital provider in Germany and Berlin-based digital agency with 140 employees, has been profitable again in the third quarter of 2017, according to preliminary insights, expectedly in a similar magnitude as the first two quarters on average (IFRS consolidated). Included in the preceding result, inherently, are also all depreciations of shareholdings which the company undertook as usual for all value developments recognisable for it. The net profit in the first half of 2017 amounted to 0.19 EUR per share (IFRS consolidated). German Startups Group was able to achieve profitable exits with its portfolio companies Delivery Hero and eWings and realise - partly large - sale profits with the sales of its stakes in Pyreg, realbest, CRX Markets and Scalable Capital. The company still holds a stake in CRX Markets.

Additionally, until the end of the year the company expects further exit opportunities as well as upside potential for existing portfolio companies.

After moving sideways for a longer period, German Startups Group again anticipates a positive growth for its focus investment Ceritech, too. Their project of extracting and providing Rare Earth Metals at low cost from gypsum-containing production residues is again positively developing at a higher momentum. Following lower prices for Rare Earth Metals, in the meantime, they start to pick up again. So far, they were gathered mainly in China and are used for smart phones and batteries of electric vehicles, among others. Due to the growing relevance of electric mobility market researchers predict a strong surge in the demand for Rare Earth Metals.

Investor relations contact
German Startups Group
Marcel Doeppes
Mail: ir@german-startups.com

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 most active private venture capital investor in Germany since 2012 (CB Insights 2015, PitchBook 2016). 22 of the 40 minority stakeholdings in operationally active companies are of particular significance to German Startups Group and together comprise 90% of the total value of all 40 active minority stakeholdings. The 8 core holdings alone make up 56% 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.