Author: Leo

The German real estate market is interesting for several reasons: the economy is booming, the political system ensures legal certainty for property owners and through the refugee crisis and the upcoming Brexit demand for residential and commercial property is high. As a foreign investor, real estate firm or as a supplier for the construction industry, it is essential to know the key facts about the German Real Estate Market.

Where are Germany’s Prime Real Estate Locations?

Especially Germany’s metropolitan areas are essential to the real estate industry. Prime locations are mostly found in:

• Berlin, capital city and centre of the startup scene
• Cologne, central to the Ruhr district, many industrial companies
• Dusseldorf, famous for fashion and art
• Frankfurt, financial industry
• Hamburg, trade centre and hotspot of creative industry
• Munich, automotive industry, culture, travel
• Stuttgart, automotive industry

Residential and office construction is lagging behind the increase in demand for years. As a consequence, rents and thereby property prices are increasing from year to year in these cities. First occupancy residential rents are highest in Munich, with 17€ per sqm. For the next years, rents are expected to increase between 2-3% per year. As office space is scarce, prime rents for office space were 34,7€ per sqm on average in Munich.

Which companies are essential to Germany’s Real Estate Industry?

Of course, many international key players like CBRE or JLS have branches in Germany. But there are various quite a few German real estate companies which should be known:

• Commerz Real, investor, associated with one of Germany’s major banks
• Deutsche Wohnen, residential property
• Aareal Bank, real estate financing
• Bulwiengesa, research and consulting
• Immobilienzeitung, real estate news
• Immobilienscout24, housing exchange

Also worth a mention: More than 100 promising Proptech startups like Exporo, shareDnC or Drooms are active on the German market.

Lists of the most important players of Germany’s Real Estate Market

There are two ways to get to know specific companies: Either get our lists (see below) or write us through our live chat. We have close relations with many of Germany’s most important firms of the real estate market – so simply drop us a line and we will see how we can help you.

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The German real estate market has seen a strong development throughout the last years. A good economic situation, population growth through immigration and the low interest environment have driven demand for retail, office and housing space. The German property market is also less volatile than in other European countries due to a property-speculation tax.

Rents and multiples are rising, especially in prime locations

Rents and property prices in big German cities like Berlin or Munich have risen sharply. From 1997 to today, retail rents in prime locations have almost doubled. Also residential rents have risen from 9 EUR per sqm in 2007 to more than 13 EUR per sqm today. On the residential market, there is a gap between the high demand and the actual new homebuildings.

Source: BulwienGesa, DZ Bank

How German Real Estate Developers are prospering

As mentioned before, there is a gap between demand and actual supply on the German property market. This leads to a good environment for German real estate developers like “Art Invest“, creating record-high returns for investors. Art Invest, for example, is focused on creating high-class buildings in top locations. Through taking a look at the company’s portfolio, you will get to see many different top-notch properties like the “Kaiser Hof” in Cologne, which won the German design award 2018. Consulting firm Bulwiengesa estimates that German real estate developers realized buildings at the amount of 122 billion euros in 2016.

Directly get in touch with property developers

For foreign investors, the German real estate market might be interesting but difficult to grasp. There are several hundred property developers active on the German, creating promising projects in top-locations. Unfortunately, it’s hard to identify the largest firms and to get in touch with them. That’s what our list of Germany’s biggest 750 real estate developers has changed. Our list enables you to filter the suitable firms for your needs within seconds, for example: “Show me all top real estate developers focused on retail projects”. In case of any questions about our list or investment opportunities, feel free to get in touch with us anytime through our live-chat or via contact [at] researchgermany.com.

Picture Source: Joel Filipe on Unsplash

I made the mistake of reading countless articles about Blockchain and Bitcoin. As a result, Facebook and Google tagged me as “Bitcoin Fan”. Now, whenever I am on the internet, I am surrounded by ads like “Join this amazing ICO with 34833% upside potential”. That made me suspicious, since I see striking parallels to the Dotcom bubble.

What, in fact, are ICOs?

When a new Cryptocurrency is raised, it’s called Initial Coin Offering (ICO). An ICO starts with a “whitepaper” from the startup who is issuing the new coins, explaining what the goal of the project is, how much money or other cryptocurrencies they want to collect and how long it is going. When the ICO campaign begins, people can buy the new coins in exchange for real money or other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Buyers of the new currency hope that the value of the new coin will rise (to the moon).

Influencing factors of cryptocurrency prices

Demand, driven by different influencing factors, is making prices rise. One influencing factor of demand is that people believe that real value will be created by the particular firm or that the new increasingly used. The same applies for IPOs, when a firm goes public on a stock exchange: shareholders expect the company to grow. Another important driver of demand is speculation. People simply buy the coin because they expect it will rise. Since the Bitcoin price is reaching new heights every day everybody wants to participate in a new cryptocurrency, especially speculation works fine. Already in the days of the Dotcom Bubble, speculation has gained the upper hand, as everybody wanted to own a fancy internet stock, neglecting financials, business models and common sense.

Comparing an ICO to a VC case

Usually, ICOs would be great venture capital investment opportunities: A startup wants to collect money for its product. The VC would screen the team, the idea, the financials. After the due diligence, the startup will maybe get some millions. Even though the VCs spend a lot of time with screening the startups, most investments and startups fail. ICOs are different: people read the particular whitepaper (or even don’t read it at all), nod and eventually spend a crazy amount of money in the respective project. Most of the whitepapers I’ve seen were the same: neat design and lots of fancy buzzwords like ‘AI’, ‘VR’, ‘Social Network’ – but not so much substance. Take a look at Coinschedule, a page which lists upcoming ICOs. It sounds like those companies are revolutionizing the world: Decentralized investment ecosystems or service marketplaces, a whole cryptobank or a social media data oracle. And all those startups are collecting tens of millions of money, although in most cases they only offer a rough concept on a few pages (but, with nice graphics and charts!).

The problem with the ICOs

As mentioned before, I have the strong impression that speculation has gained the upper hand over common sense. Investments around twenty or thirty millions shouldn’t be based on whitepapers and buzzwords. But: As currently ICOs are extremely “en vogue” and everybody wants to participate in the “new Bitcoin”, this works very well, putting common sense in the background. Maybe some of the new cryptocurrencies will survive the next ten years, but my guess is that most of them will vanish – either in silence or with a bang. Also Bitcoins, by far the most prominent cryptocurrency, are in terms of payment still a peripheral phenomenon. Also as a store of value, cryptocurrencies are useless through their high fluctuations in value. “Flooz.com” was a trending company in times of the Dotcom boom which raised $35 million. The company offered a “currency that could be used instead of credit cards”. The problem was that, despite a $8 million advertising campaign, nobody used the currency.

What can we take away from this article?

My guess is that the “Bitcoin Bubble” will come to the same end as the Dotcom bubble: most of the cryptocurrencies and related startups will vanish, but some will stay there forever (remember: also Amazon was part of the Dotcom bubble). The underlying technology for all the cryptocurrencies, the blockchain, is incredibly clever and will probably be used in many different industries (just take a look at the 100 biggest Blockchain startups worldwide, backed by the most prominent venture capital firms). If all the shady ICO-startups will survive? I highly doubt it. So, be cautious if you are willing to invest in cryptocurrencies and double-check your decision.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

You might wonder: Who is Research Germany and what are they actually doing? Well: We are the world’s first Research-on-Demand platform. That means we are offering research material, purchasable as easy as on Amazon: just add the desired product from our shop to your cart and immediately get the list. No subscription, no hidden costs, just top-notch research. We cover a wide range of industries, from lists of largest investors (VCs, Family Offices, etc.) to traditional branches (automotive suppliers, chemical companies, etc.).

Whom is Research Germany for?

Of course, our lists are especially interesting for companies. You can rely on our research in different situations. When you are looking for an investor, our venture capital or family offices lists might be right. We offer reports for different countries, like the United States, Germany or other European countries. If you are looking for interesting companies in Germany, our industry lists will be a good choice. We also offer extensive knowledge about the European real estate market, covering real estate investors and developers. In case you are interested in a list that hasn’t been mentioned so far, feel free to get in touch with us via our live chat and we can discuss possible opportunities.

What kind of information do we include in our lists?

All our lists always contain two different types of information: branch-specific and contact details. Through the branch-specific information, you can filter and order our lists. To give an example: Our Venture Capital lists include amongst others details about the city/state of the VCs, Assets under Management, Investment Stage and Focus. So you could get all VCs based in California with Assets under Management > 100 Mio. $ and focused on Seed-Stage elements within seconds. Or with the help of our automotive supplier lists, you will get an overview of the largest OEMs focusing on brakes through just one click. Many lists (like the automotive list or gold miners list) also include a wide range of financials.

Which lists are we especially proud of?

Just to mention a few:

• Top 500 Chemical Companies Germany
• Top 250 Venture Capital Firms US
• Top 200 Automotive Suppliers Germany
• Top 100 Single Family Offices US
• Top 50 Gold Miners Global
• And many more in our Shop

But, our main asset is our customer service. In case of any questions, we are looking forward to answering your request through our live-chat or via mail to contact [at] researchgermany.com.

When someone googles the biggest automotive suppliers in Germany, they will quickly get a choice of the top ten companies. However, when someone wants to receive detailed information, they will quickly reach a dead end. We will show you why our database of Germany’s 200 biggest automotive suppliers is a good choice.

No other list on the German market offers such a wide set of data points. Our list includes over 200 companies; on top of that, 15 different data points, ranging from sales and annual surpluses (2014, 2015) to categorization and contact data. In that sense, the list consists of altogether 3000 data points, which we can process furthermore.

Starting point for comparisons and analysis of automotive suppliers

With just a few clicks, you can sort and filter our list into different categories, to eventually make comparisons. An example for that is the following chart, in which sales and annual surpluses of the five biggest automotive suppliers in the range between the years 2014 and 2015 are depicted. Generally, 2015 seems to have been a good year: All companies could increase their sales and their annual surpluses.

Even more revealing are analysis of the growth rates and the clustering of various industries. There you can see almost all suppliers in the field of drive technology and compare them with the companies in the field of air-conditioning technology.

Also, you can use our list as a starting point for lead data banks of the automotive industry. The research of the contact data is of highest quality, and contains the most important information, such as address, telephone number and email address. We even mentioned the names of the respective managing directors.

Free updates and extensions

The free updates within one year of purchase are another advantage of our lists. We will simply send them to you per email. If you are interested in a preview file of our list, you can contact us anytime via our live-chat, telephone or mail to contact [at] researchgermany.com. We are looking forward to hearing about your inquiries.

Picture Source: Will Stewart, Creative Commons

Switzerland is not only characterized by a multitude of highly interesting startups, but also by exciting investment companies. This not only applies to the private equity sector, but also to early-stage investments. In the exclusive overview of Switzerland’s largest venture capital firms, the team of Listenchampion.de has listed the country’s most important venture capitalists. One of them is Redalpine, headquartered in Zurich and with an office in Luxembourg. This article shall provide an overview of the VC and show interesting insights from our intensive research.

Wide investment focus: from Fintech to Healthtech to Online Shops

One look at the Redalpine investment team immediately reveals that it is not just about one VC like many others. Classical business school graduates are clearly in the minority of the team. Rather do the employees have a PhD in physics or life sciences, an MSc in Medicine or an academic background in the Biotech field. The training of the investment managers is also reflected in the portfolio companies of the Swiss Venture Capital Fund. Like most VCs, Redalpine is also active in the digital world. Alongside known digital B2C players like Jodel or Junique, there are some Fintechs among the investments. But the real ‘game changers’ in the portfolio come from the Biotech or life science sector. With investments in the segments of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Medicine, Redalpine stands out from the crowd, and is perfectly positioned for the Swiss market, which is characterized by research-driven high-tech spin-offs.

On the search for the next big thing: Seed and early-stage investments

Recently, Redalpine joined the Berlin startup Morressier, which is dedicated to digitizing scientific conferences. With this investment, the investment managers of the VCs prove, once again, that they are active across different sectors and do not shy away from exotic ideas. This investment is also a good example for the soft spot Swiss investors have for early-stage investments, as the investment in Morressier was completed during the seed-round. In German-speaking regions, more and more venture capital funds invest in rather later phases in order to reduce the default risk and to be able to build upon existing structures. Redalpine, on the other hand, consciously focuses on early financing rounds and supports startups in their work-up phase. Even though this strategy involves higher risks, it also ensures unusually high returns in the event of an exit.

An excerpt from the portfolio: big names and renowned co-investors

In 2017, Zenjob announced the youngest financing round. The Berlin-based company developed an application, which provides temporary work for students, and plans the expansion into other German cities. For this purpose, the startup received a growth capital of 8 million Euros. Next to Redalpine, other big names, such as Acton Capital, Atlantic Labs and the US Investor 500 Startups, were part of the deal. Here it becomes clear, that Redalpine had built a strong network, operating with successful investors on eye-level. Even more impressive is the investment in N26, which accompanied Redalpine since the seed-phase. The Swiss early-stage investor seems to have a knack for emerging start-ups. It will be exciting to watch and follow up with the upcoming activities.

Receiving a comprehensive overview of Swiss VCs through Research Germany

Redalpine is only one example of the highly interesting venture capital scene in Switzerland. After the ResearchGermany team has already created an overview of Germany’s 200 most important venture capitalists, the research experts have now taken up the Swiss market and compiled a list of the top 50 Venture Capital Funds in Switzerland. With pleasure we will send you a preview list of the excel sheet, through which you will get a first impression. Please contact us via chat-window or write an email to contact [at] researchgermany.com, to clarify open questions and receive more information.

Picture Source: Chris Holgersson, Creative Commons

The automotive industry is, and always has been, a key industry in the German economy. The wellbeing of Germany strongly depends on its success. Without competent automobile suppliers, vehicle manufacturers could not succeed. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the German supplier branch also exhibits significant companies. There is a partnership with the suppliers in the balancing act between tradition and innovation – a partnership, which is not always free of conflict. Here is a summary of the five biggest German automobile suppliers.

#5: Schaeffler Group, 13.3 Billion Euros (2016)

The Schaeffler Group is a family enterprise, behind which the business family Schaeffler stands. Today, the enterprise is organized under the roof of Schaeffler AG, which is quoted in the stock exchange market since 2015. Under this umbrella, there are several enterprise companies and enterprise brands, which also represent Schaeffler’s key business areas: needles and ball bearings for the automotive industry have always been manufactured under the INA brand. Around the millennial turn, they took over the competitor FAG Kugelfischer. They continued its activities under the brand of FAG. The brand LuK stands for Lamellen- und Kupplungsbau, which is German for the construction of multi-disk clutches. In 2016, the Schaeffler Group had about 88.000 employees worldwide.

#4: Mahle GmbH, 12.322 Billion Euros (2016)

At the Mahle GmbH, everything revolves around the engine. In 2016, the Stuttgart-based business, of which the beginning can be traced all the way back to 1920, had around 77.000 employees worldwide in 170 locations; every fifth workplace is in Germany. Mahle GmbH acts as a holding company. Under its roof, there are numerous subsidiaries for the individual production sectors. Key business areas include engine systems and components (such as pistons, cylinders, valve gear systems, turbocharger parts), filtration and engine peripherals (such as filtration systems, pumps), thermal management (such as engine cooling, automatic air conditioning) and after-market (engine-related spare parts).

#3: ZF Friedrichshafen AG, 35.166 Billion Euros (2016)

The history of the ZF Friedrichshafen AG has a strong link to the name Zeppelin. The Zeppelin foundation, which the city of Friedrichshafen stands behind, is the majority shareholder with its share of almost 94 percent. Since its beginning during the First World War, ZF Friedrichshafen focused on gear and chassis technology. Gearboxes, clutches, steering, shock absorbers etc. for all sorts of motorized vehicles make out the character of the production program. In 2016, ZF Friedrichshafen employed around 137.000 people worldwide. The company is present at around 230 locations in 40 countries around the globe.

#2: Continental AG, 40.549 Billion Euros in Sales (2016)

Without rubber, Continental would not have made it as a world brand. Since 1871, the material has been the base for tire production. As a tire manufacturer, Continental is a familiar name to probably everyone. However, the company has long since unlocked other areas for itself. Today, the enterprise divides itself into rubber products and automobile. These include the divisions Conti Tech AG, tires, chassis & safety, interior, as well as power train. In 2016, Continental had 220.000 employees at more than 200 locations in 53 countries. Based on that, the group counts as the number 2 in the automobile supply – in Germany and worldwide. The Schaeffler family is a major shareholder of Continental, and the Schaeffler enterprise itself is a sister company.

#1: Robert Bosch GmbH, 73.129 Billion Euros in Sales (2016)

The beginnings of Robert Bosch GmbH can be traced all the way back to the year 1886. Today, with its 440 subsidiaries in 60 countries, Bosch Global Player counts as the biggest automotive supplier within Germany and worldwide. In 2016, the Bosch group had around 390.000 employees, a third of which resides in Germany. Every fifth euro made from sales is accounted for by the home market. The company’s earnings in 2016 reached 3.3 billion Euros. Making around 60 percent of the share of sales, the automotive technology forms the ‘core business’ of Bosch. Second pillar consists of the consumer goods and building technology. A third pillar consists of the industrial technology.

Our list of the 200 biggest automotive suppliers

We offer a unique overview of the 200 biggest automotive suppliers in Germany. This overview consists of different data points, such as sales, annual surpluses, contact details and areas of activity. In addition, we promise free updates and extensions within one year of purchase.

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Picture Source: Annie Theby

Nowadays, the blockchain technology is one of the topics that many discussions arise about in the tech industry. People expect the blockchain to disrupt whole economic sectors. Even the European Union – which is not known for its innovative spirit – already invested five million euros in the new technology through the “Horizon 2020” initiative. Far more important for blockchain-related startups are two venture capital funds which focus on the topic.

Blockchain Capital

Launched in 2013, Blockchain Capital was (according to itself) the “first VC Fund dedicated to the Bitcoin/Blockchain ecosystem”. The two founders, Bart and Brad Stephens have a background in financial technology, internet security and cryptography. Blockchain Capital’s portfolio includes the most important startups from the sector. For example, Kraken is one of the most important exchanges for digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum or Litecoin. Also Coinbase, the most funded blockchain startup, can be found in the VC’s portfolio.

Digital Currency Group

No matter which blockchain startup gets a funding – it is likely that the Digital Curreny Group is one of the investors. The VC calls itself the “epicenter of the bitcoin and blockchain industry”. Barry Silbert, the founder of DCG, also has entrepreneurial experience. He sold his company SecondMarkets to NASDAQ in 2015. DCG is investing in the most relevant blockchain sectors, from exchanges to core infrastructure and identity management. For instance, the Digital Currency Group invested in ABRA, Everledger or Coinbase.

Polychain Capital

Started in September 2016, Polychain Capital invests in digital currencies and assets. The fund managed to raise $10M from the well-known VCs Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures. Founder Olaf Carlson-Wee was also the first employee of Coinbase. He calls Polychain Capital the “world’s premier blockchain asset hedge fund”.

Overview Of The Largest Blockchain Startups

We collected the world’s largest and most influential blockchain startups  in a unique overview. Our list includes descriptions, segmentations, funding details and contact information. Through our overview, you will get to know the most important players of the blockchain landscape within seconds.

Picture Source: Crew

Owning companies in the chemical industry and the related cleaning agent manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser, the Reimanns have generated billions in assets. After the sale of company shares held by the Reimann-Dubbers in the 1990s, the family office “Reimann Investors” was established.

Investments of the Reimann Family Office

The Reimann Investor’s portfolio includes various start-ups and digital companies. Part of the portfolio is the Swedish FinTech Klarna, which recently made headlines by taking over the competitor BillPay for allegedly 70 million euros. Klarna itself now has a value of more than € 2.3 billion. Other well-known investments of the Reimanns are Keller Sports, Alphapet or the Deutsche Handelsbank. The exits of Vimeda and Sofort-Überweisung already succeeded.

Reimann opens up for co-investors

In March, manager magazine reported that the family office is looking for co-investors for a fund worth       € 40-50m. The co-investors may raise up to € 20m in capital and have to make a minimum contribution of € 250,000. The acceptance of third party investors has multiple advantages. Besides the additional capital, the family office can strengthen its position in the German investment market and can reduce its disctance to other large family offices, such as the Quandts. In addition, the firm is able to divide the fixed costs for its operation between more parties. The above mentioned successful exits further show that it can be successful strategy to trust the network and the expertise of the family investment vehicle.

Overview over the major family offices in Germany

Research Germany exclusively offers a detailed overview of the largest single family offices in Germany. You can sort the data according to different criteria and then address the firm directly via the leading investment managers. Despite the family holding companies, our lists also include a variety of smaller, less-known but also very strong adresses.