Elon Musk, Twitter, Delivery Hero and More | Startup Briefing Week 1

About this episode

The first calendar week of 2021 brought several remarkable developments in the startup and tech scene. From historic Bitcoin highs to billion-dollar capital raises – here are the most important news stories at a glance.

Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin broke through the psychologically important $40,000 mark for the first time. This historic high underscores continued institutional investor interest in digital currencies and could provide further tailwinds for the entire crypto sector.

Elon Musk Takes the Lead

Tesla founder Elon Musk officially became the world's richest person. The dramatic rise in Tesla stock over recent months catapulted Musk to the top of the global wealth rankings, displacing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos from his long-held throne.

Movement Among German Startups

Thermondo, the Berlin-based heating systems and services provider, experienced a partial exit. While details about the exact terms and parties involved were not specified, such partial sales often signal further professionalization and scaling of the business model.

Cashback platform Shoop, on the other hand, celebrated a complete exit. The company, which enables consumers to earn money back on online purchases, was successfully sold – a positive signal for the e-commerce ecosystem.

Mambu Becomes a Unicorn

Particularly encouraging for the German startup scene: Mambu achieved the coveted unicorn status. The Berlin-based fintech, which offers banking-as-a-service solutions, was valued at over one billion dollars, joining the ranks of German unicorns.

Tech Giants on the Move

Twitter expanded its portfolio by acquiring Breaker, a podcast provider. This move underscores social media platforms' growing interest in audio content and could strengthen Twitter's position in the fiercely competitive audio market.

Quibi, the failed short-form video streaming service, sold its exclusive content to Roku. After the spectacular failure of the billion-dollar-funded startup, at least the produced content is finding new life through repurposing.

Delivery Hero Secures Fresh Capital

Berlin-based delivery giant Delivery Hero completed an impressive €1.2 billion capital raise. This injection of funds should support the company's continued international expansion and strengthen its market position across various regions.

Conclusion

The first week of 2021 impressively demonstrated the dynamism of the global startup and tech scene. From cryptocurrencies and e-mobility to fintech and delivery services – various sectors experienced significant developments. Particularly encouraging is the strong presence of German companies like Mambu and Delivery Hero, showing that the local startup ecosystem remains internationally competitive.