Pinsent Masons advises German Media Pool GmbH on investment in high-flyer start-up ABOUT YOU

GMPVC, Germany’s first media for equity advertising fund combining different media types, provides entrepreneurs with the ability to achieve breakthrough cross-media campaigns while conserving cash to finance their growth. The company, together with its long-standing partner RTL II, the media group Klambt and other radio and tv stations from Germany and Switzerland and SevenVentures (investor of ProSiebenSat.1 Group) have acquired minority interests in ABOUT YOU. Otto Group, via Holding Collins, continues to hold a majority stake.

ABOUT YOU, now valued at over EUR 300 million, has over 1 million active customers after just two years of trading making it one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in Europe. In FY 2015/2016 the company achieved a turnover in the tens of millions, aiming to double turnover in the current financial year.

With the successful "Media-for-Equity-Deal", ABOUT YOU receives media services in exchange for company shares – an effective, modern model for start-ups in recent years. Tobias Rodehau, Head of German Venture Capital & Private Equity, Olivia Irrgang and Dr Igor Barabash, who have a long-standing relationship with GMPVC, successfully advised on the partnership.

About GMPVC German Media Pool GmbH

GMPVC German Media Pool, founded in March 2011, is Germany’s first media for equity advertising fund combining different media types. GMPVC provides entrepreneurs with the ability to achieve breakthrough cross-media campaigns while conserving cash to finance their growth. GMPVC is partner of the media groups REGIOCAST, RTL II and Wall AG/ JCDecaux. Pooled media consisting of TV, radio and out-of-home advertising is exchanged for an equity stake in high-growth businesses.

About ABOUT YOU

The online fashion shop ABOUT YOU, founded in May 2014, relies on personalisation and inspiration. On aboutyou.de women and men between 20 and 40 find, in addition to fashion inspiration, a range of over 100,000 articles from more than 800 brands. Customers have the ability to creating their own fashion profile and find the content relevant to them – products, brands, outfit suggestions, styling tips and many more – in their own news flash, tailored to their personal interests. Since autumn 2015, ABOUT YOU is also available in Austria and Switzerland.

Advising GMPVC: Pinsent Masons: Tobias Rodehau, Olivia Irrgang, Dr. Igor Barabash