Drillisch AG invests in High-Tech Gründerfonds

Telecommunication service provider Drillisch AG is investing in the third fund of High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Germany’s most active seed stage investor.

HTGF’s third fund is to have a volume of roughly EUR 300 million. Drillisch AG joins an esteemed group of investors in the fund. The company owns a number of renowned brands including smartmobil.de, yourfone, simply, sim.de, McSIM, helloMobil, winSIM and discoTEL.

“The investment in HTGF provides Drillisch AG and its subsidiary companies with access to selected start-ups and their latest technologies. Through these partnerships we are looking to create advanced products for new and existing target groups, while also ensuring we remain more innovative than our competitors,” says Roland Becker, Director New Business at the TecDAX-listed company, which is headquartered in Maintal.

“At Drillisch, innovation is in our blood. We have revolutionised the German mobile phone market with our tariffs and are now banking on the vision and revolutionary approach of start-ups that will provide us with new opportunities to tap into new fields of business, such as the Internet of Things,” Becker adds.

“We are delighted that in Drillisch, a former start-up itself, we have gained a new investor for HTGF III that is active in the highly innovative telecommunications industry. We see a great deal of potential for cooperation between our portfolio companies and Drillisch with respect to new technologies, communications solutions, business models and access to customers in the very diverse and dynamic telecommunications market,” says Dr. Alex von Frankenberg, Managing Director of High-Tech Gründerfonds.

HTGF III is expected to build on the successes of the first two fund issues and will likely provide up to 40 high-tech companies with support in the shape of seed stage funding every year. In addition to its financial commitment, HTGF will work alongside the high-tech companies, sharing its expertise and giving them access to a comprehensive network comprising fund investors, additional national and international investors, experienced managers and company founders as well as scouts. Launched in 2005, the first HTGF fund had a volume of EUR 272 million, while the second HTGF fund had a volume of EUR 304 million.

About Drillisch AG
Drillisch is one of the largest network-independent telecommunications providers in Germany with 3.62 million mobile phone customers (as of 31 March 2017). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of services and products in the field of mobile voice and data services. In the premium segment, Drillisch focuses on the brands smartmobil.de and yourfone, operating over 200 stores in premium locations across German cities. Drillisch AG also has many other successful mobile phone brands in its portfolio, including simply, sim.de, McSIM, helloMobil, winSIM and discoTEL.

About High-Tech Gründerfonds
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is Germany’s most active and largest seed stage investor. HTGF funds high-tech start-ups in a wide range of fields, including cleantech, robotics, drug development, chemicals and software. It also supports start-ups with its experience and networks as well as its technological and business expertise.

Press contact
Drillisch AG
Archibald Preuschat
+49 6181-412 143
a.preuschat@drillisch.de

HTGF
Stefanie Zillikens
+49 228 82300 107 10
S.Zillikens@htgf.de