Make way for another VC firm in Europe: Today sees the launch of Connect Ventures, a new London based fund that will focus on seed and Series A stages in European tech companies. It’s kicking off with a €16 million ($22 million) fund, which will be dispersed in investments of between €250,000 and €1.25 million ($330k-$1.7m).
Led by co-founders Pietro Bezza and Bill Earner, Connect… → Read More
Here’s a roundup of recent stories on TechCrunch Europe:
— On-demand car service startup Cabify – which I likened to the ‘Uber of Europe’ – is starting to gain momentum in its hometown (Madrid, Spain), but plans to expand to 15 more European cities in 2012.
— In the UK, private sales club SecretSales has raised £6.3 million in funding to double down on its expansion in the… → Read More
Exclusive – Private shopping club SecretSales has raised £6.3 million in funding from a consortium of investors, including Doughty Hanson, Pentech Ventures and the Partech-managed OCP Innovation fund, TechCrunch has learned.
Launched in the United Kingdom in 2007, SecretSales plans to use the funding to double down on its expansion in the country. → Read More
This is a guest post by Zeshan Ghory (@zeshanghory), a CRM consultant and co-founder of social gifting platform Wraply.com.
Last week, flash sales site Secretsales.com (one of the many vente-privee clones to have sprung up in recent years) had been advertising an upcoming 50% discount Apple iPad sale.
The usual business model here relies on getting unsold wholesale stock from retailers and… → Read More
Following an initial investment in February, the UK private buying club Secretsales has raised a second round of funding from Germany’s Brands4friends. The actual amount is once again undisclosed but is in the “multi-million pound” region.
Secretsales runs so-called “flash sales” of fashion, beauty, travel, lifestyle and home wares, offering up to 70% off brands such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana… → Read More
[UK/Germany] Private buying clubs have become such a hot item of late, it’s perhaps inevitable that we’re starting to see a move towards consolidation.
Germany’s leading online private shopping club, Brands4friends, has invested in the UK’s Secretsales. And while the actual figure is undisclosed, which isn’t a surprise considering how competitive this space is right now, sources say it’s in the… → Read More
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