History
The company was founded in Berlin in 2007 by three brothers: Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer[9] and was once also connected to the European Founders Fund, an associated company.
In 2008, Rocket Internet founded Zalando,[10] emulating the business model of US online retailer Zappos.com.[11]
On 1 July 2014, Rocket Internet changed its legal form from a GmbH (private limited company) to an AG (public limited company).[12] The initial public offering took place on 2 October 2014 on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at €42.50 per share. The company was listed in the Entry Standard and got uplisted in Prime Standard on 26 September 2016. In October 2016 it was announced that Rocket Internet replaces Chorus Clean Energy AG in SDAX.[13] Rocket Internet SE joined the MDAX index of German mid-cap stocks on 19 March 2018. This decision was announced by Deutsche Börse AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange) on 5 March 2018. On 18 March 2015 the company changed its legal form into an SE (Societas Europaea).[14]
In mid-December 2016, Global Founders held 37.1% in Rocket Internet, Kinnevik 13.2%, United Internet 8.3%, Baillie Gifford 6.5%, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company 6.1% and Access Industries 6.0%.[15]
Holtzbrinck Ventures held a 1.8% share, with main investors holding shares of 3.4%; 16.3% was held in free float. In January 2017, Rocket Internet Capital Partners announced its final closing of $1 billion dedicated to early stage and growth equity investments. It is the biggest tech fund of any VC firm to date in Europe.[16]
On 1 September 2020, Rocket Internet announced its delisting.[17][18] As of February 2021, Rocket Internet was recognized as one of the top startup studios based on website traffic to its top 3 portfolio companies.[19]
