DGAP-News: Auden AG

DGAP-News: Auden AG takes ownership stake in Expert Systems GmbH, operator of German service portal ProvenExpert.com

Auden AG / Key word(s): Investment

10.06.2016 08:48

Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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- Berlin-based investment company acquires 17% shareholding - High potential for online recommendation marketing - Superior all-in-one solution for wide user base, providing measurable customer satisfaction and comprehensive feedback aggregation

Berin - Auden AG, the German investment company, has taken a 17% ownership stake in online start-up venture Expert Systems GmbH, operator of the online customer feedback portal ProvenExpert.com. Online recommendation marketing is a rapidly growing service segment within the digital economy with a particularly strong future outlook.

ProvenExpert.com is cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, meaning that the entire IT infrastructure is provided and supported by an external provider, generally on a fee-for-service basis. ProvenExpert.com aims to be all-in-one solution for managing and leveraging customer feedback, leading not only in technology but also because its software, in contrast to competing sites, offers clients the functionality to gain qualified feedback from their customers and, through its sophisticated evaluation aggregation features, to bring together all evaluations, including from all other portals, and present them together in a single consolidated profile.

ProvenExpert.com, moreover, provides users with absolute control and data sovereignty, along with extremely high security, as all data is transmitted with SSL encryption and stored on servers in Germany. Of particular advantage to Expert Systems GmbH is the high scalability of its business model, enabling ever greater margins as the company's revenue rises, with breakeven expected already in 2017.

The online recommendation marketing provided by ProvenExpert.com creates value for an extremely wide potential user base, ranging from freelancers and company staff to small- or medium-sized companies, all the way to major international corporations. Alone in Germany, the company's initial primary target market groups - insurance agents, financial service providers, legal professionals, tax advisors, IT consultants and management consultants - is estimated at 2.3 million potential customers, or 3.2 million if Austria and Switzerland are added in. According to estimates from Bain & Company and LinkedIn, the combined global market in 2016 for customer feedback and the new "talent economy" is estimated at USD 54 billion.

"We are very excited about the large market potential for online recommendation marketing as well as the superior cloud-based solution," said Christofer Radic, CEO of Auden AG. "We're delighted to be on board with ProvenExpert.com."

"Auden AG is a truly active investor and an extremely desirable partner for a start-up company such as ours," added Remo Fyda, Managing Director of ProvenExpert.com. "We're very pleased at the way that Auden supports us, while also bringing its excellent network of relationships with family offices."

About Auden AG: Auden AG, based in the German federal capital of Berlin, invests in carefully selected start-up ventures within its local region. Its formula for success is based, in addition to its own business model and experienced team of professionals, upon its ability to provide strong ongoing support to its portfolio companies through its network and expertise. Its close working relationships and conscientious monitoring of the investments which it undertakes thus play a critically important role. Through its stringent pre-selection of targets and active oversight of its portfolio companies, Auden AG offers family offices, institutional and private investors the means to participate in investment opportunities in a high-potential market which can be not only highly complex but also difficult to penetrate without close local connections.

Disclaimer: This release may contain forward-looking statements and information which may be identified by formulations using terms such as "expects", "aims", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates" or "will". Such forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and certain assumptions which may be subject to variety of risks and uncertainties. The results actually achieved by Auden AG may substantially differ from these forward-looking statements. Auden AG assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to correct them in case of developments which differ from those anticipated.

Contact: Auden AG Am Kupfergraben 6 10117 Berlin Germany Phone: + 49 30 80494800 Fax: + 49 30 80494809 Email: ir@auden.com

10.06.2016 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap.de

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Auden AG Am Kupfergraben 6 10117 Berlin Germany Phone: + 49 30 80494800 Fax: + 49 30 80494809 E-mail: info@auden.de Internet: www.auden.de ISIN: DE000A161440 WKN: A16144 Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin; Open Market (Entry Standard) in Frankfurt End of Announcement DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------