Global Savings Group

Overview

Global Savings Group (GSG) is a Munich-headquartered company that runs shopping-rewards, coupon, cashback and deal-community platforms across more than 20 countries under a portfolio of local brands. In Startuprad.io's founder interview, CEO and co-founder Gerhard Trautmann describes GSG as a hidden champion and not a fintech: a commerce-technology company that operates a single technical platform behind many consumer brands and offers merchants an alternative to the large advertising channels. The company was founded in 2012. In September 2024 it renamed itself Atolls, so recent references may use that name; this record covers the entity under its better-known earlier name and lists Atolls as an alias.

Why this entity matters

GSG matters as an example of a capital-efficient German scaleup that consolidated a fragmented consumer-internet niche through acquisitions. Wikipedia and press reports list acquisitions including iGraal in 2020 (reported at EUR 123.5 million by Wikipedia), the German cashback platform Shoop, announced in January 2021, and the Coupons.com brand and domain in 2022. In November 2022 the company announced a combination with Pepper.com, the Berlin-based operator of the deal communities Dealabs, hotukdeals and mydealz, which Business Wire described as the largest industry deal of that year and as creating a platform with 2 billion annual purchase journeys and more than 20 markets.

For ecosystem watchers, GSG is a reminder that substantial German technology businesses exist outside the funding-headline cycle. The Startuprad.io interview emphasizes that the group is not a classical advertising business but a platform that connects consumers, retailers and brands, and that it runs one technical platform across its brands. Startuprad.io's January 2021 roundup also noted a EUR 12 million financing round reported by GSG itself, which illustrates the financing pattern of a company that grew mainly through its own cash flow and selective capital.

Company or institutional background

GSG was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Munich, with the Business Wire announcement of the Pepper.com combination citing more than 700 employees across 12 offices in 2022. In the Startuprad.io interview, Gerhard Trautmann says he met his co-founders while working in management consulting and that they decided to turn their presentation slides into a real company; Wikipedia lists Andreas Fruth, Adrian Renner and Gerhard Trautmann as founders and notes a connection to Rocket Internet, which is not independently confirmed for this record. The company operates coupon sites, cashback portals and deal communities, and the interview describes clients ranging from small merchants to well-known global companies.

Acquisition and brand history as reported by Wikipedia, Munich Startup and Business Wire includes the Pouch browser extension (reported as 2018 or 2019, sources differ), iGraal in 2020, Shoop in 2021, Coupons.com in 2022 and the combination with Pepper.com announced on 30 November 2022. Munich Startup and Wikipedia report that the company was renamed Atolls in September 2024, with the company explaining that the new name reflects a focus on digital destinations along the consumer journey; the sources give different days in September, so the exact date is not settled here. Figures such as employee counts, deal values and reach are as reported at the time of publication and have not been independently verified for this record.

Role in the ecosystem

GSG operates in the performance-marketing and shopping-rewards layer of e-commerce, between online retailers who pay for sales and consumers who look for vouchers, cashback and recommendations. Its brand portfolio covers voucher sites, cashback portals and community-driven deal platforms. Within DACH it is one of the larger Munich-based consumer-internet groups of its generation and is often discussed alongside other roll-up style German scaleups.

Selected relationships and affiliations

Publicly reported relationships include the CEO and co-founder Gerhard Trautmann; Pepper.com and its founder Fabian Spielberger, as the merger partner announced in 2022; and acquired or integrated brands including iGraal, Shoop and Coupons.com. Wikipedia reports a connection to Rocket Internet, which has not been independently verified here. These relationships are listed as reported by third-party outlets and are not a verified current organization chart or cap table.

Startuprad.io relevance

Startuprad.io interviewed Gerhard Trautmann, CEO and co-founder of Global Savings Group, in a founder interview published in September 2022, with the video interview going live on 15 September 2022. The interview covers the origin of the company, the single-platform approach and the alternative to advertising-led channels. The company also appeared in Startuprad.io's DACH startup news roundups, including the January 2021 financing round and the April 2021 acquisition of Shoop. Global Savings Group is part of Startuprad.io's Scaleup Founder Interview coverage of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Public source context

This record draws on the company's own website https://www.global-savings-group.com , Wikipedia, Munich Startup, Business Wire, Carlsquare and Startbase reporting on the Shoop transaction, and Startuprad.io's own interview and roundups. Acquisition prices, employee numbers and dates are as reported by those outlets at the time of publication and have not been independently re-verified for this record. The entity is also referred to as Global Savings Group Holding and, since September 2024, as Atolls.

Startuprad.io coverage

Meet Hidden Giant in Shoppers Rewards: Global Savings Group — Founder Interview
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: Interview
https://www.startuprad.io/post/meet-hidden-giant-in-shoppers-rewards-global-savings-group-founder-interview

DACH Startup News April 2021: Founders, Funding and Ecosystem Updates
Published: 28 April 2021
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-startups-april-2021

DACH Startup News January 2021: Founders, Funding and Ecosystem Updates
Published: 27 January 2021
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: News
https://www.startuprad.io/post/this-month-in-german-startups-january-2021

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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/global-savings-group .