top of page
Search

ID Now is Looking at Germany’s Largest Fintech Exit at 1 bn US$

Updated: Apr 30

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024.

What Is This About?

IDnow was on track for what would have been Germany's largest fintech exit at $1 billion. In this exclusive CEO interview, the identity verification company discusses its acquisition of France-based Ariadnext, its expansion strategy, and the path toward a potential IPO or strategic sale.

  • This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.

  • In our exclusive interview with ID Now we talked to the CEO about their recent acquisitions, including France-based Ariadnext, backed by a Corsair Private Equity fund.

  • Below you will find the interview from July 2021 in which we talked about options for ID Now, including a potential SPAC deal.

  • Cover Startuprad.

  • Munich Startup is the official startup portal for Munich and the surrounding region.

New Blog

ID Now is Looking at Germany’s Largest Fintech Exit at 1 bn US$ Startuprad.io brings you independent coverage of the key developments shaping the startup and venture capital landscape across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024.


In our exclusive interview with ID Now we talked to the CEO about their recent acquisitions, including France-based Ariadnext, backed by a Corsair Private Equity fund. Today a report emerged that the company has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs to look for a buyer at a 900 m € valuation (~ 1 bn US$). The company’s revenue is currently growing by 40% organically, plus acquisitions. The forecasts see a combined revenue of 70 mn Euros at the end of 2022, which lead to a multiple of around 13 for the potential acquisition.


Below you will find the interview from July 2021 in which we talked about options for ID Now, including a potential SPAC deal.


EXCLUSIVE — IDnow Talks About Their Acquisition of Ariadnext


Cover Startuprad.io Interview ID Now July 2021, based on Pixabay

We are growing organically 50–60% year over year right now organically.Andreas Bodczek, CEO IDnow

Tune in to our Internet Radio Station here:


Subscribe Here

Find all options to subscribe to our newsletter, podcast, YouTube channel, or listen to our internet radio station here:


Media Partnership with Munich Startup

Munich Startup is the official startup portal for Munich and the surrounding region. It was developed by the City of Munich, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria, and the four entrepreneurship centers of the Munich universities within the framework of the Entrepreneurship Strategy Munich. You can learn more here:


The CEO

This time we have a rarity on our channel because Andreas Bodczek (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasbodczek/) is not a founder, but an early investor in the company, which became later the CEO of IDnow. Andreas has been an early business angel, investing in IDnow. So he has been involved in the company for quite some time before he took the job as external CEO.

Andreas has been with Bertelsmann, where he worked with dial-up internet connections, building one of the broadest platforms for broadband and Voice-over-IP services in Germany. He later moved to become the CEO of Telefonica Germany (https://www.telefonica.de/) and co-founded Fyber (https://www.fyber.com/ ), which they build up in Germany, the US, and several more companies. They sold the company in 2014.

Andreas is also a board partner with Point Nine Capital (https://www.pointnine.com/), a Berlin-based VC fund focused on platforms and SaaS.

We will conclude most of the integration work streams of Identity TM at the end of this year.Andreas Bodczek, CEO IDnow

The Startup

IDnow (https://www.idnow.io/products/idnow-videoident/) is an online identification service provider, that helps banks, insurance companies, and other companies to verify the identity of their clients remotely. This has not always been the case in Germany, but IDnow was one of the early companies providing this service.

Today IDnow has amongst their clients some well-known names like N26, Solaris Bank or Sixt, Western Union, Tier Mobility, and WeFox.

The startup grew early with a strong focus on financial services companies, starting when the German regulator moved to allow so-called “video idents.”

Now IDnow extends its services across industries, products, and countries. The acquisition of France-based Ariadnext (https://www.ariadnext.com/) fits in the category of extending in countries, to expand their footprint in France.

SPAC Deal?

From our conversation, we took that IDnow has SPAC offers at hand, still evaluating their options.


The Video Interview



The Audio Interview Podcast

You can subscribe to our podcasts here.


Further Readings / Additional Resources


Feedback


The Interviewer

This interview was conducted by Jörn “Joe” Menninger, startup scout, founder, and host of Startuprad.io. Reach out to him:LinkedInTwitterEmail


Keep Up to Date

Here is our publication calendar:



Is IDnow Planning Germany's Largest Fintech Exit?

IDnow, the identity verification fintech previously interviewed by Startuprad.io in July 2021, was looking at Germany's largest fintech exit at approximately $1 billion. The exclusive interview covered their recent acquisitions strategy. Munich Startup served as regional media partner. This story preceded the eventual shelving of the exit in favor of a BlackRock debt facility.

Introduction

This article reports that IDnow was pursuing what could become Germany's largest fintech exit at approximately $1 billion. In a previous exclusive interview, Startuprad.io had discussed acquisitions and growth strategy with the IDnow CEO. The July 2021 interview is included below for reference. The story captures the ambition of the German fintech scene before market conditions ultimately led IDnow to shelve the exit and secure a BlackRock debt facility instead. Munich Startup is credited as regional media partner.

IDnow's pursuit of a $1 billion exit would have been Germany's largest fintech exit. The identity verification company had been building toward this through strategic acquisitions in France and Germany, as previously discussed in an exclusive Startuprad.io interview. This article, published as breaking news, captures the moment of peak ambition before market conditions intervened. IDnow ultimately shelved the exit (covered in Post #70) and arranged a €60M BlackRock debt facility instead.

  • IDnow was pursuing Germany's largest fintech exit at approximately $1 billion.

  • The company had built toward the exit through acquisitions in France and Germany.

  • Startuprad.io had an exclusive interview with the CEO covering acquisitions and strategy.

  • The exit was ultimately shelved (covered in a later episode), with IDnow securing a BlackRock debt facility instead.

Entities Referenced in This Episode

  • IDnow — Identity verification fintech, pursuing $1B exit

  • Munich Startup — Regional startup media partner

  • Topics: Fintech exit, identity verification, M&A, $1B valuation, German fintech record

Quote Highlights

  • IDnow was on track for what would have been Germany's largest fintech exit at $1 billion, marking a milestone for the country's identity verification sector.

  • The acquisition of France-based Ariadnext strengthened IDnow's European identity verification platform, expanding its reach across the continent.

  • CEO Andreas Bodczek brought experience from Bertelsmann's broadband and VoIP platforms, building IDnow into a leader in digital identity verification.

  • Identity verification has become a critical infrastructure layer for fintech, with IDnow positioning itself as the go-to solution for regulated industries across Europe.

Related Episodes on Startuprad.io

Relationship Map

  • Startuprad.io → published → ID Now is Looking at Germany’s Largest Fintech Exit at 1 bn

Partner with Startuprad.io

Startuprad.io is the leading independent media platform covering startups, venture capital, and innovation across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Europe. We offer B2B partnership opportunities for companies looking to reach startup decision-makers, founders, and investors.

Subscribe to the Podcast

What are the key insights from "ID Now is Looking at Germany’s Largest Fintech Exit at 1 bn US$"?

IDnow was pursuing approximately $1 billion for what would have been Germany's largest fintech exit. The identity verification company had been building toward this through strategic acquisitions. Market conditions later led to the exit being shelved in favor of a €60M BlackRock debt facility.

About the Host

Joern "Joe" Menninger is the host of the Startuprad.io podcast and covers founders, investors, and policy developments across the DACH startup ecosystem. Through more than 1,300 interviews and nearly a decade of reporting, he documents the evolution of the European startup landscape. Follow Joern on LinkedIn.

Support Startuprad.io

Companies building in fintech and identity verification use Startuprad.io to reach founders, investors, and decision-makers across the DACH startup ecosystem. If that fits your goals, explore partnership options here: Partner with Startuprad.io

Comments

Become a Sponsor!

...
Sign up for our newsletter!

Get notified about updates and be the first to get early access to new episodes.

Affiliate Links:

...
bottom of page