top of page
Search

Samsung Buys IP of German Startup Cynora for 300 m $ — All Employees Are Fired

Updated: 1 day ago

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

What Is This About?

Samsung acquired the intellectual property of German deep tech startup Cynora for $300 million — but fired all employees in the process. The deal, reported by Bloomberg, highlights the harsh reality of IP-focused exits where the technology survives but the team and company do not.

This article is part of our coverage of Startuprad.io Knowledge Graph: The DACH Startup Ecosystem.

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

  • The IP of Cynora GmbH was sold to Samsung at 300 m US$, as reported by Bloomberg.

  • Adding some information from the reputable and usually well-informed German Tech Blog Golem, the deal is just an asset deal.

  • Samsung and LG invested 25 m Euros in September 2017 in the company as part of a Series B funding.


Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

New Blog


Samsung Buys IP of German Startup Cynora for 300 m $ — All Employees Are Fired 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.


The IP of Cynora GmbH was sold to Samsung at 300 m US$, as reported by Bloomberg. Cynora was founded 2013 in Bruchsal, Germany, and working in improving the blue color in OLED displays with TADF (thermally activated delayed fluorescence) technology.


Adding some information from the reputable and usually well-informed German Tech Blog Golem, the deal is just an asset deal. This means that Samsung only buys the IP and all employees are let go. The notices to the ~120 employees have been made in the last weeks, during the preparations of the transaction. The founder did not respond to contact attempts by Golem.


Samsung and LG invested 25 m Euros in September 2017 in the company as part of a Series B funding. In total, the company raised more than 60 m US$ according to CrunchBase. Other investors include Wecken & Cie, MiG, DBOLED, KfW, SRF Partners Group, and the Korean SBI Cross-Border Advantage fund.


Why Did Samsung Buy Cynora's IP?

Samsung acquired the intellectual property of German startup Cynora GmbH for $300 million, as reported by Bloomberg. All employees were fired in the process. Samsung and LG had previously invested €25 million in Cynora's Series B in September 2017. German tech blog Golem provided additional details on the deal. The acquisition was purely for IP — not a traditional acquisition with employee retention.

Introduction

This news article covers Samsung's $300 million acquisition of the intellectual property of Cynora GmbH, a German deep tech startup working on OLED materials. As reported by Bloomberg and with additional details from German tech blog Golem, the deal was notable for being an IP-only purchase — all employees were fired. Samsung and LG had been early investors, putting €25 million into the company during a September 2017 Series B. The deal underscores both the value of deep tech IP and the sometimes harsh realities of startup exits.

Samsung's $300 million purchase of Cynora's IP represents one of the most dramatic German startup exits — all valuable IP acquired, all employees let go. Cynora had been developing advanced OLED materials, attracting investment from both Samsung and LG in a €25 million Series B in 2017. The Bloomberg-reported deal highlights the high value of deep tech intellectual property even when the company itself doesn't survive. Golem provided additional reporting on the circumstances surrounding the deal.

  • Samsung acquired Cynora GmbH's intellectual property for $300 million, as reported by Bloomberg.

  • All Cynora employees were fired — this was an IP-only acquisition, not a traditional company purchase.

  • Samsung and LG had previously invested €25 million in Cynora's Series B in September 2017, making them early backers of the technology.

  • German tech blog Golem provided additional details and context on the deal terms and circumstances.

Entities Referenced in This Episode

Companies

  • Cynora GmbH — German deep tech startup, OLED materials, IP sold for $300M

  • Samsung — Acquirer of Cynora IP, previous Series B investor

  • LG — Co-investor in Cynora's €25M Series B (2017)

Media

  • Bloomberg — First reported the $300M deal

  • Golem — German tech blog providing additional deal details

Topics

  • IP acquisition, OLED materials, deep tech exit, startup IP value, Samsung acquisitions, employee layoffs

Relationship Map

  • Samsung → acquired IP of → Cynora GmbH ($300M)

  • Samsung + LG → invested → €25M Series B in Cynora (September 2017)

  • Cynora → all employees → fired after IP sale

  • Bloomberg → reported → deal; Golem → provided details

Quote Highlights

  • On the deal: Samsung acquired the intellectual property of German deep tech startup Cynora for 300 million US dollars, but fired all employees in the process.

  • On prior investment: Samsung and LG had invested 25 million Euros in Cynora in September 2017 as part of a Series B round.

  • On the outcome: The deal highlights the harsh reality of deep tech acquisitions — IP purchased but the team let go entirely.

  • On reporting: The deal was originally reported by Bloomberg and further covered by German tech media.

Related Episodes on Startuprad.io

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 was Cynora?

Cynora GmbH was a German deep tech startup developing advanced OLED materials. The company attracted investment from Samsung and LG (€25M Series B in 2017) before Samsung ultimately acquired all of Cynora's intellectual property for $300 million.

Why did Samsung buy Cynora's IP?

Samsung acquired Cynora's OLED materials IP for $300 million to strengthen its position in the display technology market. Having been an early investor, Samsung clearly valued the technology enough to purchase it outright, though all employees were let go in the process.

What happened to Cynora's employees?

All Cynora employees were fired as part of the deal. Samsung acquired only the intellectual property, not the company as a going concern. This made it an IP acquisition rather than a traditional company purchase.

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

From OLED breakthroughs to major IP acquisitions, the DACH deeptech ecosystem continues to shape global innovation. Startuprad.io partners with a select number of companies seeking high-trust visibility among founders, investors, and operators. 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