Google joins Munich-based data protection startup Usercentrics

The Californian tech group Google has joined the German GDPR startup Usercentrics, it has now been announced. There was a connection between the two early on.

The Munich startup Usercentrics, known for its consent management platforms, has gained a prominent investor in Google. The US tech group has acquired a minority stake of almost three percent in the company, as Capital reports. The deal, which is already documented in the commercial register, has not yet been publicly communicated. Google is said to have paid around 20 million euros for entry, which would mean a company valuation of a good 660 million euros. Sources from the corporate environment confirmed these figures to Gründerszene.

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Usercentrics was founded in 2018 by Vinzent Ellissen, Lisa Gradow and Mischa Rürup and specializes in offering companies ways to design websites and apps in compliance with data protection regulations. The heart of the business model is a tool that implements the well-known cookie banners in a legally compliant manner. In view of the growing regulatory requirements – in particular due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – the company has become significantly more important in recent years.

With customers such as Hellofresh, Delivery Hero and Douglas, Usercentrics claims to have over 100,000 companies in its portfolio. For 2024, the startup expects annual sales of up to 80 million euros. After years of high losses, Usercentrics is now profitable and recently recorded growth of 50 percent compared to the previous year.

Early connection to Google

For Google, the investment could certainly be of a strategic nature, as third-party cookies are increasingly coming under regulatory pressure and the business area is becoming increasingly important for the data-driven tech group. Google itself originally wanted to completely abolish third-party cookies by 2025, but backtracked in part after pressure from the industry. In addition, the group is currently under antitrust pressure to sell its in-house browser Chrome.

Usercentrics came into contact with the new investor very early on: Axel Täubert, a high-ranking Google manager, had joined the startup shortly after the launch. Alstin, Carsten Maschmeyer's VC, was another early supporter and had recently monetized part of his shares. Usercentrics, which has been run by Israeli manager Donna Dror for a good two years, says it employs over 350 people at locations in Munich, New York, Copenhagen and Lisbon.