AllUnite Raises €3 Million as It Continues Expansion into New Markets

AllUnite, (www.allunite.com) the Copenhagen-based startup which offers free Internet and location-based marketing for retailers, has announced a €3 million Series A funding round lead by European venture capital partnership, Northzone and Denmark’s largest grocery chain retailer, Coop.

Founded in September 2013 by entrepreneurs Kasper Gevaldig and Esben Elmoe, AllUnite provides free Wi-Fi in commercial locations, such as supermarkets, shops and restaurants, in exchange for advertising space on customers’ mobile devices. Located at the base of the devices’ web browsers, this unobtrusive advertising space allows businesses to offer personalised and relevant adverts to current and potential customers within a physical proximity to the store. AllUnite is designed to accommodate the increasing need of retailers to collect shop floor data, allowing them to record information such as what proportion of customers are returning rather than new customers; the average time a customer spends in store, as well as profiles of customers including data on gender, age, and marital status. Additionally, AllUnite offers businesses or commercial sites a heat map, which shows where customers are localised in a shop and helps with the process of retail space management. (This mapping service is only available to businesses that have 3 or more Wi-Fi boxes from AllUnite.)

Since launching on January 1 2014, AllUnite has attracted 500,000 users in its native Denmark. Following this funding round, AllUnite is set to roll out in a number of other territories, including the UK, India, China and Brazil, as part of an ambitious plan to expand into 50 countries in 50 weeks.

The funding round, which will enable AllUnite to continue expansion into new markets across Europe, Asia and America, was led by Northzone, the technology investor with more than 18 years of investment experience in over 90 companies, including Spotify, Lastminute.com, Avito and Tobii. The other participant, Coop, is Denmark’s leading consumer goods retailer with an annual turnover of approximately DKK 50 billion. As well as investing in the company, Coop is also deploying AllUnite’s free Wi-Fi in its retail outlets. Both Northzone and Coop join existing investor Christian Stadil, the prominent Danish entrepreneur and owner of fashion apparel brand Hummel.

AllUnite co-founder Esben Elmoe comments: “We are excited to partner with Northzone and Coop as we look to expand our offering further to Asia and America. Their significant international experience and solid foundation in the market are well known and it’s an honour to have them on board.”

Fellow co-founder Kasper Gevaldig adds: “Connectivity is absolutely vital these days, with consumers wanting fast and stable Internet everywhere they go. There’s also a real desire from shops to be able to connect digitally with their customers, informing them of relevant product launches and promotions that will help drive sales.”

Jeppe Zink from Northzone comments: “Northzone is delighted to be investing in AllUnite, alongside Coop. AllUnite serves the need of the digital neighbourhood, with people demanding local digital services, from basic fast internet connection, to local and relevant offers from your local butcher or a timely voucher for discounted dessert in the restaurant you are currently dining with.”

Gregers Wedell-Wedellsborg, Group Director, Coop adds: “The AllUnite Wi-Fi technology we’ll be deploying in our stores will help us make customers happier with their shopping experience. And it also enables us to collect invaluable shop floor data, which is absolutely vital for retailers. We have very high hopes for what AllUnite can become, and we’re incredibly excited to be part of it.”

About AllUnite

AllUnite (www.allunite.com) was founded in September 2013 by Kasper Gevaldig and Esben Elmoe. AllUnite offers commercial mobile advertising via free and fast Internet. Advertisements accommodate businesses’ specific needs by making them relevant and local, allowing shops to promote directly to their customers. Operating countries include Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Australia, Chile, Indonesia and Brazil, with plans to expand to Asia and America. At the 2014 Danish E-commerce Awards held by FDIH, the union of Danish internet commerce, AllUnite was awarded with the prestigious title of Best New E-commerce Company in 2014.

About Northzone

Northzone (www.northzone.com) was founded in 1996 and has to date raised seven funds and invested in some 100 technology companies. The current portfolio includes companies such as Spotify, Avito.ru, Trustpilot, WideSpace and Spaceape. The company has offices in London, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and New York.

About Coop Denmark A/S:

Coop Denmark A/S (www.coop.dk) is Denmark’s largest supermarket chain. The company operates more than 1200 stores across Denmark under the following trade names: Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Dagli’Brugsen, LokalBrugsen, Irma, Fakta and Fakta Q.