Cybot, founded in Denmark in 2012, operates with Cookiebot a self-service offering that enables websites to transparently inform about cookie usage on the respective domain and to obtain corresponding consent. The Munich startup Usercentrics, in turn, has experience and customer relationships in providing customized SaaS solutions for large corporations.
Through the merger, the two companies intend to further grow. They also intend to strengthen and expand their now joint offering for trusted data protection and transparency, as well as share resources and expertise. The products offered will remain available, with Usercentrics primarily focusing on larger enterprises, while Cookiebot continues to offer a plug-and-play cookie compliance offering primarily for small and medium-sized businesses.
Mischa Rürup, CEO and founder of Usercentrics, says:
"Data protection is the new normal. However, companies that focus solely on legal compliance when obtaining consent to data processing are missing the bigger picture. Transparent data protection practices create and maintain something very important for companies: user trust. Together with Cookiebot, we are now in a stronger position to shape an industry standard for user consent that focuses on transparency and trust."
Usercentrics becomes European market leader
The merger expands the partner network of both companies to more than 20 technology partners and over 2,000 sales partners. The customer base includes companies of all sizes in over 100 countries and more than 700,000 websites. Companies and their users trust Usercentrics and Cookiebot to process approximately 61 million consents per day. According to the company, the new Usercentrics is one of the three largest players and the European market leader in the consent management industry after the merger.
Daniel Johannsen, CEO and founder of Cybot, says:
"Long before the introduction of GDPR, we knew we needed a solution that would provide users with transparency about how their data is being used and help companies correctly manage user consent. During our discussions with Usercentrics, we discovered a number of shared values and goals. We want to make transparent data compliance accessible to companies of all sizes. Our merger offers an exciting opportunity to reach an even larger audience and better spread our message about the value of privacy."
Positive mood among investors
The US venture capitalist Full In Partners, which is invested in both companies, brokered the merger. Elodie Dupuy, CEO and co-founder of Full In, explains:
"In our discussions with Usercentrics and Cookiebot, it became clear that working together under one roof could be transformative for their future growth. Full In is proud to have played a role in the emergence of a global leader in consent management. Protecting user privacy is becoming an increasingly important issue worldwide."
Usercentrics's early investors, Alstin Capital and Cavalry Ventures, also welcome the merger. It paves the way for both European RegTech leaders to fulfill user demand for greater privacy and transparency on a larger, global scale, they said. Carsten Maschmeyer, founder of Alstin Capital. He continues:
"The GDPR has become a European export hit worldwide. And Usercentrics and Cookiebot, both from the birthplace of data protection, now manifest the need for privacy in a single global company."
Lukas Bennemann, partner at Alstin Capital and responsible for all RegTech and cybersecurity investments, will remain a member of the board of directors of the new company.
