Berlin/Münster, January 16th, 2024

stylink acquires Berlin-based Creator Economy startup cliqe.

stylink, a leading influencer marketing company based in Münster, Germany, announces the acquisition of the Berlin-based startup cliqe. This acquisition marks a significant step for stylink to further diversify and expand its product offering.

The two founders, Tiên Grünewald and Felippe Wick, will take on leading positions in sales and product as part of the stylink acquisition. Their responsibilities will include the development of innovative products, the development of new market segments and the establishment and management of an additional location in Berlin.

About cliqe

cliqe, founded in 2022 by Tiên Grünewald and Felippe Wick and based in Berlin, has established itself as an innovative creator economy platform that offers content creators a link-in-bio page or Linktree-alternative with direct access to monetization opportunities such as partnerships with over 250 brands. This enables influencers to monetize their reach with brand and product recommendations, while brands gain access to a pool of authentic and cost-effective brand ambassadors. With the cliqe-platform, content creators were usually remunerated based on leads or sales (CPO).

The previously bootstrapped or self-financed start-up was founded by the two founders Tiên Grünewald and Felippe Wick who have already gained experience at renowned start-ups and VCs such as Trade Republic, Scalable Capital, wefox and Antler. They completed their studies at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management and TU Berlin, among others.

About stylink

Founded in 2017 and based in Münster, stylink focuses on enabling influencers to recommend their favourite products via affiliate links. With a focus on fashion and lifestyle brands in the e-commerce sector, the company is already active in 12 countries and employs over 80 people. Content creators are usually remunerated on a click basis (CPC) via the stylink-platform.

Michael Elschenbroich (CEO of stylink) on the acquisition of cliqe by stylink:

"The acquisition of cliqe by stylink represents a significant step in our digital mission to push the boundaries of innovation in the influencer sector. By bringing together cliqe's technology, insights and experience into the stylink platform, we aim to not only strengthen its market position, but also to create an even more diverse and inspiring experience for content creators.

The acquisition brings technological synergies and strengthens the stylink-team through the integration of two highly motivated and committed young entrepreneurs. The expertise and dynamism of the two cliqe founders, Tiên and Felippe, perfectly complement stylink's existing structure and contribute to the creation of a dynamic, creative working environment.

Our focus is on shaping the future of the influencer industry together. By pooling resources, ideas and innovation, stylink and cliqe strive to set new standards in the industry. The collaboration promises not only a successful integration of both companies, but also the development of groundbreaking solutions. These will change the way content creators work and earn money, as well as the way brands do marketing."

Quote from Tiên Grünewald (co-founder of cliqe) on the acquisition of cliqe by stylink:

"Since our first conversation with stylink, we have not only immediately recognized the synergies and joint potential on both sides, but also had the instant feeling that there is also a very good fit between the two parties on a personal level. Together with stylink, we now have the resources and expertise to achieve our shared vision of creating more fairness in the Creator Economy. We are definitely super happy about this important step and are looking forward to our new challenge."

Quote from Felippe Wick (co-founder of cliqe) on the acquisition of cliqe by stylink:

"We started cliqe to give especially smaller content creators the opportunity to profit financially from their passion. To achieve our vision in this market, we decided to work with a strong partner at our side. As the largest compensation platform for micro-influencers in Europe, stylink successfully combines the maturity of an established player with the speed of a young startup and fits perfectly with cliqe's DNA."