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§ Private Profile · Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Qype is a technology company.
Qype developed a social platform centered on user-generated local reviews and social networking across Europe. Its core product allowed users to contribute reviews, add new businesses and places of interest, upload photos, and interact within a community. The platform served as a comprehensive directory for searching local businesses and services, empowering consumers with insights into their local surroundings and fostering community engagement.
Stephan Uhrenbacher founded Qype in March 2006, driven by the insight to establish a leading pan-European local review site. He recognized the burgeoning need for a dedicated digital space where European consumers could share authentic experiences and recommendations for businesses and services. Uhrenbacher set out to cultivate an extensive database of user-contributed content for local discovery.
The platform served consumers actively seeking authentic recommendations for local businesses, from restaurants to professional services, and businesses aiming for visibility and direct customer engagement. Qype's vision was to become the definitive and most expansive local review and social networking hub across Europe, fostering a dynamic community centered on shared local experiences and discoveries.
Qype has raised $30.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Qype has raised $30.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Qype has raised $30.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $8.7M Other Equity in November 2010.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 23, 2010 | $8.7M Venture Round | Vodafone Ventures | Advent Venture Partners, Partech, Wellington Partners | Announced |
| Nov 26, 2008 | $10.3M Venture Round | — | — | Announced |
| Sep 1, 2008 | $11M Series A | — | Balderton Capital, Felix Capital | Announced |
Qype was a pioneering European technology company that operated as the continent's largest user-generated local reviews platform, connecting consumers with local businesses through crowd-sourced ratings and recommendations.[1][2][5] Founded in 2006, it served millions of users across 13 countries, amassing over two million reviews and 15 million unique monthly visitors by 2012, primarily targeting markets like Germany, the UK, and others in Europe.[2] Qype solved the problem of discovering reliable local services and venues in an era before dominant global players fully penetrated Europe, offering a multilingual, mobile-friendly platform for reviews that empowered users and businesses alike; it demonstrated strong growth until its acquisition by Yelp in 2012 for approximately $50 million USD, accelerating Yelp's international foothold.[1][2]
Qype was founded in March 2006 (with some sources noting November 2005) by Stephan Uhrenbacher specifically for the German market, emerging as an early player in user-generated content for local discovery.[1][5] Uhrenbacher, drawing from the rising trend of platforms like Yelp in the US, bootstrapped the idea amid Europe's fragmented local search landscape, securing initial funding from Partech Ventures (Paris) and Advent Ventures (London).[1] Early traction came from rapid expansion across Europe, building a robust user base and sales force; a pivotal moment arrived in October 2012 when Yelp acquired Qype to leapfrog competition, integrating its established content and operations in key markets like Germany and the UK.[2][3]
Qype stood out in the local reviews space through several key strengths:
Qype rode the early 2000s wave of user-generated content and local search, capitalizing on Europe's slower adoption of US-style platforms like Yelp amid rising smartphone penetration and demand for authentic recommendations.[2][5] Its timing was ideal post-2005, as social media and Web 2.0 exploded, but regional data privacy laws and language barriers slowed incumbents, allowing Qype to dominate with localized content.[1] Market forces like increasing urban mobility and e-commerce favored it, influencing the ecosystem by proving acquisitions as a fast-track for US firms' global expansion—Yelp's buyout set a precedent for consolidating fragmented review markets.[2][3]
Post-2012 acquisition, Qype's brand and operations fully integrated into Yelp, ceasing independent existence but amplifying Yelp's European dominance in local discovery.[2] Looking ahead, its legacy endures in the consolidated landscape of Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, and Yelp, where AI-driven personalization and hyper-local data trends will shape evolutions—expect deeper mergers of reviews with maps, AR experiences, and e-commerce. Qype's story underscores how nimble regional innovators fuel global giants, reminding investors that timing local trends can yield outsized exits in tech's borderless arena.
Qype has raised $30.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Qype's investors include Vodafone Ventures, Advent Venture Partners, Partech, Wellington Partners, Balderton Capital, Felix Capital.