Companisto AI Overview on 09/2025

Companisto: Overview

Companisto is a leading equity crowdfunding platform from Germany that enables retail investors to invest in startup companies online.

Founded in 2012, it has grown into one of the largest startup investment networks in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with a community of over 150,000 investors across 92 countries.

Through Companisto, individuals can become shareholders in startups and growth companies with a minimum investment as low as €250.

The platform’s model offers the potential for very high returns – investors aim to multiply their investment through profit sharing or a lucrative exit (e.g. if the startup is acquired or goes public).

At the same time, these are high-risk, illiquid investments: every investment carries a risk of total loss of the capital.

As of mid-2025, Companisto has facilitated funding for hundreds of financing rounds (380+ rounds) with over €210 million invested via the platform.

The platform stands out for its rigorous vetting of companies (only ~1% of applicant startups are accepted) and its investor-friendly fee structure (“we win if you win”) where Companisto only earns money when investors earn a profit.

Key advantages include low entry thresholds, access to innovative ventures, and a strong investor community, while key risks include the high failure rate of startups, lack of liquidity (no guaranteed early exit), and the long-term horizon needed for any potential returns.

Companisto operates under German regulatory oversight (its subsidiary Companisto Wertpapier GmbH is registered with BaFin, the German financial regulator) and emphasizes transparency, diversification, and investor education to help retail investors make informed decisions.

Companisto: Investment Product Offering

Companisto’s investment product is equity in startups and growth-stage companies.

Investors on the platform provide venture capital to selected startups in exchange for an ownership stake or profit-sharing rights, rather than receiving a fixed interest or repayment schedule.

In practical terms, when you invest via Companisto, you either acquire actual shares of the company or an equivalent participation certificate that grants you rights to a portion of future profits and exit proceeds.

The return on investment is not paid as regular interest; instead, returns are realized only if and when the startup succeeds – for example, if the company is sold at a higher valuation or conducts an IPO, investors can sell their stake at a profit.

Companisto explicitly targets high-growth investments: startup campaigns often project ambitious potential returns (sometimes 30-60%+ annual target returns in successful cases), reflecting the high-risk/high-reward nature of this asset class.

There is no guaranteed return – in fact, the platform stresses that expected yields are not assured and may be lower, including the possibility of a 100% loss of the invested amount.

Investment term: these equity investments have no fixed maturity – investors’ capital is locked in until an “exit” occurs. There are generally no interim payouts except potential dividends if the startup chooses to distribute profits (which is rare for young companies).

Companisto notes that startup investments are long-term commitments that cannot be easily terminated; you typically must wait several years for an exit event to realize any gains. The platform does offer a secondary market (see Platform Functionality), but liquidity is very limited.

In summary, Companisto’s product allows anyone to become a venture capital investor in innovative startups, with minimum tickets around €250, no upper limit, and potential for multi-fold returns – but it comes with high volatility and risk, no ongoing yield, and an uncertain time to exit.

Investors are advised to diversify across many deals to balance the inevitable failures against the few big winners.

Geography-wise, Companisto initially focused on German startups but now features companies from across Europe (since 2014 it opened to European businesses and accepts investors worldwide).

All investments are Euro-denominated, and the platform is available in both English and German to cater to international investors.

Key risk factors of the product include startup business risks (execution, market, technology risks), lack of collateral (unsecured equity), and subordination (in insolvency, equity investors are last in line, so usually nothing is recovered).

Essentially, Companisto’s product is startup equity crowdfunding, offering retail investors a chance to back early-stage companies for a share in the upside, while clearly warning that one must be prepared for the total loss of any invested funds in the worst case.

Companisto:Company Background and Structure

Companisto GmbH is a fintech company based in Berlin, Germany, specializing in crowdinvesting for startups.

It was founded in June 2012 by two lawyers-turned-entrepreneurs, David Rhotert and Tamo Zwinge, who serve as managing directors. Their vision was to democratize venture capital by creating a professional online platform for startup financing.

Both founders brought substantial legal and business expertise – for example, Tamo Zwinge worked in corporate law (CMS Hasche Sigle) and is responsible for the legal and regulatory design of the Companisto platform. David Rhotert similarly has a background in law and startup consulting.

Companisto began by offering investments through “silent partnerships” and profit-participating loans, but over the years it evolved its model; since 2019 the platform enables direct equity investments so that investors become real shareholders (this removed earlier investment limits of €10,000 per person and €2.5M total per campaign under old regulations).

The company operates through several legal entities – notably Companisto Wertpapier GmbH, which is registered and supervised by BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany) as an investment intermediary.

This regulatory structure ensures compliance with the German Small Investor Protection Act and EU crowdfunding regulations, requiring Companisto to provide standardized information documents (e.g. Investment Information Sheets, Key Information Documents) for each offering.

Companisto is also a founding member of the German Crowdfunding Association (Bundesverband Crowdfunding), underscoring its commitment to industry standards.

In terms of ownership, the company has been primarily founder-led; it even conducted a self-crowdfunding round on its own platform – in 2016 Companisto raised €2 million from its investor community to fund its growth.

The firm had about 57 employees as of 2019 and maintains offices in Berlin and (previously) Zurich.

Over the years, Companisto has built strategic partnerships with venture capital firms and public agencies – for example, it often co-finances rounds alongside professional VCs or government-backed funds (the platform can help startups leverage programs like the INVEST grant and regional VC matching funds).

Companisto’s reputation is that of a pioneer and market leader in German-speaking Europe’s crowdinvesting sector.

It claims the largest network of startup investors in the region and a track record of funding high-profile startups (over 100 startups financed to date, with multiple follow-on rounds).

The company’s business model generates revenue in two ways: primarily through a success fee on investor profits (carry) and secondarily through fees charged to fundraisers.

Notably, Companisto advertises that investors pay no upfront or management fees, and the platform only earns money if the startup succeeds (“we win if you win”) – specifically by taking ~15% of any profit made by investors on a deal.

On the startup side, Companisto typically charges a commission on the capital raised (around 10% of the funding volume) as a fee for hosting the financing round.

The firm is subject to German law and has to publish financials; past media reports noted Companisto had accumulated losses in its early years as it invested in growth (as of 2016 a €716k deficit was reported), but it has since continued operations and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022 with a documentary and reflections on its journey.

In summary: Companisto is a well-established crowdinvesting company, led by its original founders, operating under regulatory oversight, and focused on connecting private investors with vetted startup opportunities in a secure and transparent online environment.

Companisto:Risk Management and Due Diligence Approach

Managing investment risk is a core focus for Companisto, given the inherently risky nature of startup investing. The platform employs several layers of risk mitigation and investor protection in its model.

Firstly, stringent selection criteria are applied to startups: Companisto reportedly accepts only around 1% of all financing applications. The vetting process involves multiple stages – initial screening of applications, thorough review of documents and financials for about 25% of candidates, in-person meetings with founders (~10% reach this stage), then detailed contract negotiations (~5%), before a company is approved for a public financing round (~1% of applicants).

This rigorous due diligence (covering the business model, market potential, team qualifications, financial projections, etc.) is intended to ensure that only quality startups with credible prospects are presented to investors.

Secondly, Companisto provides a risk classification system for each investment called the “Companisto Class.” This is a standardized internal rating (grades A through E) that reflects the relative risk level of the startup opportunity.

The Companisto Class is determined by evaluating key criteria such as a startup’s liquidity and burn rate, revenue growth, profitability, management team strength, intellectual property, customer base, and shareholder structure.

A-Class represents the lowest relative risk (more mature or stable startups) and E-Class the highest risk (very early-stage or uncertain ventures).

While this rating helps investors compare opportunities at a glance, Companisto cautions that higher risk classes can still be attractive (often higher risk comes with higher potential reward) and that the rating is only a guide, not a guarantee.

Thirdly, Companisto facilitates investor diversification and education to manage risk. It strongly encourages spreading investments across many startups to improve the odds that at least some winners compensate for the losers.

The platform even has a “Diversification” section highlighting that a broad portfolio (10 or more startup investments) can significantly improve overall success probability.

Companisto’s Investor Academy and blog content educate users on risks and best practices, emphasizing that only money one can afford to lose should be invested in this class.

Fourthly, the investment structure itself pools investors together which can provide some efficiencies: Companisto often uses a holding vehicle or trustee (e.g. Companisto Wertpapier GmbH) to represent the crowd’s shares, which simplifies follow-up financing and legal processes.

Investors typically enter into a pooling agreement, meaning their votes or rights are exercised in aggregate, which is designed to protect small investors (they won’t be diluted or ignored in future rounds, as the platform negotiates rights on their behalf).

The platform also introduced “crowd voting” on certain matters, giving investors a say in major decisions, and claims to have “solved demanding regulatory challenges to combine the advantages of professional angel investments with those of a platform.”

This suggests Companisto put legal mechanisms in place so that even with many small investors, startups can still raise follow-on funding from VCs without legal hurdles, and investors have aligned interests.

Importantly, Companisto’s fee model aligns with investors – since the platform only profits when investors see returns (taking ~15% of investor profits as carry), it has an incentive to list startups that will succeed and generate exits.

Despite these measures, the reality is that startup investing remains very risky. Companisto is transparent about its track record: as of 2025, around 30% of the startups funded on the platform have failed, resulting in investors losing their money in those cases. (In monetary terms, roughly 23.7% of all invested capital on Companisto to date has been lost due to startup failures.)

The default rate has risen over time as more startups mature; Companisto had once reported only ~12% failures back in 2017, but including companies on the verge of insolvency the potential default was ~21% by end-2017, and in recent years the combined failure rate by number of companies is in the 25–30% range.

The platform acknowledges this and regularly reminds investors that they can lose the entirety of any investment, and that no additional liabilities or margin calls can occur (losses are limited to the invested amount).

To further mitigate risk, Companisto often co-invests alongside experienced business angels, family offices or VC funds in the same startup rounds, which means these professionals have diligenced the deal as well.

Some deals also allow investors to benefit from government incentives (e.g. INVEST grant in Germany provides a 20% rebate on startup investments for eligible private investors, which effectively buffers some risk – Companisto highlights such opportunities when available).

In summary: Companisto manages risk through strict project selection, providing transparent risk info (ratings, disclosures), aligning incentives, and encouraging diversification and education. However, investors must understand that even with these measures, startup investments carry very high risk, and the platform makes it clear that a total loss is possible in the worst case. Each investor should carefully review the Key Information Document (KID) and risk factors provided for each deal before investing.

Companisto: Platform Functionality and Features

Companisto’s platform is a fully digital investment marketplace with features tailored to both novice and experienced investors in the startup ecosystem. The platform’s website (and mobile app) provides an investment dashboard where users can browse current Investment Opportunities – each startup has a detailed profile page with pitch videos, business plans, financials, team info, and the specific terms of the investment (valuation, share type, rights, etc.).

Investors can complete investments online in minutes: they choose an amount, fill in necessary KYC details, and transfer funds via the platform’s interface (payment can be done via bank transfer, credit card, etc.). Companisto then issues the relevant electronic contracts to the investor. Once invested, users have access to a portfolio overview section which shows all their startup holdings, along with performance updates. Companisto facilitates regular updates from startup founders (often quarterly reports or news posts) that are shared with investors through the platform, keeping investors informed about progress or challenges in the business.

Notably, Companisto offers a “Business Angel Club” – an exclusive segment of the platform for larger investors. Members who invest over €10,000 (or otherwise qualify) gain access to special Angel Club Rounds and co-investment opportunities that may not be open to the general public. These often involve more mature companies or larger financing rounds, and club members might get early access, larger allocation, or invitations to physical pitch events and networking with founders. This feature caters to financially strong investors seeking a more venture-capital-like experience on the platform.

In terms of automation, Companisto does not provide an auto-invest tool. Unlike some peer-to-peer lending platforms, investors cannot set rules to automatically invest in all deals – given the unique nature of each startup, manual selection is required for each investment (auto-invest is “nicht möglich” on Companisto). This ensures investors make conscious decisions per startup, though it means more effort to build a large portfolio.

Companisto has implemented a Secondary Market feature in recent years (accessible via the “Secondary Market” section of the site). This allows investors to buy or sell shares of startups from other investors. However, it is important to note that this is not a full, liquid exchange – it’s essentially a bulletin board or facilitator for private trades. Liquidity remains very limited: there might be only occasional opportunities to sell, and one must find a willing buyer. The platform itself acknowledges there is “no regulated market” for these holdings and that selling early can be challenging. In fact, an independent analysis points out the lack of a robust secondary market as a drawback, as investors often have to hold until exit due to the difficulty of finding buyers for unlisted startup equity. So while the secondary market section exists (and any deal theoretically can be traded there), investors should not count on being able to cash out early – illiquidity is a reality.

Other features include: an Investor Communication system where questions can be asked to founders (Companisto often hosts Q&A webinars or forum discussions during live campaigns so investors can conduct due diligence). The platform provides various documents for each investment (term sheets, Investment Information Sheet, shareholder agreements, etc.) to download for analysis. There is also an Investor community element – e.g., a comments section on each campaign and occasional investor meetups or online events (Companisto organizes webinars, podcasts, and networking events to build community and share knowledge). The mobile app (available on iOS, Android, Huawei) is a convenient tool that mirrors the website’s functionality, allowing users to get notifications on new deals and updates on the go.

Languages and accessibility: The platform is bilingual (German/English), which supports its international reach. Investors from most countries can sign up (with a few exceptions if local regulations prohibit it, but Companisto has investors from around the globe). The investment currency is Euro (€), so non-Euro investors might incur currency conversion via their payment provider, but otherwise all investments and returns are in EUR.

Support and tools: Companisto provides customer support via phone and email, and publishes extensive FAQs and an Investor Academy for education. A Partner Program (referral program) exists where users can refer friends to the platform for potential bonuses. Security-wise, as an investment platform, it complies with financial regulations for data protection and uses standard online security measures for transactions.

Overall, Companisto’s functionality is geared towards making online startup investing simple and transparent for retail investors: from easy account setup and deal discovery, to comprehensive information disclosure, to post-investment tracking. It brings some features of professional venture investing (like portfolio tracking, investor updates, co-investment with angels, etc.) into a user-friendly format. The main limitations in functionality are deliberate given the product – no quick liquidity (aside from a nascent secondary market) and no automation, as the emphasis is on informed, selective investing.

Companisto:Platform Fees and Costs

Companisto’s fee structure is investor-friendly and largely success-based. For investors, using the platform and making investments is free of charge – there are no up-front fees, no transaction fees, and no ongoing account fees for investors.

Companisto only earns money if and when investors earn a return. This is through a performance fee (carry): the platform takes 15% of the profits an investor realizes on a startup investment. In other words, if a startup exits successfully and pays out returns to the investors (e.g., via dividends or buyout proceeds), Companisto will keep 15% of those distributed profits as its compensation, with 85% going to the investors. If an investment does not yield any profit (for example, if the startup fails or doesn’t exit above its valuation), Companisto earns nothing from that investment. This “we win if you win” model aligns the platform with investor interests – it incentivizes Companisto to list startups that have good chances of success and to support their growth because the platform’s payday comes only with successful outcomes. There are also no annual management fees or custody fees charged to investors holding their shares on Companisto.

Investors should note, however, that they are responsible for their own bank’s wiring fees or currency conversion fees if applicable, and they will have to handle any taxes on their investment income (Companisto provides guidance on German capital gains tax – typically 25% plus surcharges on any profits for German residents – but investors abroad must consider their local tax laws).

For fundraisers (startups), Companisto does charge fees for its service. Typically, the startup pays a success fee on the funds raised. According to industry reports, Companisto’s commission is around 10% of the capital raised from the crowd. This means if a startup raised €500,000, the platform would take ~€50,000 as its fee (usually this is structured as part of the funding agreement). Additionally, startups may cover certain costs like legal fees for preparing the investment contracts or marketing costs for the campaign, and in some cases a small listing fee. The exact fee structure for startups isn’t publicly detailed on the site, but it’s understood that the crowdfunding model’s cost to startups is success-based – if the funding round fails to reach its minimum target, typically no success fee is due and investments are returned to investors. Companisto has stated that investors do not bear any of these costs – fees are “exclusively paid by the startups, not by the investors.”

It’s also worth noting that if a startup is successful and eventually exits, sometimes the platform’s carry fee might effectively be deducted at the company level (depending on legal structure). But the bottom line for investors is: when you invest via Companisto, 100% of your investment goes into the startup, and you won’t be charged any fees by the platform at the time of investment or during the holding period. Only when you receive a payout (profit) does Companisto take its 15% slice. This model is similar to a venture capital fund’s carry, but applied on a deal-by-deal basis.

Example: If you invested €1,000 into a startup and a few years later your shares are bought out for €3,000 (a €2,000 profit), Companisto would take €300 (15% of the €2,000 profit) as a fee, and you’d net €2,700. If the startup fails and you get €0 back, you pay nothing. There are no hidden charges like subscription fees or withdrawal fees on the platform.

The platform’s profitability thus depends on successful exits, which can be sporadic; to sustain operations, the ~10% fundraising fee from startups is likely an important revenue source as well. Companisto’s marketing emphasizes that its interests are aligned with investors due to the success fee structure. However, critics have noted this could also potentially motivate the platform to push many projects to increase the chance of some successes – still, the alignment is generally seen as a positive.

In summary, Companisto’s pricing for investors: €0 to invest, 0% annual fees, 15% carry on profits only. For startups: ~10% success fee on funds raised (and possibly other minor costs). This transparent fee setup is a key selling point, often contrasted with other financial products that charge management or entry fees. Investors should still read the specific terms in the investment contract, as details like carry fee percentages can vary slightly (sources indicate a range of 10–20% carry in some cases historically, but 15% is the current standard). Overall, the platform’s motto “We only win when you win” encapsulates its fee philosophy.

Companisto: Negative Publicity and Criticisms

While Companisto has a strong presence in the crowdinvesting market, it has faced negative publicity and criticisms over the years, mostly centered on the risks inherent in its investments and some high-profile failures. Startup failures are the primary source of negative feedback. By nature, a significant portion of startups will not succeed, and Companisto’s portfolio is no exception. As of 2025, roughly 30% of the startups funded via Companisto have gone insolvent or shut down, resulting in total loss for those investors.

Some failures attracted media attention – for example, Returbo, an e-commerce startup that raised over €1 million from Companisto investors, declared bankruptcy in 2016 only months after the campaign. Another case was MyCouchbox (Couch Media GmbH), funded in 2015 and insolvent by 2018. Perhaps the most scathing critique came with the insolvency of Homefort GmbH (a “burglary protection” startup). Homefort raised about €180,000 from ~491 Companisto investors in 2016 and went bankrupt less than a year later. A German investment watchdog site labeled this “Peinlich für Companisto” (“embarrassing for Companisto”), arguing that the startup was essentially unviable and overvalued from the start and questioning whether Companisto’s due diligence and disclosures were sufficient. In Homefort’s case, critics noted the valuation implied by the funding round was unrealistic for a new company, and that the official Information Sheet didn’t clearly spell out the pre-money valuation – forcing investors to calculate it themselves. When the company failed shortly after, it prompted accusations of “investor deception” and suggestions that such cases might even warrant legal investigation. Companisto was criticized for earning a 10% commission on that funding round while investors ultimately lost everything, leading skeptics to ask if the platform’s need for revenue was outweighing its prudence in project selection.

Beyond individual cases, there have been concerns about overall performance. Some early promotional materials highlighted low default rates (~12%), but as time passed and more startups failed, journalists pointed out that the default rate had climbed and by end-2017 around 25.6% of companies funded were either failed or in trouble (about 19.2% of invested capital). This was seen as contradicting an overly optimistic picture of crowdinvesting. Companisto’s management responded by emphasizing that failures are a normal part of startup investing and that media coverage had been focusing only on negatives while ignoring successes (at one point the CEO complained about “one-sided, negative reporting” about the industry).

On investor forums and social media, you’ll find mixed experiences. Some users praise Companisto’s professionalism and interesting startups, while others share stories of losses. For instance, there are reports of individuals who invested in multiple Companisto startups between 2015-2017 and ended up losing 100% of their invested capital across several deals. Such anecdotes underline that without a big win, a portfolio can underperform. On Reddit and personal finance blogs, some commenters advise caution or even say they would “not recommend” German startup crowdfunding due to the difficulty of picking winners (one user bluntly stated they “only got trash” from Companisto investments and suggested platforms like US-based Republic might have better deal flow).

Transparency and communication around troubled investments have also been critiqued. A few investors have complained that when startups run into trouble or declare insolvency, updates can be delayed or vague. Companisto has to coordinate with insolvency administrators and legal counsel in such cases, which can limit what they immediately communicate, but it can be frustrating for investors left in the dark about their failed investment’s aftermath. There have been calls for more candid post-mortems or clearer advance warning if a startup is struggling (though startups themselves may be hesitant to publicize bad news).

It’s important to note that these criticisms are largely tied to the nature of the product (startup equity is risky) rather than malfeasance by the platform. There haven’t been allegations of fraud by Companisto itself; the negative press revolves around whether inexperienced retail investors fully grasp the risks, and whether the platform’s marketing at times painted too rosy a picture. The German publication t3n in 2019 ran an interview titled “Steckt das Crowdinvesting in der Krise, Mr. Companisto?” addressing whether a string of startup failures was casting doubt on the model. Companisto’s CEO defended the model, highlighting that for every failure there are also success stories, and that the overall asset class needs a long-term perspective (a few big hits can make up for many misses).

In terms of user reviews, Companisto has a reasonably good rating on Trustpilot (around 4 out of 5 stars with over a thousand reviews, as of recent data). Many investors commend the ease of use and the excitement of investing in startups. However, on platforms like Finanzfluss (a German financial review site), Companisto’s reviews are more mixed – it had an average of 3.6/5, with roughly 42% of users rating it negative, often due to poor investment outcomes (i.e., startup failures) rather than issues with the platform’s interface. Some users also compare it with other platforms, noting that liquidity is an issue since you might wait years with no return.

Another aspect of negative publicity was financial performance of Companisto itself. Reports in 2019-2020 indicated that Companisto’s own revenues had slowed (a “starker Umsatzeinbruch” – sharp revenue drop – was reported) and it was operating at a loss, raising questions about sustainability. This coincided with a general cooling of the crowdfunding hype in Germany and regulatory changes. However, Companisto adjusted by introducing real equity rounds and the angel club to attract larger tickets, and it continued launching new campaigns.

In summary, negative publicity around Companisto centers on high startup failure rates, some early overvaluation concerns, and the reality that many investors have lost money – which is inherent to startup investing but can still lead to dissatisfaction. The platform has been urged by critics to improve due diligence transparency (e.g., clearly justify valuations) and investor communication in failures. Companisto for its part often reiterates the warnings (high risk of total loss) in all materials and highlights that it selects diligently – yet not every startup will succeed. Potential investors should weigh these criticisms and go in with realistic expectations (only invest money you can afford to lose, expect a portion of startups to fail). The crowdinvesting model is not a guaranteed win, and Companisto’s experience has shown both the upside (great success stories) and the downside (multiple insolvencies). Being aware of the negative cases can help investors approach the platform with the right level of caution and perform their own due diligence on each project.

Companisto: Success Stories and Notable Achievements

Despite the risks, Companisto has seen several notable success stories in its portfolio, which it proudly showcases. By investing in startups from their early days, Companisto’s investor community has occasionally reaped significant rewards when those startups thrive. Here are some highlights:

Foodist (Exit to Ströer) – Foodist is an online gourmet food subscription business that raised funding on Companisto in 2013-2015 (about €1.5 million over three rounds from 2,398 crowd investors).
In 2016, Foodist was acquired by Ströer, a large publicly-listed media company. This was one of Companisto’s first big exits, occurring just 3 years after the initial investment. It’s reported that Foodist’s revenue had grown by 5000% in those three years, illustrating massive growth.
The exit gave Companisto investors a successful return (exact multiples weren’t disclosed publicly, but it’s cited as a triumph story on the platform). This early win helped validate the crowdinvesting model.

Doxter (Exit to Doctena) – Doxter is a doctor appointment booking platform (often likened to an “OpenTable for doctors”). It was one of the first startups funded on Companisto (back in 2012).
In 2016, Doxter was acquired by Doctena (a Luxembourg-based competitor). Companisto investors received a “six-figure payout” in total from this exit.
For those who invested in 2012, cashing out in 2016 meant they saw a return within 4 years. While specific ROI percentages aren’t given, any positive exit within a few years is a notable milestone in this space.

5 CUPS and Teekanne – 5 CUPS and some sugar (often just called 5 CUPS) was a tea blending startup funded on Companisto. It caught the attention of Teekanne GmbH, one of Europe’s largest tea producers.
Eventually, 5 CUPS had an exit event to Teekanne.
This provided an exit for investors and demonstrated how even traditional industries (like tea) were acquiring innovative startups funded by the crowd.

KoRo – KoRo is an online retailer of healthy foods and commodities (dried fruits, nuts, etc.) known for transparent pricing. KoRo raised growth capital via Companisto and has since exploded in popularity, becoming a well-known brand in Germany.
It’s highlighted as the “largest exit in Companisto’s history”.
In 2022, KoRo secured a major investment from large investors (including a VC firm) that allowed early Companisto investors to sell shares at a significant profit. While details are confidential, KoRo’s valuation increase made it an impressive success story, turning early crowd backers into big winners.

Ameria AG – Ameria is a tech company (interactive digitization solutions) that ran multiple funding rounds on Companisto. It achieved the largest financing round on the platform, raising €8 million in one round, and over €20 million across five rounds from 4,200 investors.
Over the years, Ameria’s valuation grew from €8M to €106M (a >13x increase) as it expanded.
While Ameria hasn’t exited yet, this valuation jump on paper means early investors saw a huge unrealized gain and it showcases how Companisto can support a startup through successive growth stages.

Envision (ENIO GmbH) – A Vienna-based e-mobility startup (building a cooperative charging station network for electric cars) funded by 532 Companisto investors in 2016.
By 2018, the founders bought back the shares from the Companisto investors – effectively an early exit/redemption.
This resulted in a 49% total return for the investors in about 2 years, which equated to roughly 25% annualized return.
That’s a solid outcome in a short time frame, proving that not all exits are acquisitions by third parties; sometimes the startup itself or its founders/insiders decide to repay the crowd with a nice profit.

Endosane/Endo-App – A digital health application for endometriosis (“Endo-App”) received ~€620k from Companisto’s Angel Club in 2021.
It was later admitted to the German reimbursable digital health apps directory (DiGA), generating significant revenues quickly.
While not an exit, this is highlighted to show a fast-growing medtech success that validated investor trust.

Others: Companisto’s site lists many success stories, including startups that became leaders in their niche. For instance, Kauz (AI workplace), Matchday Nutrition, Inhubber (contract management AI), SMELA (industrial actuators) – these are recent (2025) cases where Companisto facilitated seven-figure rounds with strong co-investors, suggesting these companies are on promising trajectories.
Moreover, Companisto often mentions how many jobs the funded startups created (by 2017, portfolio startups had created 1200+ new jobs, a point sometimes used to demonstrate economic impact).

Companisto also counts as a success its ability to attract larger follow-on investments. The platform can claim that several of its alumni went on to raise venture capital from institutional investors, or even to public markets. This suggests the crowd investors got in early on companies that later became mainstream.

Another achievement: in 2014, Companisto facilitated what was at the time Europe’s largest crowdinvestment round – Weissenhaus, a luxury resort development, raised €7.5 million from crowd investors.
That was a groundbreaking deal (real estate rather than a startup) and put Companisto in the international spotlight. It demonstrated the capacity of the platform to raise large sums.

In terms of company milestones, Companisto celebrated exceeding €50 million total funded in 2018, then €100M, and so on. As noted, by 2025 over €200 million had been invested through the platform, which is a significant cumulative achievement in the European crowdfunding scene.
The platform being market leader in DACH is itself a success in a competitive market with rivals like Seedmatch, Invesdor, etc. Companisto also prides itself on innovation – for example, launching the first digitally organized Business Angel Club in Germany in 2018, and introducing true equity shares in crowdfunding (moving away from just loans) which many competitors only did later.

Success stories are important as they showcase the potential upside: While an investor might see several failures, just one big success can more than offset the losses. Companisto’s largest exit (KoRo) and others likely delivered multiples (some sources hint at returns of 5x or more in certain cases).
The platform publishes these stories to remind investors that patience and diversification can pay off handsomely. It also fosters trust that startups on Companisto can reach successful outcomes, not just fail.

Finally, beyond financial success, Companisto highlights social impact successes: It supports startups with sustainable or socially beneficial missions (they mention supporting social entrepreneurship education initiatives, etc.).
This aligns with many crowd investors’ motivations to not only seek returns but also back meaningful innovations.

In summary, Companisto’s success stories include multiple startup exits where investors earned profits, record-breaking funding rounds, and alumni companies that became market leaders. These examples balance out the risks and show why investors are drawn to the platform – the allure of backing “the next big thing” and potentially sharing in its success.

What is Companisto and is it a legitimate platform?

Q1: What is Companisto and is it a legitimate platform?
A: Companisto is a German-based equity crowdfunding platform that allows everyday people to invest in startup companies and receive shares or profit participation rights. It is a legitimate, established platform (active since 2012) and is regulated in Germany – Companisto is registered with BaFin (German financial regulator) via its Companisto Wertpapier GmbH entity. Over 150,000 users have joined to invest in startups on Companisto, and it’s considered a market leader in Germany’s crowdinvesting space. Investors should still perform due diligence, but the platform itself is reputable and operating within the legal framework (not a scam).

How does investing with Companisto work?

Investing on Companisto involves choosing a startup from the platform’s listed investment opportunities and investing money (minimum €250, via an online process) to acquire an equity stake. You become a shareholder (or silent partner) in the startup. All investments are done digitally – you register on the site, browse startup profiles (which include business details, financials, and terms), and if you decide to invest, you enter the amount and sign the contract electronically. The funds are transferred (e.g. via bank or card) and held until the campaign closes. If the funding round succeeds, you are officially invested and will be updated by the startup over time. You hold this investment long-term until there’s an “exit” – typically if the startup is acquired or goes public, or sometimes if it buys back shares. At that point, you would hopefully realize a profit by selling your stake. If the startup pays dividends or profit shares, you are entitled to your portion as well. Essentially, Companisto acts as the facilitator of the deal and as a nominee pooling shareholders, but you have the rights to future profits/exits. Keep in mind, there’s no guaranteed return or schedule – it’s all dependent on the startup’s fate. The platform also provides a secondary market where you might resell your stake earlier, but such sales are not guaranteed or may require finding a buyer manually.

What returns can I expect on Companisto?

Returns on Companisto investments are highly variable and uncertain. You are investing in startups, which means the best-case scenario could be extremely high returns (if the startup becomes very successful, you might multiply your money several-fold – in some cases target returns of 200-300% total were projected). For example, some campaigns forecast potential returns above 30% per year if things go well. There have been exits where investors earned significant profits (e.g. ~50% return in 2 years for one startup buyback, or undisclosed multiples for larger exits like Foodist or KoRo). However, these are not the norm. The worst-case scenario is a total loss of your investment (startup fails and you get €0). In fact, historically about 1 in 4 startups on the platform have failed, so losses happen frequently. Many investments may also just stagnate for a long time with no exit. No regular interest or yield is paid – you only get a return if there’s a profitable exit or distribution. Companisto itself emphasizes that the expected yield is not guaranteed and can be much lower than hoped. So, you should realistically expect that some of your startup picks will fail (–100% return), a few might break even, and a few might do very well, with the possibility of an outsized success balancing out the losses if you diversify. Overall, this is a high-risk, high-return type of investing – some portfolios might see positive returns, but others could see negative returns if none of the startups exit successfully.

What are the main risks of investing on Companisto?

The main risks are those inherent to startup ventures. The biggest risk is losing your entire investment in a given startup – if the company goes bankrupt or fails, you likely won’t recover any money (equity investors are last in line in insolvency). Startups are unpredictable and have a high failure rate (industry-wide, around 70-90% of startups fail, and Companisto’s data shows ~30% have failed so far on the platform). Another risk is illiquidity: your money could be tied up for many years. There’s no guarantee of an exit, and you can’t easily sell your stake (the secondary market is very limited). So you might hold a startup investment for 5-10 years or more, with no way to cash out in between. Additionally, there is execution risk (the startup might underperform or grow slower than expected, reducing potential returns), dilution risk (if the startup raises more funding later, your ownership % could dilute, though Companisto often pools investors to negotiate anti-dilution rights or at least inform investors of this), and market risk (external factors or competition might hurt the startup’s value). There’s also a risk of missing information – you rely on the startup to provide updates; if they don’t communicate well, you might not always know what’s going on. Finally, regulatory risk is low (the platform is regulated, so that part is stable), but financial risk is high. In summary: you can lose the full amount you invest (but not more – no further liability beyond what you put in), and you might have your funds locked in for a long time. Diversifying across many startups and investing only money you can afford to lose are key ways to manage these risks.