Germany-based publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck has sold its minority equity investment in Allesklar, a local internet developer of dating websites and city guide Meinestadt.
Holtzbrinck Digital Strategy, a division of Georg von Holtzbrinck formerly known as Holtzbrinck Networks, owned 43.9% of Allesklar, with the remainder being sold by the founding Stegger family.
Axel Springer Digital Classifieds, a strategic partnership founded earlier this year between Germany-based publisher Axel Springer and private equity firm General Atlantic (set up by four families including the Hoffmann behind drugs company Roche, computer maker Dell and Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al-Waleed family), bought Allesklar for an undisclosed amount.
Springer owns 70% of the partnership, which owns European online jobs portal StepStone, along with the French and German real estate portals SeLoger and Immonet, respectively. In April, StepStone acquired Totaljobs in the UK.
Manfred Stegger, the founder and chief executive of Allesklar, will leave the company after the sale and be succeded by Georg Konjovic, director of premium content at Axel Springer since January 2011.
Holtzbrinck Digital Strategy consists of eight remaining internet companies “that have already reached a certain maturity and are of strategic importance for the publishing group”. This division is separate to the publisher’s former corporate venturing unit, Holtzbrinck Ventures, which had invested from three funds nearly €150m in more than 80 companies since its launch in 1999 before being spun out to management at the start of last year.
Georg von Holtzbrinck also committed money to the €177m ($230m) fourth fund managed by Holtzbrinck Ventures.