Round2 Capital is proud to announce that its portfolio company Testbirds has been acquired by UNGUESS, the European platform combining crowdtesting, AI and human insights, as part of UNGUESS’s strategy to build the leading European centre of excellence in digital quality.
With offices in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, Testbirds has developed a scalable model for digital product quality under the motto “Testing Reality“.
Round2 initially invested in Testbirds in 2023 through revenue-based financing and has supported the company’s growth trajectory across the DACH and Benelux markets.
The acquisition by UNGUESS creates an international group with direct presence in Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, with a combined turnover of approximately EUR 20 million and a portfolio of over 500 enterprise clients.
Round2’s Managing Partner Gerd Sumah commented:
“Testbirds has built an impressive business and a strong reputation for quality in crowdtesting across Europe. With UNGUESS, the company now has a partner that shares its commitment to real-world digital quality and can accelerate its next phase of growth. We are proud to have supported the Testbirds team on this journey and remain a trusted financing partner going forward.“
The transaction also creates significant strategic and technological synergies for both companies.
The acquisition aims to unify the technology platforms and tester communities of TRYBER and the Nest, giving the Group’s customers access to over one million active users across more than 100 countries.
At the same time, the commercial offering is enhanced by integrating Testbirds’ IoT and connected-device testing services with UNGUESS’s AI Training and Cybersecurity solutions.
The combined group brings together a team of around 100 professionals and serves global clients including BMW, Generali, Allianz, LVMH, Pirelli, Sky and Intesa Sanpaolo.
Georg Hansbauer, Co-Founder and CEO of Testbirds, said:
“We are thrilled to join forces with UNGUESS at this crucial juncture in our journey. Both companies share a strong belief in the value of real user feedback and a people-centric culture, making this a natural fit. Together, we will be able to accelerate innovation, expand our presence in Europe and offer our clients an even more comprehensive portfolio of testing and research services. I am incredibly proud of the Testbirds team and grateful for the dedication that has brought us this far. This partnership marks a milestone and opens up new opportunities for our employees, customers and partners.“
Luca Manara, Founder & Executive Chairman of UNGUESS, added:
“Today, we are no longer just an Italian player looking abroad, but the European benchmark capable of supporting major global clients in their digital transformation, backed by a turnover of EUR 20m and a shared vision: to create digital products that really work, that people love to use and can trust.“
Federico Malvezzi, CEO of UNGUESS, commented:
“In a world where Artificial Intelligence is radically changing the paradigms of software quality, traditional methods are no longer sufficient. The complexity of modern systems requires validation to take place in the real world, where AI must be put to the test in distributed scenarios, on physical devices and with real-life users to ensure high standards of security and trust.“
“The union between UNGUESS and Testbirds gives rise to the new European hub of excellence for digital product quality, user experience and cybersecurity. We have created an ecosystem where Artificial Intelligence accelerates every phase, but where human intuition remains the sole, indisputable source of truth.“
The transaction was also supported by Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR, through the Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita (FITEC), and P101, one of Italy’s leading venture capital firms.
Looking Ahead
The UNGUESS group will continue to build on its strong market presence in core regions while further expanding its international footprint. This approach supports long-term growth and strengthens its position across key European markets and will be supported through further mergers and acquisitions.
About Testbirds
Founded in Munich in 2011 by Philipp Benkler, Georg Hansbauer, and Markus Steinhauser, Testbirds was established with the aim of transforming crowdtesting into a scalable business model. Since its inception, the company has benefited from significant institutional support, including the EXIST grant awarded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. Under the motto “Testing Reality – Real users.
Real devices. Real impact”, the company operates via a proprietary platform called The Nest. Testbirds’ offering ranges from end-to-end QA testing services to UX and usability studies, including accessibility analysis for users with disabilities, payment flow optimisation and customer journey analysis, right through to the latest readiness testing for AI and intelligent agents. The company’s unique value lies in its vast global community, which comprises over one million real testers across 193 countries, enabling testing across an ecosystem of over 1.5 million devices.
For more information visit: Website | Linkedin
About UNGUESS
Founded in 2015 within the “Mobile Lab” research centre at the Politecnico di Milano, UNGUESS was the first in Italy to use crowdtesting methodology to optimise the quality, security and user experience of companies’ digital products and services. Thanks to the crowd and its integrated technology platform, UNGUESS is able to offer rapid and effective testing, insights and relevant feedback, as this comes from highly engaged real people and a wide variety of available digital devices and interfaces. Among its business lines, UNGUESS has UNGUESS Security, a platform comprising over 200 crowdsourced ethical hackers, coordinated by the company. In January 2023, UNGUESS completed a capital increase of over EUR 10m led by Fondo Italiano d’Investimento SGR, through the Fondo Italiano Tecnologia e Crescita – “FITEC”, in which P101 SGR also participated with its two vehicles: Programma 102 and ITA500, managed on behalf of Azimut, Italian Angels for Growth (IAG), Club degli Investitori and Club Italia Investimenti 2.
For more information visit: Website | Linkedin
Press Contact:
Valeria Volpato
valeria.volpato@disclosers.it
+39 348 926 3279
Sara Lualdi
sara.lualdi@disclosers.it
+39 370 110 6716
About Round2 Capital
Round2 Capital is a pan-European growth investment firm with EUR 180m under management. Based in Vienna, the firm is a strong partner for European scale-ups and companies with digital and sustainable business models. Since its foundation in 2017, Round2 Capital has pioneered revenue-based finance in Europe and is active in several European countries with both revenue-based finance and growth equity investments. To date, Round2 Capital has invested in 41 different software and technology scale-ups across 9 jurisdictions.
Press contact:
Gerd Sumah
gs@round2cap.com
+436507004400
