Deal Update: Sereact, Passionfroot, CYANIS AI, Vorwerk Ventures, neoteq ventures and Operations1

YPOG has advised Sereact, Passionfroot, CYANIS AI, Vorwerk Ventures, neoteq ventures and Operations1 on a series of financings and strategic transactions. The mandates include Sereact’s USD 116 million Series B extension, Passionfroot’s USD 15 million Series A, CYANIS AI’s pre-seed financing, Vorwerk Ventures’ investment in AssistMe, neoteq ventures’ investment in Wakeline and Operations1’s sale to Fortino Capital. The transactions highlight YPOG’s expertise in advising innovative companies, investors and shareholders across the technology, AI, robotics, care and software sectors.

YPOG advises Sereact on extension of its Series B financing round to USD 116 million

Berlin, 22 July 2026 – YPOG has advised Stuttgart-based robotics and AI startup Sereact on the extension of its existing Series B financing round in connection with fashion and lifestyle platform Zalando joining as a strategic investor. With Zalando’s participation, the total volume of the Series B round increases from the originally announced USD 110 million to USD 116 million, bringing Sereact’s total funding to more than USD 145 million to date. The original Series B financing round was completed in April 2026, with YPOG also advising Sereact on that transaction.

Sereact develops AI-based systems for warehouse robots that fully automate complex pick-and-pack processes in logistics centers. Headquartered in Stuttgart, the company focuses on so-called “physical AI”, combining advanced AI models with real-world robotic systems to deliver flexible and adaptively learning automation solutions. At the core of its technology is the AI platform “Cortex”, which serves as a universal “robotic brain” and is deployed across a wide range of applications, from traditional picking stations and returns handling to, prospectively, humanoid robots.

The additional proceeds from the extended Series B round will primarily be used to further develop the Cortex 2.0 AI platform and to expand Sereact’s product portfolio.

YPOG had already advised Sereact on its original Series B financing round with a total volume of USD 110 million. Previously, YPOG was also mandated in connection with Sereact’s Series A financing round in January 2025, in which the company raised EUR 25 million to advance the development of its AI models for use in warehouse logistics.

Team

Dr. Benjamin Ullrich (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Benedikt Flöter (IP/IT/Data Protection), Partner, Berlin
Jörg Schrade (Tax), Partner, München
Anna Eickmeier (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associated Partner, Berlin
Dr. Emma Peters (Transactions), Associated Partner, Berlin
Silke Ricken (Corporate), Associate, Berlin   
Charlotte Petrasch (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associate, Berlin  
Elmar Trautmann (Transactions), Associate, Berlin 

YPOG advises Passionfroot on USD 15 million Series A financing round

Berlin, July 23, 2026 – YPOG advised Berlin-based startup Passionfroot on a USD 15 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Insight Partners, with existing investors Creandum, Supernode Global and s16vc also participating.

Passionfroot operates an AI-powered platform that connects B2B creators with companies for marketing collaborations. Its AI agent, Zest, assists companies in planning, executing and evaluating campaigns and identifying suitable creators. The platform uses a proprietary Creator Graph based on reach and performance data from several thousand campaigns. An integrated wallet also enables companies to pay creators worldwide and track their spending.

Passionfroot intends to use the additional capital to expand its operations in the United States and open an office in New York City. The company also plans to establish an additional location in São Paulo and grow its current team of 15 employees. Passionfroot further intends to enhance the platform’s AI capabilities for companies and creators.

Team

Dr. Benjamin Ullrich (Co-Lead, Transactions), Partner, Berlin
Dr. Emma Peters (Co-Lead, Transactions), Associated Partner, Berlin
Jörg Schrade (Tax), Partner, München
Dr. Carolin Raspé (Compliance), Partner, München
Anna Eickmeier (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associated Partner, Berlin
Felix Pinkepank (Fintech + DLT), Senior Associate, Köln
Silke Ricken (Corporate), Associate, Berlin
Charlotte Petrasch (IP/IT/Data Protection), Associate, Berlin
Ninetta Kleindienst (Tax), Associate, München
Elmar Trautmann (Transactions), Associate, Berlin
Laura Püschel (Compliance), Associate, München

YPOG advises CYANIS AI on pre-seed financing round of more than EUR 250,000

Hamburg, 23 July 2026 – YPOG advised CYANIS AI on its pre-seed financing round of more than EUR 250,000. The company intends to use the capital to further develop its proprietary orchestration platform and prepare the first commercial applications of its AI compute infrastructure.

CYANIS AI is developing a distributed network for AI compute infrastructure across Europe. The infrastructure is intended to be deployed across residential solar installations, commercial and industrial rooftops, and large-scale energy sites. A proprietary software platform connects and orchestrates the distributed compute nodes as a unified, scalable infrastructure. The platform is also designed to integrate existing third-party data centre capacity into the network without requiring the respective owners to transfer ownership of their assets.

The company is already working with partners across the energy, hardware, systems integration and financing sectors. CYANIS AI is currently preparing an initial commercial rollout programme targeting 10 MW of AI compute capacity.

Team

Dr. Adrian Haase (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Hamburg
Alexandra Tafel (Transactions), Senior Associate, Berlin / Hamburg

YPOG advises Vorwerk Ventures on EUR 6.5 million financing round for AssistMe

Berlin, August 24, 2026 – YPOG advised Vorwerk Ventures on its participation in a EUR 6.5 million financing round of AssistMe GmbH. The round was led by CRB Health Tech and Vorwerk Ventures. US investor SUM Ventures and existing investors Brandenburg Kapital, family office Conle, Next Big Thing and IBB Capital also participated.

AssistMe develops digital assistance systems for the care sector. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Berlin and has an additional site in Eberswalde. AssistMe combines software and connected hardware in its alea care platform. The solution provides care professionals with event-based information on key care processes and is used by care facilities and operators across Europe. AssistMe’s international team brings together expertise in care practice, software and hardware development, data science and product management.

The financing will be used to expand AssistMe’s sales structures in Europe, prepare for its market entry in the United States and further develop the alea care platform. alea is already used in 8 European countries. AssistMe plans to enter the US market in 2027. The platform will also be further developed to address home care more extensively.

Team

Dr. Adrian Haase (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Hamburg
Dr. Gerrit Breetholt (Transactions), Associate, Hamburg

YPOG advises neoteq ventures on EUR 2.1 million pre-seed financing of AI startup Wakeline

Cologne, 3 August 2026 – YPOG has advised neoteq ventures on a pre-seed financing round for the deep tech company Wakeline with a total volume of EUR 2.1 million. TechVision Fonds participated in the round as lead investor, along with several business angels.

Wakeline is a Düsseldorf-based startup founded in 2025 that specialises in continuously learning AI systems. The company’s technology enables AI models to learn directly from their environment during live operation and to adapt in real time to changing conditions. Target industries include industrial applications and other data-intensive use cases that require robust forecasting and automated decision-making.

The new funds from the pre-seed round will primarily be used to further develop the company’s technology platform, advance its continuous-learning algorithms and build out sales and implementation teams. In addition, Wakeline plans to strengthen its market presence in core industries and to roll out its first scalable customer projects. With this financing, the startup is laying the groundwork for moving its solutions from pilot projects into regular production use at corporate clients.

Team

Dr. Johannes Janning (Lead, Transactions), Partner, Cologne

YPOG advises Operations1 on sale to Fortino Capital

Berlin, August 6, 2026 – YPOG advised Operations1 and its shareholders on the tax law aspects of the sale of their shares to Belgian private equity investor Fortino Capital.

Operations1 is a software company founded in 2017 with offices in Frankfurt am Main and Augsburg that has developed an AI-powered B2B SaaS platform for the end-to-end digitalization of worker-led production processes in the manufacturing industry. The platform covers the entire day-to-day workflow on the shopfloor – from task planning and knowledge provision to process guidance and documentation through to live analysis and collaborative incident management. The company's customer base includes more than 160 well-known industrial enterprises, among them ABB, Daimler Truck, Trumpf, Liebherr and Thyssenkrupp. In Germany alone, the addressable market amounts to approximately EUR 800 million.

With Fortino Capital's investment, Operations1 aims to continue its growth trajectory. The focus will be on expanding its core market in the DACH region, selectively entering further European markets and continuously developing the platform's AI capabilities. The company's long-term goal is to establish European market leadership in the software segment for frontline manufacturing workers.

"Operations1 has achieved an impressive development in a challenging market environment. We were delighted to advise the shareholders on the tax aspects of this important transaction." – Jörg Schrade, Partner, YPOG

Team

Jörg Schrade (Lead, Tax), Partner, Munich
Dr. Jacob Schreiber (Tax), Senior Associate, Munich