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Company
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Of SkySails' funding to date, approximately 90% has been provided by investors and about 10% through public grants and subsidies. Lead investors are the well known ship financing company Jan Luiken Oltmann Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG based in Leer and the highly respected marine engine supplier Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG.
Besides private investors, the group of SkySails investors also includes numerous notable shipping companies such as Triton Seatrade, Reederei Wessels, Reederei Jüngerhans, Briese Schiffahrt, and Reederei Opielok.
Following the establishment phase of 2001-2003, during which SkySails was funded primarily by corporate founder Stephan Wrage and Business Angels, the first investors acquired an equity interest in conjunction with first round of financing at the end of 2003. The investors, mostly renowned experts from the shipping industry, hold an interest in SkySails through the SkySails-Beteiligungs-GbR.
SkySails conducted its second round of financing in 2004 with the help of the Oltmann Group. The private investors from this second round hold an interest in SkySails GmbH & Co. KG through the companies SkySails Erste Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG and SkySails Zweite Kapitalgesellschafter GmbH & Co. KG. The general partner of these two companies is SkySails Verwaltungs GmbH. The managing directors are André Tonn, who is also the managing director of the Jan Luiken Oltmann Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG, and Monika Oltmann. The capital raised in this second round of financing was partially co-financed with funds from the German Credit Institute for Reconstruction (KfW).
SkySails held its third round of financing in cooperation with the Leer-based Oltmann Group in 2006. The funds were used to finance the product development of the SkySails-System for cargo ships. Alongside this, SkySails began the establishment of sales and service networks and created manufacturing capacity and logistics. The third, and for private investors last, round of SkySails financing was completed as scheduled on 31 December 2006. Private investors can no longer acquire an equity interest in SkySails.
Since the end of 2008, SkySails has the highly respected marine engine supplier Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG, a subsidiary of the venerable
Zeppelin Group, as strategic partner at its side. Starting in 2009, the two Hamburg-based companies are combining their expertise and competence
in the joint venture company "Zeppelin SkySails Sales & Service GmbH & Co. KG". Zeppelin SkySails exclusively handles worldwide sales and servicing of SkySails propulsion. By using Zeppelin Power Systems’ robust sales and service network, Zeppelin SkySails will ensure that all SkySails-Systems are maintained rapidly and reliably worldwide.
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