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Bootstrapped adtech startup Almedia acquires German cashback platform zave.it

August 14, 2025
3 min read
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BERLIN, GERMANY - Almedia, the data-driven platform engineering the future of mobile user acquisition and third fastest-growing company in Europe according to the Financial Times FT1000, has announced the acquisition of cashback platform zave.it. The move unites Almedia’s leading position in the rewarded adtech space with zave.it’s established value proposition and expertise in the cashback ecosystem.

Almedia has led a shift in the mobile advertising market, using its platforms - especially Freecash.com - to reward users with real money for testing and engaging with mobile apps and games. The rewarded UA sector has grown exponentially, with AppsFlyer’s Performance Index showing over a third of leading user acquisition sources are now rewarded.

Almedia has ambitions to become the next bootstrapped unicorn in Germany, and this acquisition represents a statement of intent to continue its rapid growth and expand into related sectors. zave.it enables the company to apply its expertise in user acquisition to the traditional retail sector, raising growth potential significantly.

Moritz Holländer, Almedia Founder and CEO, commented:

“The evolution of rewarded user acquisition from a niche method into a required ingredient in mobile marketing strategy has been undeniable over the last few years. This acquisition is a landmark step in our mission to build the world’s smartest engagement engine. By fusing zave.it’s expertise in commerce, scalable tech stack, and industry reputation with our data science team and global reach, we are building a platform that allows brands to engage audiences across more and more sectors.”

zave.it initially distinguished itself in the German cashback market through its deep integration with the content creator ecosystem, building a loyal user base of young consumers. From here, the company built industry trust across retail and financial sectors previously untapped by Almedia.

Dominik Oppelt, zave.it Co-Founder, said:

“Joining forces with Almedia is the natural and most exciting step in our journey. Almedia’s incredible UA strategy synergises perfectly with the zave.it tech ecosystem, so we are excited to build the future of digital rewards together and provide a unified platform for consumers to receive tangible rewards.”

Trusted by 500+ advertisers, Almedia has been recognised as the fastest-growing advertising company in Europe by the Financial Times’ FT1000, a global ROI Index Leader 2025 by Singular, and one of the Top 20 Global Casual Gaming Channels by AppsFlyer. The acquisition of zave.it is the most recent step on Almedia’s journey to offering the world’s most intelligent engagement engine.

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Rewarded UA has earned its place alongside Google, Meta, and AppLovin in the mobile marketing mix.
It has become a core channel because the additional user engagement delivered post ad-click drives retention and long-term value that other UA sources struggle to match.
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Moritz Holländer
Founder, CEO at Almedia
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By showcasing our game directly to people who already play games and tailoring offers around in-game behavior, Freecash helped us scale installs globally faster and more efficiently than traditional channels.
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Saras Panigrahi
Marketing Director at Potato Play
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Almedia teams deliver full-cycle support for launching campaigns in multiple markets. They monitor KPIs closely, tweak campaign setups in real time, and consistently share new optimization ideas that help elevate results.
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Saras Panigrahi
Marketing Director at Potato Play
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We required UA partners who can perform at high spend levels and still hit key metrics like retention and a positive return on investment while scaling our game installs.
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Saras Panigrahi
Marketing Director at Potato Play
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We have been successfully working with Almedia for several years and are looking forward to the next years to come.
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Pascal Ludynia
CEO at Ayet Studio GmbH
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Almedia’s Talented team delivering results at scale! Always available and supportive.
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Ben Asbach
CEO at Bitburst GmbH
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Working closely with Almedia, we built and optimized a strategy that outperformed our goals. With aligned targets, transparent feedback, and a shared drive for innovation, we created a funnel that delivered real impact at scale.
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Adi Tubul
User Acquisition Manager at Candivore
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Almedia stands out as a partner that not only scales but also focuses on long-term performance. They’ve become an essential part of our UA mix.
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Antella Yu
User Acquisition Lead at Stillfront (Super Free Games)
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Almedia helped us scale high-quality U.S. users across iOS and Android, driving a 120% uplift in Day 7 retention and ROAS while doubling our budget in a competitive market.
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Hyekang Seo
UA Lead at Actionfit
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Almedia enabled us to achieve consistent monthly growth with profitable margins, fostering a sustainable path to success and ensuring long-term profitability.
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Mad Brain Games
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Almedia drives top-quality users to our games, among the best of all UA channels. We're happy to keep scaling and strengthening our partnership with this talented team.
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Mor Stone
VP of Marketing at Innplay Labs
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This was more than a reactivation, it was a relaunch powered by insight. The results speak for themselves: 550% growth in daily spend, 2x competitor performance, and a successful iOS expansion.
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Dukryul Kim
UA Manager, Treeplla
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We came into this partnership with aggressive growth goals, and Freecash helped us blow past every one of them. Doubling our 30-day ROAS against top competitors was something we hadn’t achieved before.
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San Heo
CEO, Treeplla
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The close collaboration between Candivore and Almedia’s team allowed us to design and iterate on a strategy that exceeded our performance goals. Through aligned targets, transparent feedback loops, and a shared commitment to innovation, we built a funnel that drove meaningful impact at scale.
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Adi Tubul
User Acquisition Manager at Candivore
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Almedia offers the broadest worldwide geo coverage among all the incentivized partners we’ve worked with, giving us valuable insights into T2/T3 markets and helping us scale efficiently with lower CPIs.
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Antella Yu
User Acquisition Lead at Stillfront (Super Free Games)
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Almedia proved that rewarded UA can deliver both high ROAS and strong retention - a combination we hadn’t been able to achieve before. The process was smooth from start to finish, and the ongoing optimization made a huge difference in campaign success.
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Jade Baeck
Senior Manager at SUPERBOX
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Almedia delivered nearly 3x higher D30 retention compared to other rewarded channels: all while maintaining strong ROAS. It was the first time we found a UA partner that could truly balance both retention and profitability.
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Jade Baeck
Senior Manager at SUPERBOX
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Partnering with Freecash has been a great fit for our games and community. Their rewarding platform integrates naturally with our player experience, delivering strong engagement and meaningful value for both sides. We’re excited to continue expanding our collaboration and building long-term success together.
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Dima Gorodnev
COO, Ovivo
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