Michael Riedl (Team Internet): Facilitating not Influencing Better Internet Use
Michael Riedl, CEO of Team Internet discusses how his online marketing company has grown organically and through twenty acquisitions in the past five years, including a recent purchase in Israel. He explains how by paying for internet traffic, Team Internet sets itself apart as an internet facilitator rather than an influencer.
"We are more of a business facilitator rather than internet influencers."
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Can you introduce Team Internet briefly?
Team Internet is a global online marketing company The company started as a project by VIP Investment Partners in Luxembourg. We've grown significantly. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange and trading on the OTCQX in New York. We've transformed from a group of small local companies into a global player. Last year, the group had a turnover of $837 million. Our key activities include connecting users on social media with advertisers on platforms like Google. We also operate in the domain names sector: We are a competitor in the web domain segment but our specialty is providing large international hosting companies with exotic domain names.
What is your strategy regarding growth through acquisitions?
We've been very active, acquiring one company each quarter, and we plan to continue this strategy. M&A is part of our DNA, and we consistently deliver exciting deals at reasonable costs. We’ve made twenty acquisitions over the last five years to build your value chain. We recently acquired Shinez, a digital content creation and promotion company based in Tel Aviv. This is our second acquisition in Tel Aviv, creating a significant hub there. Shinez brings users from social media to websites using listicles with embedded ads, an important expansion for us. In online marketing, we focus on the conversion funnel stages: awareness, consideration, and closing. Shinez strengthens our presence in the awareness stage, completing our coverage of the entire conversion funnel.
What are your mid- and long-term goals?
Our goal is to cross the $1 billion a year revenue threshold, hopefully this year. We aim to grow both organically and through M&A, following our Om Square vision. We continuously expand our network connections and monetize channels, from social media to search engines. Changes in algorithms on platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn do not have a major impact on us. Unlike others who rely on free organic searches, we pay for our traffic and have powerful algorithms to convert users. This allows us to pay for traffic from Facebook, TikTok, and Google, ensuring a profitable return. It's a symbiotic relationship; our success benefits our partners. We are more of a business facilitator, partnering with Google and social networks, rather than internet influencers who are at risk of being delisted or demonetized.