About Ciao
Ciao is a Media & Entertainment company based in Munchen (Germany) founded in 1999, and was acquired by LeGuide in December 2011. It operates as a product review portal. It operates in the Media & Entertainment and Retail sectors. Ciao has raised $5 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Microsoft, Apax Partners and Hubert Burda Media. The company was acqui-hired. Ciao offers products and services including Price Comparison Platform and Ethical Shopping Service. Its focus areas include Horizontal E-Commerce, Price Comparison, Consumer and Social Platforms. Its legal entity is Kelkoo SAS. Its competitors include Idealo, Shopping, InterNations, PricePanda and Billiger and 4 more; 1 of its 9 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
Ciao was founded in 1999 in Munich, Germany, and operates as a product review portal in the consumer information sector. Reviews from users, along with product details and current merchant offers, are made available. A forum is maintained for registered users to submit reviews and opinions, aiding decision-making for others. Revenue for users is generated through participation in online surveys and referrals of friends.
Products & Services of Ciao
Ciao offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Price Comparison Platform and Ethical Shopping Service.
Service for comparing prices of products from multiple retailers
Feature for discovering sustainable products and deals online
Funding Insights of Ciao
Ciao has successfully raised a total of $5M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Private Equity Round of $5 million completed in June 2001. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $5M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Private Equity Round — $5M
- Investors Count 4
All 3 funding rounds of Ciao with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2001 | $5M | Private Equity Round | – | – | |
| Jun 2000 | – | Private Equity Round | – | – | |
| Jun 1999 | – | Private Equity Round | – | – |
6 investors in total: 6 institutional.
Investors in Ciao
Ciao has secured backing from 6 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Microsoft, Apax Partners and Hubert Burda Media.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Investments are made in early-stage healthcare startups. | – | wellington-partners.com | Munich, Germany | |
Equity investments are focused on tech, services, and consumer sectors. | 1981 | apax.com | Hong Kong, China | |
Venture capital investments in technology startups and entrepreneurs. | – | indexventures.com | - | |
Provider of solutions for global challenges through discussions among experts in science, technology, and art | 1903 | burda.com | Munich, Germany | |
Microsoft is recognized for software, hardware, and gaming solutions. | 1975 | microsoft.com | Redmond, United States | |
Prices for products are compared across online vendors for shoppers. | 1998 | leguide.com | Paris, France |
Investor details for Ciao
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Competitors of Ciao
Ciao has 9 listed competitors in our database, 1 of them funded. They include Idealo, Shopping, InterNations, PricePanda and Billiger, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| idealo.de | 2000 | Berlin, Germany | $142,985 | 918 | Price comparison services are operated across European countries. | |
| shopping.com | 1998 | Brisbane, United States | – | 12,300 | Online shopping comparison platform | |
| internations.org | 2007 | Munich, Germany | – | – | Online expatriate Community and Network | |
| pricepanda.com.sg | 2005 | Singapore | – | – | Prices of multi-category products are compared online by users. | |
| billiger.de | 2004 | Karlsruhe, Germany | – | 157 | Products are compared, prices searched, and reviews aggregated online. | |
| guenstiger.de | 1999 | Hamburg, Germany | – | 36 | Online price comparison platform | |
| haveitback.com | 2014 | Hessen, Germany | – | – | Lost and found items are discussed on a social platform. | |
| opinionhero.com | 2016 | Hamburg, Germany | – | – | Serves as a social platform for sharing opinions and engaging in discussions. | |
| anytips.com | 2018 | Mainz, Germany | – | – | Prices across multiple product categories are compared online. |
Detailed competitors of Ciao
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Ciao
Websites that share an audience with Ciao (ciao.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Ciao. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
transitionblog.com | transitionblog.com | 100% | – | – | – |
profiseller.de | profiseller.de | 99% | – | #1,971,084 | – |
baseportal.de | baseportal.de | 99% | – | #3,810,568 | – |
steves-digicams.com | steves-digicams.com | 99% | – | – | – |
pcconnection.com | pcconnection.com | 73% | – | – | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 12 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Ciao
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 12 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Social Platforms
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Ciao (Social Platforms), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Social platform for sharing short videos | 2011 | Haidian, Beijing, China | USD 4.79 B | USD 17.72 B | 6,336 | |
Online social networking and communication services are provided globally. | 2004 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 1.77 B | – | 23,339 | |
ESports social video streaming platform | 2006 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 35.12 M | – | – | |
Subscription-based platform for publishers' content management is provided. | 2017 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 189.5 M | USD 1.45 M | 4,285 | |
Subscription-based social networking platform for runners and cyclists | 2009 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 180 M | – | 999 | |
User-generated videos and content are shared and streamed online. | 2005 | San Bruno, California, United States | USD 11.5 M | – | – | |
New people are connected via a GPS-enabled social platform. | 2005 | New Hope, United States | USD 37.9 M | – | – | |
Micro-blogging platform for real-time updates and multimedia sharing is operated. | 2009 | Beijing, China | USD 586 M | – | – | |
Provider of DNA testing services to create a family tree and ancestor | 2003 | Yehud, Central District, Israel | USD 40 M | – | – | |
Real-time classroom behavior feedback is delivered to students by teachers. | 2011 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 221.22 M | – | 521 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Frequently Asked Questions about Ciao
Ciao was founded in 1999.
Ciao is headquartered in Munchen, Germany. It is registered at Munchen, Bayern, Germany.
Ciao is a funded company, having raised a total of $5M across 3 funding rounds to date.
Ciao was founded in 1999 in Munich, Germany, and operates as a product review portal in the consumer information sector. Reviews from users, along with product details and current merchant offers, are made available. A forum is maintained for registered users to submit reviews and opinions, aiding decision-making for others. Revenue for users is generated through participation in online surveys and referrals of friends.
Ciao's top competitors include Idealo, Shopping and InterNations.
Ciao offers Price Comparison Platform and Ethical Shopping Service.
Ciao has 6 investors. Key investors include Microsoft, Apax Partners, Hubert Burda Media, LeGuide by Kelkoo, and Wellington Partners Venture Capital.
Ciao operates through Kelkoo Sas.
Yes. Ciao was acquired by LeGuide in December 2011.