, Columnist
Rocket Internet's Reality Check
Fund backed by Swedish heiress shows lower Rocket values
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Back in 2010, German Internet entrepreneur Oliver Samwer cultivated a powerful patron in Cristina Stenbeck, the heiress behind Swedish investment fund Kinnevik.
Eager to modernize family holdings that were historically in paper, iron and wood, Stenbeck backed Samwer's start-up incubator Rocket Internet and a slew of associated companies to the tune of about 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) over the years. Kinnevik became Rocket's biggest shareholder after Samwer and his brothers, and remains so today with a 13.2 percent stake.