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Rasal

Never Give Up • 2m

Rocket Internet: Copycat or Pioneer? In 2007, the Samwer brothers launched Rocket Internet with a bold playbook: Copy proven Silicon Valley models. Scale them fast across Europe, Asia & Africa. Critics called it a clone factory. Supporters? A startup rocket. The results? • Zalando → Europe’s fashion giant • Lazada → sold to Alibaba • Jumia → Africa’s e-commerce unicorn • HelloFresh → now global & listed At its peak: €7B valuation. Today (2025): still worth €1.4B–€2.5B. Not bad for a “copycat.” Lesson: Speed + execution can be just as powerful as originality. What’s your take: do you respect the “clone & scale” model or should innovation always come first?

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