The investment expands VNR Group’s technology portfolio while accelerating Tappz’s growth in the U.S., Australia, and Europe
Bad Godesberg/Grünwald, September 9, 2026 — VNR Group has acquired a majority stake in Tappz, a fast-growing mobile app studio specializing in artificial intelligence, further expanding the group’s international technology and software business. Tappz will retain its entrepreneurial independence and existing leadership, with a focus on accelerating product development and international growth.
The studio will continue to do what it does best: building new apps, marketing them, and launching them internationally. VNR Group brings five decades of experience in media, digital business models, and international growth. Consumer AI apps are taking off right now. The advantage goes to teams that can build, test, and scale in multiple markets at once. That is what Tappz has been doing since 2023.
“Our commitment to the app studio, Tappz, is a long-term partnership among equals with Jonas, Chris, and the entire team,” says Richard Rentrop, CEO of VNR Group. “Tappz has built exactly the kind of business we want to partner with: an entrepreneurial team that moves quickly, understands emerging technology, and knows how to turn new ideas into products that consumers actually use. They have already demonstrated their ability to build and scale apps internationally. Our job is to provide them with the resources, reach, and stability they need to build more of that.”
Jonas Tillges, CEO and co-founder of Tappz, adds: “With VNR Group, we have a partner who shares our strategic vision. That frees us up to focus even more intently on what we do best: building new apps and expanding them globally. Our focus remains on our core markets in the U.S., Australia, and Europe. At the same time, working together opens up new ways to improve our products and turn ideas into successful applications faster.”
For VNR Group, the investment represents the next step in expanding its international technology and software business. The group combines organic growth with a long-term M&A strategy and selectively invests in companies and business models that complement its existing portfolio, both technologically and internationally.
About VNR Group
VNR began as a publishing house more than 50 years ago with a single goal: to help people achieve greater success, both personally and professionally. What grew out of that is today’s VNR Group, an international media, knowledge, and software group. It publishes specialized and financial information and develops software solutions, events, and digital platforms for consumers and business customers. 800 team members are dedicated to fulfilling VNR’s mission: “We ensure customer success.” VNR’s main markets are Germany (VNR Germany, platform X, PressMatrix, Tappz), Poland (Wiedza i Praktyka), the U.S. (FinMC), and the U.K. (Agora Business Publications). The group grows both organically and through acquisitions.
About Tappz
Tappz is an international app studio based in Grünwald near Munich. Jonas Tillges and Christopher Heid founded the company in Rosenheim in 2023. Tappz combines strategy, design, and technology to build innovative mobile applications and scale them internationally, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence. Its most successful products include ChatNow, an app that brings together several AI models in one place—from chat to video—and Echo AI, which transcribes conversations and turns them into structured notes. Other apps in the Tappz portfolio include Voiceit, AI Type, homie AI, AI Cam, and Booksome. The apps reach users in markets around the world and demonstrate what Tappz is all about: technological innovation paired with an interface that people find easy to use.
Press contact:
Ralph FĂĽrther
Head of Press
T +49 (0) 171 4859871
ralph.fuerther@vnr.de