7hauben buys Vegan Masterclass, backed by Tractive alumni cash
What's the deal? Austrian online cooking-course startup 7haubenDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired German online cooking school Vegan MasterclassDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the continuing-education arm of vefa Fernschule for plant-based cuisine. The Linz-based company also closed a funding round in the mid-six-figure euro range to help finance the deal, with the rest coming from its own cash flow. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
What 7hauben is buying: Vegan Masterclass, co-founded in 2018 by chef and bestselling author Sebastian Copien, offers around 40 online courses with more than 1,100 video lessons. It is among the best-known providers of plant-based cooking classes, with contributors including Sophia Hoffmann and nutrition expert Niko Rittenau. The vefa Fernschule and its state-approved "Plant-Based Pro" distance-learning course are also part of the deal.
What changes? Vegan Masterclass stays an independent brand, and Copien continues to work with 7hauben — two new courses with him are already produced. The purchase lifts 7hauben's catalogue to more than 150 online cooking courses. "With Vegan Masterclass, we are acquiring a strong brand with outstanding content and a community," said chief executive Johannes Sailer.
Who's investing? The round includes Traxit, the investment vehicle of 19 former Tractive executives, among them co-founder Michael Hurnaus. Tractive, the Austrian maker of GPS trackers for pets, was sold this year in a near-billion-euro deal to Italian tech group Bending Spoons, which shortly after went public. "7hauben has impressively proven that high-quality digital content and a scalable subscription model can be combined successfully," Hurnaus said.
By the numbers: 7hauben says revenue is running nearly 40% above the year-earlier period, with new customers up almost 70%. The platform has around 30,000 active subscribers, and more than 100,000 paying customers since launch. It aims to reach annual recurring revenue of over €3 million by the end of 2026.
Why now? This is not 7hauben's first acquisition; it bought Swiss rival Chef SessionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2022. Alongside deals, the company is expanding internationally through its English-language platform 7flavor.com, using AI-assisted translation of German courses plus content produced in English.
The signal: Exit money is beginning to cycle back into Austria's startup scene, with Tractive's alumni now reinvesting proceeds in younger companies. For 7hauben, the deal is a bet that bundling niche culinary brands under one subscription platform can scale a category still fragmented across many small providers.
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