Financial service provider growney founds fake real estate company in Germany to draw attention to rising sea levels

• The real estate startup that wants to profit from rising sea levels caused outrage
• Dissolving the alleged sales launch: digital asset manager growney as the originator of the initiative
• A previously underestimated climate protection measure: sustainable financial investment

HAMBURG, Germany, Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — In recent weeks, the real estate startup “THE RISE” sparked controversies: In the typical style of investment videos, its charming CEO advertised the ingeniously unscrupulous idea of selling parcels of land far from the coast, which might be by the sea soon – due to rising sea levels. YouTube ads, provocative social media posts, and billboards in Northern Germany ensured that the idea quickly became a heated topic.

Disaster as a business model

The media and climate activists were appalled: Are investors so unscrupulous as to make a profit on climate change? On the other hand, numerous enquiries poured in, expressing interest in the properties.

What is now clear is that the company does not exist. The digital asset manager, growney, is behind the initiative. “In times of crisis, people try to invest their money safely – real estate is a top-rated one. In the process, sustainability is often ignored as a factor”, says Thimm Blickensdorf from the growney executive board. In times of increasingly extreme climate protests the campaign creatively draws attention to the possibility of sustainable investment.

“THE RISE” is now called “STOP THE RISE”. The message: Everyone can contribute to climate protection – be it through donations, their own actions or sustainable investments. Hamburg-based creative agencies Philipp und Keuntje and fischerAppelt conceived and implemented the campaign.

About growney

growney is one of the largest digital asset managers in Germany. Founded in 2014 in Berlin, the FinTech company manages funds for private and corporate clients. growney has received several awards for its investment strategies, low costs and service. 

Press contacts