Berlin-based start-up - The Stryze Group raises $100 million
Investments to fund development into the world's leading D2C brand house / Human-to-human model at the forefront at The Stryze
The Stryze Group offers consumers high-quality direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands at fair prices across multiple platforms – anywhere, anytime. Now, Upper90, Alstin Capital and another German institutional investor are investing up to 100 million US dollars in the company. In addition to organic growth of own brands, this will also be used to finance acquisitions. "We are not financially driven, but interested in brands, their development and the people behind them," says Sebastian Funke, co-founder and CEO of The Stryze Group, describing the philosophy with which Stryze aims to become the world's leading D2C brand house in online retail.
The business of retailers on the internet is booming, and not just because of Covid-19. Amazon and other large platforms are competing for consumers' attention with successful web shops and also more and more with social media channels. This makes the market not only bigger, but also more complex.
The team around the founders of The Stryze Group, Sebastian Funke, Sascha Krause and Dr Taro Niggemann, as well as Mark Hartmann as strategic advisor, are constantly on lookout for new product needs and customers’ needs, finding new solutions and thus professionalising the business. With passion and entrepreneurial spirit, the people behind The Stryze develop and optimise new products every month and buy authentic brands. The important things here to mention are the people and the passion behind it.
From people for people
"Our business model follows our philosophy that trade in the 21st century should be data-driven, platform-specific and human-centred at the same time. And that's what our human-to-human approach is all about," says Funke. The Human-to-Human (H2H) business model builds on the fast-growing e-commerce business of founders Sebastian Funke and Sascha Krause, which has been established since 2012. Both are successful founders and Amazon sellers themselves, so they have great vertical expertise on trading platforms like Amazon as well as many years of experience in D2C brand building. Successful online retailers who share this philosophy can now become partners of Stryze, bring their business into the Group and benefit from the Stryzers' expertise, capital and growth.
Currently owning 20 plus brands such as Agreeni, Gourmesso, Amazy, High Pulse or Bella & Balu, Stryze sells yoga mats, coffee capsules, floss bands, tea cups-to-go and professional hair cutting scissors. Primarily via Amazon, but also in their own shops and via other platforms, the Berlin-based start-up sells hundreds of different products to customers in more than 20 countries.
100 million dollars are just the beginningStryze's concept also convinced three investors. Upper90, a fast-growing US investment fund focusing on credit and venture capital investments in the technology industry. Alstin Capital, the venture capital fund that Carsten Maschmeyer leads among its partners, is committed with a significant amount of equity and provides its operational resources in an advisory capacity. The investor group is completed by another German institutional investor.
These three parties have invested close to 100 million US dollars – and that is supposed to be just the beginning! The vision is to establish The Stryze Group as one of the world's leading e-commerce companies within the next five years.
Noel Zeh, partner at Alstin Capital responsible for the investment, says about Stryze: "We were particularly convinced by the complementary and experienced team behind The Stryze Group. The business model requires a wealth of experience in the e-commerce value chain and also a strong demand for perfection in order to be able to successfully grow faster inorganically through acquisitions. Taro, Sascha, Mark and Sebastian bring all that with them."
Contact press agency The Stryze Group
PIABO PR
Oliver Chudy
+49 171 755 3919
stryzegroup@piabo.net
About The Stryze Group
The Stryze Group is a Human-to-Human (H2H) E-Commerce Holding founded in December 2020 by Sebastian Funke, Sascha Krause and Dr Taro Niggemann in Berlin. Sebastian Funke is a serial entrepreneur and, together with Sascha Krause, founder of a Berlin e-commerce company selling various high-quality private label products across Europe and the USA. Dr Taro Niggemann is a former investment banker and angel investor. Mark Hartmann, investor and former venture partner at Project A Ventures, supports the group as a strategic advisor.Consumer goods products and brands face greater competition today than ever before. This makes data-driven analysis, creativity, and sustainability across processes and products ever more important. In addition to internal development, The Stryze Group offers successful brands from other companies a new home. Through a variety of partnership models, they can benefit from the Stryze teams’ breadth of capital resources, reach, competences and experience.
About Upper90
Upper90 is a hybrid fund that provides founder-friendly credit and equity to top disruptors in e-commerce, enterprise and fintech. The firm has over $450 million in AUM and $1 billion in total originations since launching in 2018. It was started to fill the white space between venture capital and institutional credit by utilizing data to offer founders minimally-dilutive growth capital. It was borne from the vision of Billy Libby, CEO (Head of Quant Execution Sales, Goldman Sachs and active Fintech investor), entrepreneur Jason Finger, Chairman (Co-Founder/CEO, Seamless (NYSE: GRUB), Board Director, LiveAuctioneers, Freshly, GoSite), and Alex Urdea, CIO (Managing Director, Solus Alternative Asset Management, Credit Derivatives, Deutsche Bank). Upper90’s portfolio includes Clearbanc, Octane Lending, Filmrise, Crusoe Energy and Braavo Capital.
About Alstin Capital
Alstin Capital is an independent venture capital fund based in Munich. Alstin Capital invests in rapidly growing technology companies that have the potential to leverage the significant market potential of the future and become market leaders. Alstin Capital does not only invest in convincing technology, but above all in the entrepreneurs behind the technology.Alstin Capital supports their entrepreneurs with capital and know-how so that they can grow faster and more successfully. Their investments are based on the conviction that entrepreneurial know-how, extensive transactional experience, international networks & sales excellence are key success factors for sustainable growth.
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