Razor Group upsizes Series C equity round to €80m with participation from Upper90
BERLIN, April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Razor Group ("Razor"), a leading global aggregator of e-commerce consumer goods businesses, announced the acquisition of German competitor The Stryze Group ("Stryze"). Following the acquisitions of factory14 and VALOREO last year, the acquisition of Stryze underpins Razor's strategy to capitalize on the current macro environment to drive market consolidation. Simultaneously, Stryze's largest shareholder Upper90, a well-known player in the aggregator ecosystem globally, joined the second close of Razor's Series C funding round, bringing the total round size to €80m.
"The e-commerce market has changed dramatically over the last 12 months. With less liquidity available to private companies overall and inflation impacting retail margins, it is important for smaller e-commerce aggregators to join forces with market leaders like Razor that have a strong balance sheet, technology platform and proven economies of scale globally," said Billy Libby, Co-Founder and CEO at Upper90.
Tushar Ahluwalia, Co-Founder and CEO at Razor Group, commented, "We are pleased to partner with Stryze and Upper90 to further strengthen Razor's position globally. Receiving substantial new capital in the current macroeconomic context is a strong vote of confidence for Razor and shows that we are on the right track."
Sebastian Funke, Co-Founder and CEO at Stryze Group, added, "We are convinced that joining forces with Razor is the best path forward for all stakeholders. The combined group's scale and technological sophistication will allow the Stryze brands to unlock their full potential. We were impressed by the speed of the Razor team in this transaction and believe that the combined entity will be in the pole position to become the leading global e-commerce powerhouse."
About Razor Group
The Razor Group GmbH ("Razor") was founded by e-commerce experts and serial founders Tushar Ahluwalia, Christoph Gamon, Shrestha Chowdhury and Dr. Oliver Dlugosch. The Berlin-based company acquires and operates profitable Amazon FBA businesses and other online marketplaces sellers which have consistently demonstrated superior product quality, outstanding customer satisfaction and sharp business acumen. Razor pairs significant growth capital with extensive e-commerce expertise, thereby ensuring that the acquired businesses reach the next stage in their development. Razor defines itself as consumer goods holding with a clear strategic focus on specific product categories, long-term value creation and world-class customer satisfaction.
About Stryze
The Stryze Group ("Stryze") is a leading direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand holding company. The company offers high-quality D2C brands at fair prices for both "pull" e-commerce (Amazon and other platforms) and "push" e-commerce (social media). To this end, Stryze creates and develops its own brands or buys and scales promising D2C brands from other companies: Stryze offers over 30 of its own brands such as Agreeni, Gourmesso, Amazy, High Pulse or Bella & Balu with hundreds of different products across more than 20 countries. Stryze was founded by Sebastian Funke, Sascha Krause, Dr. Taro Niggemann and Mark Hartmann in December 2020 in Berlin. They are all successful Amazon sellers themselves with many years of e-commerce experience. With their proven expertise and together with the broader Stryze team, they elevate D2C brands to the next level. "We strive and rise. For better products. For better lives."
About Upper90
Upper90 is a leading hybrid credit fund that provides tailored credit and equity to top disruptors in eCommerce, Fintech, and Supply Chain Finance. Founded in 2018 by executives from Seamless-GrubHub and Goldman Sachs, the firm is backed by a strategic investor base of 300 entrepreneurs and manages and has syndicated over $2.2 Billion across 49 portfolio companies since inception. The fund supports profitable business models with predictable revenue or collateral to help accelerate growth with less dilution, like Crusoe, Clutch. Settle, Thrasio, Clearco, and Octane, each of which secured an initial credit facility from Upper90.
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Media contact:
Stefan Florea
SVP Strategic M&A
stefan@razor-group.com
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