E-Commerce platform econvy is strengthening its market position through strategic acquisitions in Germany and the USA

• econvy massively expands e-commerce reach
• Acquisition of 3 S GmbH & Co KG in Cologne and SolRide Inc. in Miami/USA

Stuttgart, November 15, 2023 Shortly after its launch, the Stuttgart-based e-commerce platform econvy announced the successful acquisition of two important companies: 3 S GmbH & Co. KG, based in Cologne, and SolRide Inc. in Miami/USA.

This strategic milestone solidifies the young company’s position as an aspiring investor in the e-commerce sector right from the start.

econvy is more than just an e-commerce platform. econvy is a dynamic ecosystem that specializes in the development, expansion and growth of relevant direct-to-consumer brands (D2C).

The defined goal is to develop econvy into the leading platform for fast-growing D2C brands in Europe and the USA. The focus is on developing high-quality brands and efficient processes to offer the products internationally in the best open and closed marketplaces. Years of experience in e-commerce, good access to capital and high technical standards paired with operational excellence form the solid company foundation.

Strategic acquisitions

The econvy family is launching with two fast-growing and profitable companies:

3 S GmbH & Co KG from Cologne, which, in addition to established brands such as Apollo, Ocean 5 and Pink Papaya Toys, also has many years of experience in e-commerce, as well as SolRide Inc. from Miami, which opens the door to the high-growth US market opens. The company’s strong presence ensures European brands the opportunity to present themselves to a wide audience and reach new target groups.

The two acquisitions are evidence of the Stuttgart-based e-commerce company’s planned global growth. Another guarantee of success is the cooperation between Finexx GmbH Unternehmens Beteiligungen and the consulting firm FOSTEC & Company as a strategic partner. It forms a symbiosis of many years of experience in private equity and first-class e-commerce know-how, which econvy can rely on.

econvy begins its business with a clear focus on organic growth, coupled with a focused acquisition strategy for further acquisitions. The optimized use of software and an excellent team form a solid starting point. “Here, new D2C brands benefit from all the necessary tools to successfully develop internationally and stand out from the competition. I’m looking forward to embarking on a new chapter with the econvy group,” says Sven Kraft, founder of 3 S GmbH & Co KG in Cologne. As an important shareholder in econvy Holding, he will continue to advise the group. Till Andernach and Thomas Mehlitz, founders of SolRide Inc. and current shareholders of econvy Holding, remain managing directors of SolRide and are responsible as a team for the growth of the platform in the USA.

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You can also find this press release on the Internet at

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About econvy Holding GmbH

econvy Holding GmbH is a pioneering global e-commerce platform for fast-growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. With a strategic focus on growing product categories, maximum customer satisfaction and long-term value creation, the company enriches the e-commerce environment. econvy buys and develops leading D2C brands and distributes them via relevant e-commerce channels using a multi-channel approach. With locations in Stuttgart, Cologne and Miami, econvy orients its innovative business model internationally and serves both the European and US markets. The company generates around EUR 20 million in sales per year. Thanks to the support of Finexx corporate investments and Fostec & Company strategy consulting, econvy has both many years of expertise in e-commerce and in-depth know-how in private equity. www.econvy.com

Press Contact:

econvy Holding GmbH
Bolzstraße 3
70173 Stuttgart
Phone: +49 (0)711 252985-40
Fax: +49 (0)711 252985-51
info@econvy.com

One of the largest German software companies think-cell is closing the purchase of 100% shares of AskBrian GmbH. FOSTEC Ventures invested in AskBrian in 2021 and now successfully exits from this project.

Stuttgart, September 2023: Founders of AskBrian, a Munich-based start-up, founded in 2018 by Pavol Sikula, a former-Vice-President at Stern Stewart & Co and Matthias Ruppel have agreed to sell 100% shares of their venture to think-cell, a German based software company. FOSTEC Ventures became an investor of AskBrian in 2021, right in the period of its early start, and witnessed the huge results of the team, who managed to turn AskBrian into one of the most handful AI powered tool in management consulting industry.

“That is a bright example of successful exit for a AI start-up in Germany. We are happy to have invested at the early stage, believed in the future of AI-powered tool Brian as well as in the founder’s-team and now we are certain that good fortune is coming AskBrian way in hands of think-cell which is a perfect match in terms of synergies.” says Markus Fost, Managing Director of FOSTEC Ventures.

You can also find this press release on the Internet following the link
http://www.fostec-ventures.com/.

About FOSTEC Ventures

FOSTEC Ventures is a private investment company which focuses as a Company Builder on start-ups und SMEs in Europe. We operate across sectors with a special affinity to the digital economy. As “Entrepreneur-Investor“, we don’t just provide the finance, we also actively use our long experience as entrepreneurs and business managers. FOSTEC Ventures portfolio includes more than 10 successful digital start-ups mainly based in Germany with track of several successful exits.

About AskBrian

AskBrian is a German start-up founded in 2018 by Pavol Sikula, experienced Management Consultant. AskBrian develops narrow AI technologies to build products that connect humans with services and information via natural language. Brian, the AI assistant, communicates via email and performs time-consuming tasks that reflect the needs of management consultants and similar knowledge workers.

About think-cell

think-cell is a German computer software company founded in April 2002, which has become the world’s leading productivity software for creating data-driven presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint, enabling users to generate sophisticated charts with ease while saving substantial time. In 2021 Cinven Ltd., the U.K. buyout house, agreed to buy a controlling stake in think-cell under in the form of a MBO transaction.

Press contact:

FOSTEC Ventures GmbH
Markus Fost
Marienstraße 17
D-70178 Stuttgart

Telefon: +49 (0) 711-995857-10
Telefax: +49 (0) 711-995857-99
markus.fost@fostec-ventures.com

Stuttgart-based entrepreneur-investor FOSTEC Ventures is selling its shares in PrimeUp to the GROW Digital Group

Stuttgart, September 28, 2022. The GROW Digital Group acquires the Hamburg marketing agency PrimeUp, thereby expanding the agency network to include competencies in Amazon and e-commerce marketing.

PrimeUp is a full-service Amazon marketing agency headquartered in Hamburg with a software development team in India. PrimeUp’s customers include Amazon retailers as well as large brand manufacturers and D2C brands on the European market, but also in America.

Supporting the further development and scaling of the full-service Amazon marketing agency PrimeUp is co-partner and corporate investor, Markus Fost. His investment company FOSTEC Ventures, which also includes the boutique strategy consultancy FOSTEC & Company, has supported the development and optimization of PrimeUp’s business model from the beginning and was thus able to provide significant support in scaling and acquiring customers. Thanks to PrimeUp’s close integration into the implementation of strategy projects and the continuous exchange of experiences, PrimeUp’s service portfolio was able to be continuously adapted to the needs and changes in the Amazon environment. After founding and building up the Amazon agency factor-a in 2015 and exiting to DEPT / Waterland in 2018, PrimeUp is the second successful Amazon agency from the nucleus of FOSTEC Ventures.

PrimeUp’s core competencies include Amazon marketing, such as conception, consulting and implementation of Amazon PPC and DSP advertising campaigns with the buyQ® marketing technology developed by PrimeUp, as well as content creation and marketplace management. With an international team of more than 30 e-commerce experts developing content and campaigns in nine languages for all major Amazon markets, PrimeUp enables the internationalization and localization of all customer-facing Amazon products and marketing materials.

“PrimeUp’s core competencies excellently complement the GROW Digital Group’s range of services with an experienced pioneer in technology-controlled and data-driven advertising and media optimization,” says Markus Fost, co-shareholder of PrimeUp.

(from left to right) Lutz Jurkat, Michael Büttner (GROW Digital), Jens Jokschat (PrimeUp), Markus Fost (FOSTEC Ventures)

The GROW Digital Group is a network of 13 digital and communications agencies and technology companies, each of which covers a core competency. The range of services includes brand or digital strategy, shop and product data systems, communication, creation, performance or content marketing. The large network is the strength of the GROW Digital Group, of which PrimeUp is now part.

FOSTEC Commerce Consultants will become FOSTEC & Company GmbH completely in January 2017.

Stuttgart, 24th January 2017 – FOSTEC & Company is descended from the successful business consultancy FOSTEC Commerce Consultants, which in recent years under the leadership of owner and Managing Partner, Markus Fost, has sucessfully supported many renowned brand manufacturers in the development and implementation of digital strategies.” Our clients include multi-national concerns and medium-sized businesses in a broad range of fields: Automotive, construction, fashion, industry and consumer goods, trade and media”, says Markus Fost.

The change of name created the basis for a broad spectrum of services, and the adoption of new partners. As a leading strategy-boutique, specialising in digitalisation and e-commerce, we are broadening our official portfolio of services in a targeted way into the fields which our clients need and which are amongst their primary strategic challenges.

“As a daughter company of FOSTEC Ventures GmbH, we see ourselves as strategy advisors and entrepreneurs at the same time”, says Fost. With our comprehensive experience from various involvements, which we finance entirely from our own capital, we prove our entrepreneurship every day and so we can support our clients not just with the development of their strategies but also with their implementation.

In the framework of the re-naming, the soft-launch of our new corporate identity and web-site with extended spectrum of services will follow in the coming months.

We would be happy to welcome you as a regular visitor to our web-site www.fostec.com.