Garan Goodman, managing director at Germany-based retailer Metro’s accelerator, will later this month join Stryber to develop the Switzerland-based firm’s corporate venturing building programme as an associate partner.
At Stryber, Goodman will work with companies, such as Migros, in the DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) region to develop new business models and products.
The Metro Target Retail Accelerator has been renamed Xcel has had a later-stage focus than many similar programmes to enable sales and cross-border development for portfolio companies.
Goodman said this would also be the plan for Stryber. He added: “[Of] my eight companies, one of which [Sezzle] had an IPO [initial public offering] and collectively they have a $0.4bn valuation and eight pilots booked.”
Sezzle, a US-based firm setting up instalment payments for online purchases, had its IPO on the Australian Stock Exchange at the end of July.
Other Xcel portfolio companies include Einride, an autonomous, electric trucks and logistics management company.
Previously, Goodman spent three years until 2017 as managing director of the Telefonica startup program Wayra where he oversaw investments in 35 companies and the exit of Foodora for $1bn.
