Japan-headquartered internet and telecommunications group SoftBank has hired Ralf Wenzel as chief executive of its nascent Latin America-focused incubator, Tech Hub.
Wenzel is the founder and CEO of Foodpanda, an online food ordering platform acquired in 2016 by peer Delivery Hero, where Wenzel subsequently took on the chief strategy officer position from early 2017 until last month.
SoftBank said Wenzel’s new role will involve him creating 50 joint ventures and strategic partnerships in the next five years among portfolio companies of SoftBank investment vehicle Vision Fund, helping them increase their presence in Latin America through Tech Hub.
Wenzel said: “I am excited to join the SoftBank ecosystem and work with its global portfolio to bring innovative business models to Latin America. Latin America presents untapped potential with several sectors on the verge of disruption.”
Marcelo Claure, CEO of the Latin America-focused SoftBank Innovation Fund, added: “Ralf has a proven record of success in building companies from scratch, taking them into new countries and developing products used by millions of people around the world.
“The Tech Hub is hitting the ground running and working with a variety of SoftBank-backed companies to reach more people across Latin America.”
Photo of Ralf Wenzel courtesy of LinkedIn.
