Tom Krüger (CarOnSale)

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Overview

Tom Krüger is a distinguished German entrepreneur known for co-founding CarOnSale, a digital B2B marketplace revolutionizing the used car trading sector across Europe. As the CEO of CarOnSale, Krüger has been instrumental in establishing the company as a leader in digitizing an industry traditionally reliant on offline transactions. Founded in 2018, CarOnSale aims to streamline and modernize professional used car trading by leveraging innovative technology solutions, thereby increasing transparency and efficiency in the market.

Recent Developments

In recent years, Tom Krüger has continued to drive CarOnSale's growth and expansion across Europe. Key developments include:

  • July 2025: CarOnSale successfully closed a €70 million Series C funding round led by Northzone, together with existing investors like HV Capital, Insight Partners, Stripes, and Creandum. This funding is aimed at accelerating CarOnSale’s expansion across European markets and enhancing its platform to target annual sales of 1 million used cars through their system.
  • Goal: With this infusion, CarOnSale plans to deepen its presence in core markets and explore new countries, increase its team, and enhance its digital infrastructure to enable seamless cross-border vehicle transactions.
  • Innovations: The company continues to develop its platform by providing integrated solutions such as vehicle inspections, logistics management, and payment processing, aimed at enhancing the B2B vehicle market's transparency and security.
  • Partnerships: CarOnSale is actively collaborating with major OEMs and thousands of professional car dealers across Europe, signifying its substantial impact on the automotive industry.
  • Milestones: The company commenced its first acquisition by integrating a leading dealership software provider to expand their operational capabilities, a testament to Krüger's strategic vision for the company.

Personal Information

AttributeInformation
Full NameTom Krüger
NationalityGerman
OccupationCEO and Co-founder of CarOnSale
Known ForCarOnSale, Used Car Trading Innovation

Early Life and Education

Details about Tom Krüger’s early life and education remain relatively sparse in public records. However, it is known that Krüger honed his entrepreneurial mindset and innovative capabilities during his university years. It was here where he met co-founder Fabian Roth, with whom he later identified significant inefficiencies in the B2B automotive trading industry, leading to the conceptualization of CarOnSale. Their shared experiences and insights gained from previous roles in the automotive sector contributed significantly to shaping Krüger’s vision of digitizing the used car market, a mission that he is continuously advancing.

Career and Notable Achievements

Tom Krüger's professional journey is primarily marked by his significant contributions to transforming the used car trade through CarOnSale:

  • 2018: Co-founded CarOnSale with Fabian Roth, Oguz Özgüler, and Maximilian Schilling. Identified a market gap in Europe’s €450 billion professional used car trade.
  • 2021: CarOnSale garnered significant attention when it was publicly recognized for integrating AI-driven processes to optimize car trading transactions.
  • 2023: Led the company's expansion into multiple European markets, focussing on digital transformation to streamline B2B trading.
  • 2025: Achieved a major milestone by securing Series C funding to enhance market reach and technological infrastructure.

Current Work and Impact

Currently, Tom Krüger continues to spearhead CarOnSale’s strategic initiatives, focusing on expanding and refining the platform's capabilities to ensure continued growth and market leadership. Under his guidance, CarOnSale is positioned to lead the digital transformation of the European used car industry, significantly impacting how car trades are conducted, not only driving efficiency but also establishing new standards of transparency and trust among market participants.

Conclusion

Tom Krüger's vision and leadership have been pivotal in CarOnSale's success in digitizing the used car market. As the company continues its European expansion and augments its technological innovations, Krüger’s influence undoubtedly underscores a significant evolution in the automotive trade sector. Moving forward, his work promises to leave a substantial legacy by setting a benchmark for efficiency and transparency in automotive trading.