The marketplace for smooth used car trade in Europe
What we do at CarOnSale
CarOnSale is reshaping the B2B used car wholesale market with its trusted, transparent, and technology-driven platform infrastructure, empowering used car dealers across Europe. By collaborating with professional dealerships and leveraging cutting-edge technology, CarOnSale delivers the market's most seamless and efficient trading solutions. With offerings like price algorithms, guaranteed pricing, financing, and fulfillment services, CarOnSale ensures a smooth and transparent transaction experience for all involved parties.
The founders of CarOnSale
Tom
Chief Executive Officer
Tom gained experience in investment banking, private equity and management consulting at Boston Consulting Group before co-founding COS in 2018 with Oguz, whom he met through a mutual friend, and his old friend Fabian. As CEO, Tom's investor mindset and strategic acumen are critical to navigating market dynamics and achieving COS' goals.
Oguz
Chief Commercial Officer
Oguz's family founded a used car dealership in Nuremberg in the 1970s. Following his father's example, Oguz opened his own used car dealership - his experience with the challenges of the car dealership industry inspired his idea for CarOnSale. As CCO, Oguz's deep insights into the automotive industry are crucial in making us the leading used car marketplace in the EU.
Max
Chief Operating Officer
Before co-founding COS, Max worked at Bain & Company, where he specialized in private equity and automotive strategies. An early investor in COS introduced him to the founding team and Max was immediately convinced by their vision. Inspired by Tom's strategic knowledge, Fabian's product expertise and Oguz's extensive experience in the automotive sector, Max joined the COS founding team in 2019. As COO, he is responsible for product development and strategic direction.
Fabiam
Chief Technology Officer
Fabian's journey to co-founding COS began with his dream of becoming a video game designer. After completing his studies, he acquired valuable experience at the Mercedes research center in Silicon Valley. There, he reconnected with Tom, who introduced him to the other co-founders. As our Swiss army knife for all things tech, Fabian is the architect of our engineering team, consistently driving innovation at COS.
Our company history
1970-2000
Oguz's father, a first-generation immigrant, pursues his entrepreneurial drive and successfully operates a thriving used car business in Nürnberg, Germany
2003
Recognizing the potential of the internet, Oguz's father registers automobilonline.de, an early online used car trading platform. The platform gains significant attention and is featured in the popular German internet magazine, ComputerBild
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2011
Oguz opens his own used car dealership and begins trading on early marketplace platforms
2018
2018
2018
The first car is sold on CarOnSale for €3,000
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2019
Seed round led by CREANDUM
2019
The Early Days
During the early days of CarOnSale, our founders met regularly to start building their new company. Committed to customer-centricity, they visited local car dealerships in Nürnberg for early feedback on their idea. Fabian focused on designing and implementing the early code of the CarOnSale platform, which remains our technological backbone. Meanwhile, Oguz managed administrative tasks and Tom recruited the first employees, many of whom are now key leaders. 2018, the team opened their first office in the Zollhof Tech Hub in Nürnberg and celebrated their first major deals. 2019 Max joined the CarOnSale Team.
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2019
Move from Nürnberg to Berlin. Later, we would also open an additional office in Munich
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2020
Series A round led by Insight Partners
2020-2022
Times of Crisis
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019/2020, our business faced severe challenges due to dealership closures. The team swiftly transitioned to remote work, using the lockdown period to refine our go-to-market approach, enhance products, and optimize processes. This preparation enabled a swift rebound when markets reopened in summer 2020. The 2021 chip crisis further disrupted the vehicle market, but we seized the opportunity to further streamline operations and boost agility. Through these challenges, CarOnSale emerged more resilient and stronger than ever.
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2021
Series B led by Stripes and HV Capital
2023
Growth Accelerates - Factors Contributing to COS Success
In 2023, our rapid growth was driven by our commitment to reliability, speed, and process optimization, meeting evolving market demands. Our success stems from robust operations, a cohesive team, and dedication to our customers. We prioritize a data-driven approach for transparency, continuous improvement, and automation. Team autonomy ensures speed, agility, scalability, and accountability. United by a ONE Team mindset, our hands-on, entrepreneurial, and resilient teams collaborate seamlessly, from vehicle inspectors to software engineers, delivering exceptional products and service experiences to our dealership partners.
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2024
Strategic Partnership with AlphaOnline
In 2024, CarOnSale partnered with AlphaOnline to further streamline the used car transaction process, offering a seamless customer experience. This alliance merges AlphaOnline's advanced vehicle management software with our comprehensive auction services. This partnership underscores our commitment to innovation and efficiency in the B2B used car market, driving growth and setting a new industry standard.
2024
Where CarOnSale Stands Today
Today, we lead the pan-European B2B used car marketplace, dominating Germany's dealer-to-dealer sector and targeting further growth. With revenue doubling annually and user numbers tripling across >20 EU markets, our expansion is swift. Our advanced technology platform enables seamless transactions and strong network effects. Leveraging data and AI, we offer end-to-end solutions and cutting-edge tools to our dealer partners. Driven by a diverse, hands-on team of ~200 experts, we propel CarOnSale forward as the premier European B2B used car marketplace.
2024 and beyond: Outlook into the future
Our vision for CarOnSale is to become the premier pan-European managed B2B used car marketplace. Leveraging our market-leading technology platform, robust dealership partnerships across Europe, and exceptional team, we aim to scale further, targeting annual sales of 1 million used cars through our platform. By providing technology-based solutions tailored to our dealership partners' needs, we strive to solve their day-to-day challenges and enhance their used car transaction experience. As a partner, not a competitor, we are committed to mutual growth, ensuring their success is our success.
To achieve our ambitious goals, we will optimize our platform for high-volume customers, prioritizing trust, reliability, and speed. We plan to enhance the transaction experience by offering additional solutions, including vehicle intake, fintech services, logistics, operational services, and adjacent products. Data and AI-enabled solutions will further refine the used car transaction process. Looking ahead, CarOnSale aims to build a scalable and sustainable organization with a robust business model centered on cutting-edge technology, reflecting our commitment to growth and excellence.
Our investors
Clients who trust in CarOnSale
Working with CarOnSale is fast, personal and smart. Efficient processes enable smooth transactions. The individual support creates an atmosphere of trust. The innovative concept offers a modern, flexible and continuously optimized platform. These strengths make CarOnSale a valuable partner in the vehicle trade.
We have been working successfully with CarOnSale Austria for several years. Looking back, I have to say that this was the best sales decision to professionalize the B2B business
We at Motor Center Heinen GmbH appreciate the good cooperation with CarOnSale. If we have any questions or problems, the customer service team is always on hand with help and advice. In CarOnSale we have found the right partner for our B2B business.
We enjoy working successfully with CarOnSale. The smooth cooperation and fast, reliable processing ensure good returns. Particularly noteworthy are the excellent renegotiations, which we are not familiar with from other platforms. We also really appreciate the clarity of the app and website
We have been with CarOnSale for several years and regularly look around at competitors - however, we currently have an exceptional yield / performance ratio here. The vehicles are assessed by qualified and friendly vehicle inspectors and then listed. CarOnSale even handles the renegotiation, which means that we have an exceptional closing rate of 90%.
We at B&K are excited about our collaboration with CarOnSale. Thanks to their innovative platform, we can handle our B2B used car business efficiently and effortlessly. We particularly appreciate the smooth processes and first-class customer service.
