Trouva, the curated online marketplace for independent bricks-and-mortar shops, has appointed Niall Wass as non-executive director and chair.
The news comes as Trouva also formally launched boutiques from three new creative capitals on the platform, enabling customers to shop from Amsterdam, Madrid and Copenhagen for the first time via Trouva.com.
Wass’ appointment comes at a significant time of growth for the startup, following a $10m USD Series A funding round last year that was led by BGF Ventures, alongside Index Ventures and Octopus Ventures.
In his new role at Trouva, Wass will be working alongside the current leadership team to devise and execute strategies for growth as it looks to further establish itself as the global destination for the best of independent retail.
Alongside his part-time position at Trouva, Wass remains a partner at international venture capital firm Atomico and sits on the board of high growth tech companies such as e-scooter start-up Lime, digital mortgage broker Habito, trucking marketplace OnTruck, property finance marketplace Lendinvest, and digital staffing service Jobandtalent.
He is also non-exec chairman of Glovo, the app that delivers anything in your city in a few minutes, and that recently raised €115m in its Series C funding round.
Prior to this, Wass was on the core executive team at Uber as SVP for the international business across 52 countries, and was chief commercial officer at Betfair from early on through to IPO.
Wass said: “Trouva allows users to find really unique products from amazingly curated independent boutiques. This is quite unlike the normal high street experience in that customers can own or gift items that are otherwise hard to find.
“This also helps independent shops to thrive by reaching discerning customers and growing their business online.
“I have been impressed not only with the rapid growth of the business, but the quality of its service and tech platform which as well as providing a great user experience, will also help boutiques to manage their business and enable international expansion.
“I look forward to working with the team on a strategy that will enable Trouva to fulfil its ambition to become a major player in the retail and online shopping landscape.”
Mandeep Singh, CEO and co-founder at Trouva, said: “At a time where the looming prospect of Brexit might be hanging over most UK-founded and based start-ups, it’s business as usual for us, and that means rapid growth.
“The number of our boutiques that have achieved over £100,000 in sales directly through Trouva.com has almost quadrupled from 11 to 42 in just 12 months, further extending our platform to the most amazing independents, run by great curators with a strong identity.
“As we introduce the best of Copenhagen, Madrid and Amsterdam to Trouva.com – uniting everything that’s great about shopping independently on our global platform – we’re looking to drive growth across the entire business, which is why we’re thrilled to bring Niall on board with his vast experience in leading significant business transformation and growth strategies.”