# Alexander Graf

> Alexander Graf is a German entrepreneur, author and podcast host who co-founded Spryker in 2014 and served as its founding Co-CEO. After working at Otto, he helped build ventures including Etribes and Factor A and developed Kassenzone, started with Florian Hermsdorf in 2008, into an ongoing forum for commerce executives. His work examines customer access, platform economics and technology-led business models; he also hosts Energiezone.

- **Role:** Co-founder at Spryker; host and publisher at Kassenzone; host at Energiezone
- **Organizations:** Spryker, Kassenzone, Energiezone, Etribes, Factor A, Otto Group
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** Diplom-Kaufmann; studied business administration and computer science, Kiel University, Autonomous University of Madrid
- **Known for:** Co-founded Spryker in 2014 and served as founding Co-CEO., Co-founded the digital consultancy Etribes and Amazon marketing agency Factor A., Built Kassenzone from a 2008 blog into a podcast that reached 600 episodes in 2025.

## Career timeline

- **Late 1990s** — Organised student parties and worked on websites and online marketing in Kiel.
- **2005** — Completed university studies and entered e-commerce work at Otto; later credited mentor Björn Schäfers with encouraging him.
- **2008** — Started Kassenzone with Florian Hermsdorf while working at Otto.
- **Circa 2013** — Kassenzone expanded from a blog into a podcast.
- **2014** — Co-founded Spryker with Boris Lokschin, with backing from Project A.
- **2015** — Published Das E-Commerce Buch with Holger Schneider through dfv.
- **2016** — The English-language The E-Commerce Book was published; Spryker released the first version of its commerce operating system.
- **2020** — Spryker announced a $130 million Series C led by TCV on December 17.
- **2022** — Philipp Klöckner interviewed him for Kassenzone episode 400 at his farm near Kiel.
- **2024** — Published Gewinnen in der Plattform-Ökonomie with Wiley-VCH.
- **2025** — Celebrated 600 Kassenzone episodes; Spryker announced Stefan Ropers would partner with him as CEO from September 1.
- **2026** — Said in a June 10 interview that he had handed over the CEO role on January 1, 2026.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Spryker in 2014 and served as founding Co-CEO.
- Co-founded the digital consultancy Etribes and Amazon marketing agency Factor A.
- Built Kassenzone from a 2008 blog into a podcast that reached 600 episodes in 2025.
- Co-authored Das E-Commerce Buch with Holger Schneider, first published in 2015.
- Authored Gewinnen in der Plattform-Ökonomie, published by Wiley-VCH in 2024.
- Helped lead Spryker through a $130 million Series C announced in December 2020.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — In an August 5 Kassenzone episode, discussed AI productivity, model-provider dependence and keeping business data and context under company control.
- **2026-07** — A July 8 interview published by E-commerce Germany News set out his views on marginal costs, B2B digital ordering, technology ownership and future AI shopping agents.
- **2026-07** — Spryker appointed Sebastiaan Verhaar CEO effective July 1; Stefan Ropers became Executive Chairman.
- **2026-06** — On Made in China, discussed customer access, Chinese commerce models and energy, and said he had handed over the CEO role at the start of 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kassenzone.de/alexander-graf/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandergraf/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/supergraf
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KassenzoneDe
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supergraf/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alexander-graf
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14