• WDL receives multi-million Series A from Sparring Capital Partners, CHI Impact Capital, and Catagonia in international funding round
• The data analytics company produces reliable forecasts on global consumer class consumption and demographics through strategic software tools
• The funds raised will allow WDL to accelerate their global growth from existing offices in Vienna, Washington and Nairobi
• WDL Announces Dr. Wolfgang Fengler as Incoming CEO

Vienna, Austria, World Data Lab (WDL) is pleased to announce the closure of a multi-million Series A investment. This financing round marks WDL’s first external investment, a sign of the strong confidence investors have placed in the company’s growth and expanding influence. The international funding round is led by Vienna-based Sparring Capital Partners and includes CHI Impact Capital as the investment advisor of Luxembourg-based impact VC fund the ‘Burning Issues Impact Fund”, and Catagonia in Berlin.

This milestone will enable WDL to broaden its work modeling and forecasting consumer class expenditure and tracking the Sustainable Development Goals. WDL has proven itself as a major player in the DaaS enterprise space, with a global reach, including its Vienna Headquarters and offices in Washington (USA) and Nairobi (Kenya).
World Data Lab is also pleased to announce the appointment of Wolfgang Fengler as CEO. Dr. Fengler brings over 20 years of international experience and will lead the company through its next phase of growth. He will also work to expand the company’s offerings into new markets and industries.

“We are thrilled to have the support of our investors as we continue to grow. We have an exceptional senior leadership team comprising global experts in technology, data, and entrepreneurship. Under their guidance, this funding will enable us to scale up our expansion.” – Wolfgang Fengler, Co-Founder and CEO of World Data Lab.

World Data Pro, a leading consumer demographic and expenditure data analytics platform, is poised for even greater success with new enhanced product categories features which will accurately map and forecast consumption expenditure per product type and target market.

“Reliable data serves as an important compass especially in the turbulent times we currently live in. World Data Lab’s products have therefore quickly become powerful tools in corporate decision making around the world, providing meaningful insight to developments in purchase power, demography, migration and other market-relevant information. Led by a remarkable management team, there is definitely still a lot more to come.”- Michael Steiner, Founder and CEO of Sparring Capital Partners.

“WDL’s core product ‘World Data Pro’ is designed to put sustainable development at the heart of corporate decision making. World Data Pro facilitates efficient resource allocation for private and public sector clients by offering unique data-insights into consumer spending and demographic characteristics of their target markets’ – Christin ter Braak-Forstinger, Co-Founder and CEO of CHI Impact Capital

“WDL allows B2C businesses to base their most important strategic investment decisions even better on sound data: the quality of the data and the ease of using them are second to none.”- Ralph Kunz, Managing Partner at COI Partners

With innovation at its core, World Data Lab has bold ambitions and many exciting undertakings already underway. WDL is currently working on the expansion of its flagship product, World Data Pro, to offer product categories and forecasts to accurately map and forecast consumption and potential per product, target, and market group. WDL also aims to become a global thought leader in the SDG and ESG space, leveraging its data insights and seasoned senior leadership team. As part of its scale-up efforts, WDL is expanding its senior leadership team with industry and data experts, and actively seeking experienced Data Scientists and Sales Executives. To support these initiatives, WDL is committed to attracting top global talent and ensuring it is a great place to work for all employees.

In addition to Dr. Fenglers appointment, a cutting-edge team of seasoned professionals who bring their diverse perspectives, experiences, and vision to the organization have been announced. The leadership team is formed of individuals who are passionate about the company’s goals and committed to taking World Data Lab to new heights of success.

Luis Simoes, has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer, Simoes brings over 25 years of data and professional services experience and has worked for Nielsen and Kantar where he served as global strategy officer and most recently Global Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

Prof. Patrick McSharry, joins as Chief Analytics and Technology Officer. Prof. Mcsharry’s research focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, big data, forecasting, predictive analytics and the analysis of human behavior.

Dr Homi Kharas, Co-Founder at World Data Lab, will act as Chief economist. He studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G-20. He was lead author of the UN report on the post 2015 agenda, a precursor to the Sustainable Development Goals. “I’m delighted to have this opportunity to put the data revolution into practice.

Dr. Reshma Sheoraj, arrives as VP Strategic Engagements, Dr. Sheoraj is an experienced economist, policymaker, and director with a demonstrated history of working with the public, private sector and development finance institutions.
Andreas Lichtl, is appointed VP of HR, Finance & Legal. Mr. Lichtl possesses a comprehensive financial background that has been instrumental in the success of series round A. In addition, Mr Lichtl has been an experienced entrepreneur, having held several senior leadership positions in startup ventures over the past six years.

About World Data Lab:
World Data Lab (WDL) is a leading data analytics company that offers data- and software-as-a-service to corporations and organizations around the globe producing the most consistent and credible estimates for spending and demography. WDL’s data models are global, granular, and forward-looking and track the Sustainable Development Goals in real-time, helping provide unique insights for businesses.
For media inquiries, please contact: Anne Mason Email: [email protected]
For more information on World Data Lab, visit https://worlddata.io/.