Prague, Czechia
Building international partnerships across food, retail, humanitarian support, government supply and ready-to-eat solutions, with Dubai as our hub for GCC, Africa and South Asia. ——— I am a Czech entrepreneur, business strategist and founder with 25+ years building, scaling and exiting companies across media, retail and consumer brands. Today, I am a shareholder and business partner in Real Meal, a global Ready-to-Eat Meal platform focused on premium, shelf-stable protein nutrition. Developed with Astra Foods, a leading CEE food manufacturer with 30+ years of experience, our platform delivers food solutions with up to 24 months shelf life, without refrigerated logistics, built around six pillars: - Premium Protein Meat - Ready-to-Eat Meals - Government/Defence & Humanitarian Solutions - Celebrity Brand Partnerships - White Label & OEM Manufacturing - Global Distribution We're also among the leading producers of fresh poke meals in the Czech Republic, with the ambition to become a leading global platform serving retail, foodservice, hospitality, government, defence, humanitarian organisations and private-label partners across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. **Career Milestones** At 24, I became Managing Director of Starcom MediaVest Group, the second-largest media agency in the Czech market, managing an international client portfolio (Eurotel, Coca-Cola, Fiat, Philip Morris) with turnover exceeding USD 70 million. I later joined Ringier, the largest publishing house in the Czech Republic, as Publisher, responsible for 3 major newspapers and a team of 249, including Blesk and Sport, and co-founded the economic daily E15. I have also led major acquisitions, restructurings and exits, including Profimedia (biggest photo bank in CEE region) and Grand Reality (real estate platforms), both developed, scaled and sold with strong returns. **Core Expertise** General Management & P&L Ownership · Business Strategy & Multi-Industry Development · Startup Advisory & Concept Creation · M&A and Exit Strategies · Marketing and Sales Execution · Brand Development · Launching New Brands and Products **Beyond business** Together with my wife, Simona Krainová, a leading Czech-Slovak influencer, actress and top model, we build a family brand ecosystem spanning beauty, fashion, wellness and digital commerce, combining authentic storytelling with commercial scale. I divide my time between Prague, Dubai and the Dominican Rep. For a behind-the-scenes look at my daily work, projects and family life, follow me on Instagram: ➡️ @karelvagner & @simonakrainova