KUALA LUMPUR, 2 February 2023: Gobi Partners, the most interconnected Pan-Asian venture capital (VC) firm with US$1.5 billion (RM6.5 billion) in assets under management has onboarded four more promising Malaysian startups to its Gobi Superseed II Fund (Gobi SSII Fund).
The four firms being onboarded are Islamic-themed streaming service Durioo+, e-commerce marketplace Lapasar, earned wage access provider Paywatch and online investing platform pitchIN.
All four companies have been identified as leaders in their respective fields and have the capability to scale up and bring sizeable returns to the Malaysian economy.
Supporting Malaysian Startups
Gobi Managing Partner (Malaysia), Jamaludin Bujang is excited to welcome the new portfolios to the Gobi family and to also help guide them through the expected economic headwinds this year.
“We are continuing our efforts to help spur the growth of entrepreneurs, especially startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in the local ecosystem during a challenging time for the Malaysian economy, as evidenced by our latest investment into these four companies under the Gobi SSII Fund,” he said.
“The tough situations faced by startups do in a way, act as a natural filter for us to choose the best companies. Because of this, we were able to identify and then invest in Durioo+, Lapasar, Paywatch and pitchIN who have not only successfully adjusted themselves to remain relevant to their markets but have also thrived and strengthened their respective positions.”
Durioo+
Islamic-themed streaming service Durioo+, which is subscription-based and accessible on smart devices and appliances, was launched in February 2022 to showcase high-quality Islamic and kid-friendly content. The streaming platform showcases Durioo+ Originals, high-quality Islamic cartoons and kid-friendly content from around the world. In 10 months, the platform has gained over 20,000 subscribed users and is airing more than 1,600 episodes of content thus far.
Harnessing more than a decade’s worth of experience leading Digital Durian, the publisher of Didi & Friends and Omar & Hana, Durioo+ Founder, Sinan Ismail wants to build a platform that produces content for Muslim children and educational mobile games that teach Islamic values.
“There are over 400 million Muslim children around the world, but there are too few high-quality Islamic animations and games, that children love to watch and play. What we want to do is instil good values and virtues through the lens of a Muslim,” he said.
In the next five years, the company plan is to enter the global market – specifically the United States, the United Kingdom, MENA, Indonesia, Europe and South Asia countries. Durioo+ aims to collaborate with other local and foreign animation studios, production houses and game companies to produce more content and games.
Lapasar
Launched in 2018, the business-to-business e-commerce marketplace Lapasar focuses on the distribution of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) for general trade. It has served over 10,000 SMEs throughout the country through its own warehousing, distribution and financial services capabilities.
Although Lapasar transformed into a wholesale procurement platform for small retailers only in June 2020, it grew 172% year-on-year in 2021 and above 100 times since its first funding round.
The aim, Lapasar Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Thinesh Kumar said is to become the largest wholesale platform in Malaysia by 2026.
“We aim to be the go-to mobile app for retailers to source and buy their FMCG goods at consistently low prices, delivered within 48 hours for free. Lapasar is also beginning to explore lines of credits with partners for the shops which has shown early promise and will continue to expand on that as well,” he said.
Paywatch
With the growing demand for earned wage access (EWA) in Asia, Paywatch has established itself as the leading EWA solution that helps employees bridge cash flow gaps between paychecks. As the only EWA solution that is partnered with top-tier banks, Paywatch also fosters financial inclusion by helping unbanked and underbanked Malaysian workers gain access to the banking system.
Paywatch is the only EWA solution of its kind in Asia and has been recognised by the UN Capital Development Fund, Bank Negara Malaysia, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) for its financial inclusion efforts. Moreover, Paywatch is the only EWA solution that has been licensed and is recognised by regulators in its operating markets. Its EWA service is being trusted and widely adopted by notable companies in Malaysia such as Lotus’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, QSR Brands, Wilmar and Kenny Hills Bakers.
“Paywatch aims to promote financial inclusion by helping workers achieve financial security and gain access to major banks. Employees that feel financially empowered and safeguarded by their employers have also shown a higher retention rate, contributing to better service and lower turnover rates in organisations. We are proud of what we have achieved since our launch in 2020, and are looking forward to expanding our services and adding more benefits to the platform in order to provide more holistic financial solutions to an underserved segment,” said Paywatch Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Patrick Hew.
To date, Paywatch continues to grow its product offerings and strengthen its presence in existing markets Malaysia, South Korea and Hong Kong, while also accelerating expansion efforts into new Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia and the Philippines.
pitchIN
Online investing platform pitchIN has, since its inception in 2016, raised in excess of US$65 million (RM280 million) on its equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform from over 7,600 individual investments made by retail and sophisticated investors to help fund 154 of Malaysia’s fast-growing companies.
pitchIN will launch its Secondary Market and Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) platforms this year following approval from the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in 2022. It also received approval from SC to list Shariah-compliant campaigns on the ECF platform.
pitchIN CEO, Sam Shafie said that the company had been preparing to grow into a digital investments fintech hub with multiple offerings, noting, “We believe that IEO and the pitchIN Secondary Market will enable pitchIN to offer more fundraising options as well as add liquidity options for investors.
“That said, the upcoming Secondary Market and IEO are just the first on our roadmap. We look forward to launching even more services soon, not just in Malaysia but also regionally in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.”
The Gobi SSII Fund targets early-stage (Seed, Series Pre-A and Series A) technology-enabled local startups operating in segments such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud, e-commerce, FinTech, Internet of Things and Halal economy.
Aside from the new additions, the fund has since its launch in late 2020 invested in four other Malaysian startups namely Sunway Innovation Labs, TechNode, Speedhome and PolicyStreet.
ENDS
About Gobi Partners
Gobi Partners is the most interconnected Pan-Asian venture capital firm with US$1.5 billion in assets under management (AUM). Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, the firm supports entrepreneurs from the early to growth stages and focuses on emerging and underserved markets.
Founded in 2002, Gobi has raised 15 funds to date, invested in over 320 startups and nurtured 10 unicorns. Gobi has grown to 15 locations across key markets in Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Manila, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore and Surabaya.
As a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact, Gobi Partners is committed to aligning strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption to ensure long-term value creation and sustainability across our portfolio. The firm launched its inaugural Sustainability Report in June 2022.
For more information about Gobi Partners, please visit https://gobi.vc
About Durioo+
Durioo+ is a safe streaming platform dedicated for Muslim children. Graduating from the Y Combinator W22 batch in 2022, Durioo+ focuses on producing, co-producing and licensing high-quality, entertaining and Muslim kids-friendly content for Muslim children globally.
Launched in Feb 2022, the platform houses more than 1,600 episodes of content (including Durioo+ Originals and licensed content such as Baby Shark) and reaching 20,000 paid subscribers with a 30% M-O-M MRR growth. Durioo+ aims to hit 100,000 subscribers by 2023 and 1,000,000 subscribers by 2026.
Durioo+ will be celebrating its Duriooversary on 1st March 2023. During the event, Durioo+ will be announcing its Seed Round fundraising, investors, partners and future plans. Interested press please email [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.duriooplus.com.
About Lapasar
Lapasar is a Malaysian-based online wholesaler in the FMCG space. The company started out as a B2B platform in 2018, connecting corporate buyers to a pool of suppliers. In mid-2020, Lapasar launched the 2nd pillar of its company, an FMCG wholesale segment, which today is the growth driver for the company.
In the wholesale segment, Lapasar serves Mom and Pop stores and restaurants, supplying them with fast-moving products across brands. Orders can be placed online anytime via Lapasar’s mobile app. Lapasar guarantees inventory availability delivers within 48 hours, allows orders as small as RM 600, and provides credit terms on the mobile app via 3rd party partners.
Lapasar served 10,000 customers to date, operating 3 warehouses across 3 states with a team of 200 people. By 2026, Lapasar aims to be the largest online wholesaler in the country.
About Paywatch
Paywatch is the only earned wage access (EWA) service provider backed by major banks and recognized by the United Nations Capital Development Fund, Central Banks and regulators for its commitment to financial access and ESG. Working with top banks and employers in each of its markets, Paywatch serves as a bridge to help employees get banked, start getting credit the right way and find financial security. Paywatch operates in South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
About pitchIN
pitchIN is Malaysia’s leading online platform for investing in the equity of Malaysian startups and SMEs. The pitchIN equity crowdfunding platform is a Registered Market Operator (RMO) with the Securities Commission. To date it has successfully funded 154 deals, the most among all ECF platforms in Malaysia. pitchIN has raised over RM280 million to date, with over 7600 investments made into fast growing Malaysian companies. pitchIN is poised to launch the pitchIN Secondary Market for ECF shares as well as Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) digital tokens fundraising platform this year. For more information, please visit www.equity.pitchin.my.