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goKampus raises Pre-Series A funding round to strengthen product offerings, double team size

Left to right: goKampus co-founders Nathanael Santoso and Jeganathan Sethu

goKampus, an Indonesia-based edutech startup that provides a digital college ecosystem and enabler, announced that it has raised a Pre-Series A funding round co-led by Sovereign’s Capital and SALT Ventures. The funding round also included the participation of Azure Ventures and other regional angel investors.

The funding round was undisclosed, but the startup stated that it was “oversubscribed.”

With the funding round, goKampus aims to support its growth in three key areas: strengthening the tech products by utilizing AI and machine learning to enhance the learning experience, doubling its team size, and ramping up the student and university partnership acquisition efforts.

goKampus aims to provide greater access to higher education for Indonesians as according to a World Bank data, less than nine per cent of the country’s population over the age of 25 have attained a bachelor’s degree in 2016. This number places Indonesia in the lowest among all member states in Southeast Asia.

In a press statement, goKampus co-founder and CEO Nathanael Santoso gives details on how the startup is going to work together with its investors.

Also Read: Edutech in SEA is ripe for acceleration. This is why they can help build a more inclusive society

“Sovereign’s Capital provides connections and facilitates accelerated growth in Indonesia, as well as in the US; whereas SALT Ventures’ strong media presence in Indonesia provides a great advantage for student acquisitions. Together, we will enable millions of Indonesian students to access high-quality tertiary education,” he said.

As an edutech platform, goKampus provides all-in-one access to college services in one app. This process includes enrolling on college programmes, taking courses virtually, to securing scholarships, loans as well as internships and jobs opportunities in its marketplace.

Through goKampus, students can apply to universities by simply taking a photo of their transcripts and receive instant approvals to goKampus’ partner universities.

In January, the startup launched its Cloud University programme, which it claimed to be the first Indonesian digital university to offer a bachelor’s degree with an on-demand curriculum in digital business management.

goKampus said that has more than 250,000 active student users, along with 400 university partners from countries such as Australia, Singapore, the UK, the US, and Indonesia.

Edutech, as a vertical, has become increasingly popular in Indonesia with several leading names raising significant funding rounds in recent years. For example, Ruangguru recently raises US$55 million to grow its learning management system in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand.

Image Credit: goKampus

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Vietnam’s HANET bags Series A from G-Group to take its AI camera to global market

HANET founder and CEO Vo Duc Tho

HANET, a startup offering Artificial Intelligence-powered surveillance cameras in Vietnam, has received an undisclosed amount of investment from G-Group Technology Corporation at US$5 million valuation.

The startup will use the funds to take its business into global markets, said a press statement.

“We have worked hard for a long time, going through many difficulties to build HANET AI camera. We want to make it the leading AI camera product in Vietnam as well as in the global market,” said Vo Duc Tho, CEO and founder of HANET.

In developed countries, AI cameras are installed everywhere for analysing traffic and controlling crimes. However, in Vietnam, there are very few AI cameras on the streets, which use old technologies and lack the ability to analyse and calculate.

What is unique about HANET is that its products have an AI chip integrated into the camera. This helps in minimising investment costs and makes deployment easier.

Also Read: Protecting people, enterprises and society: Facial recognition tech in SEA

The camera boasts of high-speed facial recognition feature that could detect people even when they are on a face mask. It claims that device can be used to detect traffic offences and prevent child abduction and robberies.

The AI camera is available in three variants: homes (to protect family, children, anti-theft), offices (for access control and automatic timekeeping), and shops (for automatic customer counting, business analysis and anti-theft).

“We value HANET because they are an enthusiastic and highly qualified team in AI camera technology and products, all with the same goal of proving that Vietnamese people can make great tech products for the global market. A distinguishing feature is that the two parties share a joint mission to contribute to a safer and better society through technology. G-Group will not only invest with capital but will also commit to support other synergistic values and help HANET realise its vision,” said Phung Anh Tu, CEO of G-Group.

G-Group is a leading technology corporations in Vietnam, focusing on investments in three sectors: fintech, media-tech and cybersecurity.

Its ecosystem currently includes 11 member companies. It serves 30 million users across financial service, fintech, payments, e-wallet, social network, online games, digital media, and cybersecurity.

Image Credit: HANET

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Connect with 3 investors active on e27 Connect today

In today’s edition of “Active Investors of the week”, we have Quest Ventures, Investible, Velocity Ventures as our top three most active investors in our e27 Connect Program. The following are some details on who these investors are and what are their investment criterias:

Quest Ventures
Based in: Singapore

Straight from Quest Ventures: Quest Ventures is a top venture capital fund in Asia. Its portfolio of 90+ venture-backed companies operate in more than 150 cities across Asia, creating employment and advancement opportunities for more than 4,400 employees, while its Enterprise and ESG efforts directly impact thousands more.

Investment range: USD 50K – USD 2M

Stages: Angel / Pre Seed, Seed, Pre-Series A / Bridge, Series A

Latest Investments:
Populix (Indonesia), Venture Round, $1.2M, Apr 2021
IN-VR (Kazakhstan), Pre-Seed, $50K, Apr 2021
Logizi (Kazakhstan), Pre-Seed, $50K, Apr 2021

Verticals: Artificial Intelligence, E-commerce, Marketplaces, Entertainment

e27 Admin / Investment Partner: Michelle Ng is Senior Associate at Quest Ventures, a leading venture fund for technology companies that have scalability and replicability in large internet communities. She is responsible for key markets in Southeast Asia and emerging Asia.

Prior to this, Michelle was at the Action Community for Entrepreneurship – Singapore’s national entrepreneurship ecosystem builder, where she built a connected ecosystem with 20 cities. Michelle is also an Executive Member at Social Impact Catalyst.

Portfolio News: Also happening in June, Quest Ventures’ Vietnam Global Innovation will be accelerating the 3rd batch of startups into Vietnam’s top cities. Vietnam companies interested in co-innovate and partner with the most innovative tech startups from Singapore are welcome to connect at vgi@questventures.com.

In July, Quest Ventures is rolling out a Venture Capital Accelerated course. Venture Capital Accelerated is a fast-track part-time program to introduce the fundamentals of venture capital for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors. Don’t miss this!

Investible
Based in: Australia

Straight from Investible: Investible is an early-stage investment group that provides high-potential founders with the financial, human and intellectual capital needed to scale. With offices in Sydney and Singapore, and an established club network of active investors (“Club Investible”) around the world, Investible is one of the most prolific seed investors in the region.

Investment range: USD 200K – USD 1M

Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Pre-Series A

Verticals: Industry-agnostic (ex biotech)

Latest Investments:
Jigspace – Apr 2021: Undisclosed
Sundose – Feb 2021: $6m USD
Mastt – Dec 2020: $1.7m USD
Mosaic Solutions (Philippines), Seed, $1.5M, Sep 2020

e27 Admin / Investment Partner: Vice President of Investor Relations for Investible is Reena Sharma, based in Singapore. She works across the firm’s capital raising efforts, deal origination in Southeast Asia, and engages the Club Investible network around the globe for co-investment in the next generation of game-changing startups. Reena is also responsible for developing ecosystem partnerships, playing a key role for the Australia-based business in Southeast Asia.

Velocity Ventures
Based in: Singapore
Straight from Velocity Ventures: At Velocity Ventures, we invest in visionary entrepreneurs who are reshaping the Travel & Hospitality sector in Southeast Asia. We focus on Seed to Series A stage growth companies across the Transportation, Travel Retail, Accommodation, Food & Beverage, and Shopping & Entertainment sub-sectors.

Investment range: Not specified

Stages: Seed, Pre-Series A / Bridge, Series A, Series B

Verticals: Digital solutions, AI

e27 Admin / Investment Partner: Founder and Chairman of Velocity Ventures Singapore is A. Patrick Imbardelli, an internationally respected business leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the hotel industry. He has received many honors and accolades for his corporate achievements and involvement in the community. Patrick now runs a private investment company from Singapore and Sydney, as well as serving as an advisor for organizations in the US and Asia.

Portfolio News: Velocity Ventures announces first close of its USD20 million Hospitality and Travel Fund. Velocity Ventures is the first Hospitality & Travel sector-focused venture capital based in Singapore, focusing on investing in Seed to Series A tech-enabled companies in the Southeast Asia Hospitality & Travel technology industry, across the verticals of Travel Services, Transportation, Accommodation, Food & Beverage and Retail & Experiences.

We wish you all the best in your fundraising journey and hope our e27 Connect Program will assist you to secure quality conversations with the top investors in Southeast Asia in the quest to attain your fundraising goals. Find out more about how it works here. If you are a startup looking to fundraise, sign up here now for a free trial to get connected with the abovementioned investors. If you are an investor looking to get listed on our platform, here is how you can join our Connect Program!

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Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

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Genesis Alternative Ventures partners Aozora Bank to support Japanese startups expanding into SEA

Genesis team

Genesis team

Singapore-headquartered Genesis Alternative Ventures (GAV), a private lender to venture- and growth-stage companies in Southeast Asia, has signed an MoU with Japan’s Aozora Bank.

As part of the deal, the two parties will provide support for Japanese venture-backed companies looking to expand into Southeast Asia.

This follows Genesis’s announcement in April of the final close of its US$80 million venture debt fund, with Sassoon Family being the anchor investor

Dr Jeremy Loh, co-founder and partner of GAV, said: “We look forward to partnering Aozora to introduce venture debt to startups in Southeast Asia and Japan. We believe that venture debt is ideal for young companies with strong growth trajectory as it will allow them to expand without diluting founders’ equity.”

Also Read: Genesis Alternative Ventures on debunking venture debt myths and finding winners in SEA

Founded in 2019 by Ben J Benjamin, Dr Jeremy Loh and Mr Martin Tang, Genesis is a private lender backed by tier-one VCs. The firm has backed a number of startups in the region, such as TaniHub, Hmlet, Horangi Cybersecurity, and Deliveree.

Aozora Bank is a full-service Tokyo-based bank with assets of more than ¥5 trillion (US$45 million). Last year, it launched a venture debt fund for Japanese technology companies.

Venture debt, generally deployed by way of senior, secured non-convertible debenture accompanied by equity options, is appropriate for emerging, high growth businesses that need to extend their cash runway to get to the next stage of growth.

These companies may lack the track record to meet traditional criteria for bank loans or their founders may wish to minimise equity dilution.

Image Credit: Genesis Alternative Ventures

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Amartha raises US$7.5M to widen access to capital for female entrepreneurs

Amartha

Indonesian P2P lending startup Amartha announced that it has raised US$7.5 million funding from Norfund, a Norwegian government investment fund for developing nations. The funding will be channelled in the form of capital to empower more women small business owners in rural Indonesia to encourage an environmentally sustainable business.

This collaboration was marked by an agreement signing ceremony attended by Norway Ambassador Vegard Kaale and Amartha CEO & Founder Andi Taufan Garuda Putra at the Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta on Friday, June 4.

Norfund Investment Director & Head of Asia Regional Office Fay Chetnakarnkul said that Norfund works together with financial institutions to support them in their work in providing capital access and financial services for micro-businesses and the unbankable segment. “We appreciate this partnership with Amartha and the work that they have been doing to empower women micro-business owners in Indonesia.”

Norwegian Ambassador Vegard Kaale added that despite its robust economic growth, financial inclusion remains an issue among some segment of the society, particularly women micro-business owners.

“Norfund is a crucial platform for the Norwegian Government to empower private institutions in developing nations as well as to decrease poverty rate. This investment is the first for Norfund in a financial institution in Indonesia; my hope is that it will play a great role in supporting the growth and success of Amartha.”

Chetnakarnkul shared an opinion with Kaale that the partnership will be a good start for Norfund’s long term commitment in Indonesia.

Also Read: Amartha secures US$28M to empower rural Indonesian women with working capital

Amartha CEO & Founder Putra stated that Norfund’s support marks the institution’s trust in Amartha to recover in this difficult time. “Under the guidance of Norway as a leading market in renewable energy, Amartha is looking forward to learning from the best.”

Norfund’s participation as an investor in Amartha is in line with the company’s effort to actively takes part in environmentally sustainable activities since 2018, which includes the publication of an annual environmental impact and sustainability report. In 2019, the company scored the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS) award from B-Corp with a Platinum grade.

Last year, the company also initiated the Plastic Waste Womenpreneur (PWW) programme by investing in women micro-business owners who play a crucial role in minimising plastic waste in rural areas.

By today Amartha has channelled more than IDR3.7 trillion (US$258,677) to 678,502 women in 18,900 villages in Java, Sumatra, and Celebes.

As a tech startup, Amartha channels financial services and innovative products such as savings, micro insurance, and bulk shopping that is tailored to the needs of the informal economy. With this approach, Amartha wants to be at the forefront in the list of digital financial platforms for the rural segment.

In April, Amartha also announced a US$28 million led by Women’s World Banking (WWB) through WWB Capital Partners II and MDI Ventures with existing investors Mandiri Capital Indonesia (MCI) and YOB Venture Management.

The article Amartha Kantongi Pendanaan 107 Miliar Rupiah, Perdalam Akses Permodalan untuk Pengusaha Perempuan was written in Bahasa Indonesia by Marsya Nabila for DailySocial. English translation and editing by e27.

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