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Ex-Rocket Internet Asia head secures US$3M seed capital for his on-demand workspace venture

Deskimo founding team

Deskimo, a provider of on-demand workspaces in Singapore and Hong Kong, has completed a US$3-million seed financing round from Y Combinator and Global Founders Capital.

They were joined by Pioneer Fund, Seed X, Starling Ventures, TSVC, and other investors from Asia Pacific, the US, and Europe.

The company has deployed the money in its Jakarta expansion. It has partnered with over 30 workspace partners in Jakarta for the soft launch and expects to add 20 more before year-end.

The startup also expects demand in other emerging markets in the region due to traffic congestion and homes where wifi and electricity might not always be stable.

Deskimo was co-founded by Raphael Cohen, former head of Asia at Rocket Internet, and Christian Mischler, previously co-founder at GuestReady, HotelQuickly and Foodpanda.

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It empowers companies to move to a hybrid, asset-light office setup or remote-first strategy, thus helping them reduce their fixed office leases and free up resources.

On the other hand, professionals can freely access any workspace listed on the app, stay for as long as they like, and pay by the minute.

The company provides on-demand access to over 100 professional workspaces in Singapore, Hong Kong, and now Jakarta.

Over the past few months, brands such as WeWork, The Hive, The Executive Centre, and Garage Society have joined Deskimo.

“The pandemic has fundamentally changed the corporate approach to work. Finally, employee effectiveness has moved into focus rather than employees’ time spent at the office. However, not everyone has a great home office setup that lets them stay focused on their work,” said Deskimo’s Singapore MD Jonathan Soh.

Adrian Ng, Deskimo’s MD in Hong Kong, added. “Company managers are reducing their fixed office leases and are moving to a flexible arrangement with their workforce. Both win: It unlocks significant cost savings for companies, and it adds flexibility and freedom to employees’ lives.”

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Image Credit: Deskimo

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