The automobile rental marketplace has also rebranded to Otomo

Automo, an online automobile marketplace that connects customers directly to rental companies and driver services in Indonesia, has closed its seed round of funding at SGD205,000 (US$145,000).

Investors include an angel from Prestige Corp in Indonesia, owner of Singapore-based Cars and Trips, and another unnamed angel. The round also includes SGD30,000 Startup SG Founder Grant.

Also Read: Indonesian tech startup Automo offers not just bike and car rentals, but private jets and Yacht too

“We are currently in talks with a few VCs from Singapore and Indonesia to raise between up to SGD400,000 (US$300,000) to realise our goal of becoming of automotive lifestyle portal,” Automo Founder Charles Lin told e27.

Additionally, Automo has rebranded itself as Otomo. “We came up with a brand new identity that reflects a more global long term vision that we are planning ahead,” he said.

Otomo is an online platform for tourists to find drivers or automotive rental in Indonesia. It is designed for tourists (locals and foreigners) to help them find drivers or automotive rental, as well as to help local vendors to sell their services digitally to a global market.

The company works with local vendors in Indonesia to provide a wide range of automotive options, from a simple sedan to luxury cars like Rolls Royce and Lamborghini, as well as private jets and yacht. Motorbike rentals are also available.

Otomo’s customers come mostly from Southeast Asia. Major MNCs such as Salim Group used its platform to book big buses for their corporate events, says Lin.

Also Read: Viking Garage puts the brakes on dodgy bikes and rents out trusty roadsters like Harleys

“We started out with SaaS solutions and used two different systems, which ran into issues in terms of fully supporting the business needs and scalability. As a result, customers found it hard to search specific listings. Also, we were not able to make much changes to the user flow and technical upgrades which made it difficult to navigate,” he added. “This is when we decided to invest into building our own custom solution that is scalable. It will also allow us to customise everything from user experience to vendor functionality.”

The company has also expanded its offerings to also include long-term rental options in Indonesia. It is also in the midst of rolling out attractions & tour packages.

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