WeMaintain enters Singapore with a US$36M funding
The story: WeMaintain, a proptech company based in Paris and London, has announced the launch of its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore. It has also won a public tender with the Singapore Housing & Development Board.
Funding: The launch follows a US$36 million Series B fundraise from Red River West, Eurazeo, BPIFrance Digital Venture (part of France’s sovereign wealth fund), and Swiss Immo Lab.
“This raise is a step towards our global expansion, with Singapore being a foundational component of our business development plans in Asia Pacific,” said Benoît Dupont, co-founder and CEO of WeMaintain.
“Through the IoT and our end-to-end approach, we will deliver smart solutions to buildings across the country, shaping the way people live and work. Many critical insights highlighting the market needs and disruptive potential for WeMaintain come from our prior experience managing lift and escalator businesses in APAC,” added Benoît.
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About WeMaintain: Founded in late 2017, WeMaintain offers building managers and owners a solution that combines the technical skills of engineers with the agility and predictability of its proprietary technology. It takes care of the invisible yet indispensable operations that are essential to a building.
The firm has recently expanded into fire safety following the acquisition of Shokly. WeMaintain supports a wide range of clients in both the residential and office markets and has won major contracts with clients such as Allianz Real Estate, WeWork, in the Paris region, and the DLR in London. Since its launch, the company has raised €38.8M from Eurazeo, Red River West and BPIFrance Digital Venture.
More expansion on paper: After Singapore, WeMaintain will aim to expand into other markets such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, and North America.
Korean AI-based learning app QANDA secures US$50M Series C
Investors: GGV Capital, Yellowdog, Goodwater Capital, KDB, SoftBank Ventures Asia, Legend Capital, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, and Smilegate Investment.
Plans: With its Series C investment, QANDA plans to strengthen its AI-based techniques of recommendation algorithms and develop localised business models for its regional offices in Indonesia and Thailand.
About QANDA: QANDA, operated by Seoul-based Mathresso, is a K-12 mobile learning app. In 2017, QANDA adopted an AI-based optical character recognition (OCR) scan that searches for answers in five seconds.
QANDA, which stands for ‘Q and A,’ is a mobile app that allows students of all levels to receive instant answers and customised learning content. QANDA recognises text and mathematical formulas in a photo with optical character recognition (OCR) technology.
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Supported by over 2.4 billion solution data and a self-developed search engine, QANDA provides solutions to a student’s question with high accuracy. QANDA provides quality education for anyone at any time and anywhere, giving access to qualified tutors from the world’s top universities.
QANDA has over 9.8 million monthly active users in over 50 countries. The app currently offers 7 languages – Korean, English, Spanish, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai.
Adrian Cheng’s C Ventures invests in CASETiFY
The story: CASETiFY, a global direct-to-consumer technology accessories brand, has raised an eight-figure USD Series A investment from C Ventures, a VC firm founded by cultural entrepreneur Adrian Cheng.
This is the first external investment since CASETiFY was founded in 2011.
Plans: The capital will be used to accelerate sales growth, open more retail stores globally, and for potential acquisitions.
About CASETiFY: It is a global lifestyle brand and online platform for customised tech accessories. CASETiFY’s products turn your personal electronics into stylishly slim accessories. Every case is a rigorously inspected and drop-proof accessory. Known for tapping top artists and creatives for its Co-Lab programme, CASETiFY gives brands and individuals the opportunity to share their unique visions with the world.
CASETiFY opened its first CASETiFY Museum in Adrian Cheng’s K11 MUSEA in 2020, the start of this successful collaboration between the two groups.
About C Ventures: It was founded by Cheng bridging West and East, curating a global ecosystem targeting millennials and Generation Z, with a focus on disruptive businesses in technology and consumer.
Other recent investments by C Ventures include RTFKT Studios, well known for its NFT sneakers; FITURE, a leading household fitness equipment which offers customised fitness programmes based on real-time data; and Lalamove, China’s leading on-demand and same-day delivery platform.
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Image Credit: WeMaintain
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