GDP Venture joins Easy Crypto’s US$12M Series A
The story: New Zealand-based crypto startup, Easy Crypto, has secured US$12 million in a Series A round of funding led by Nuance Connected Capital.
Investors: Indonesian VC firm GDP Venture, New Zealand-based Pathfinder KiwiSaver (a retirement fund), Icehouse Ventures and Even Capital, and US-based Hutt Capital and Seven Peaks Ventures.
The plans: The funding will be used to expand into new markets, particularly Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
What is Easy Crypto: Founded by siblings Janine dan Alan Grainger in 2018, it trades more than 150 types of crypto assets. So far it has recorded US$750 million in sales. It currently has operations in South Africa, Australia, the Philippines, and Brazil.
Japan’s SmartRyde nets US$1.6M in Series A
The story: SmartRyde, a global airport transfer marketplace in Japan, has raised US$1.6 million in a Series A funding round.
Investors: Angel Bridge (lead), SG Incubate, Yamaguchi Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, Hiroshima Venture Capital, Iyogin Capital, Inventum Ventures, individual investor and serial entrepreneur Shouji Kodama, Nobuaki Takahashi (NOB LLC), and Optima Ventures.
What is SmartRyde: It’s creating a marketplace to connect local transport operators and online travel agencies (OTAs). As of August 2021, it has collaborated with more than 650 transportation operators and more than 25 OTAs, including top global players such as Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com, Traveloka (Indonesia), and Despegar (Argentina).
Plans: It will strengthen system integration with OTAs on the demand side, build a booking management system for transportation operators on the supply side, and promote digital transformation.
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Image Credit: Easy Crypto
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