Aruna, an online marketplace-cum-auction-platform for fishery products in Indonesia, announced today it has closed a fresh investment round to the tune of US$5.5 million from existing investors East Ventures, AC Ventures, and SMDV.
The funds will aid Aruna to scale its fisherman community ecosystem by expanding to more coastal areas and scale its operations into new domestic and export B2B markets.
Also Read: Go-Ventures, Northstar Group co-lead eFishery’s Series B round
Aruna’s deal coincides with the announcement of a Series B round of investment by eFishery, an online platform for fish and shrimp farmers in the country.
Aruna was started in 2016 by Farid Naufal Aslam, Indraka Fadhillah, and Utari Octavianty. The three graduates of Telkom University Bandung started Aruna to leverage technology to create a sustainable and fair-trade ecosystem for fish and marine products.
The startup helps local fishermen export their products to countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, North America and the Middle East. Aruna has worked with thousands of fishermen in 31 coastal areas across Indonesia, covering multiple regions between Sumatra and Papua.
Aruna also provides fishermen more direct access to the B2B domestic market.
“Aruna’s mission is to make the sea a better livelihood for all. E-commerce helps create more fairness and transparency in the fishing industry, as well as making a more efficient supply chain. By reaching more coastal areas across Indonesia, Aruna joined the effort in building economic equality in Indonesia,” CEO Aslam.
Aruna claims it recorded an 86x growth in revenue in H1, 2020 compared to H1, 2019 as global demand for fresh sea products remains strong despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“Aruna remains optimistic to reach further growth in the middle of the pandemic. As a source of protein and a multitude of nutrients that are essential for the immune system, fishery commodities are products that consistently have growth in demand even amidst the pandemic,” Aslam added.
To cater to the spiking demand for home delivery of fresh produce and staples, the agritech company launched ‘Seafood by Aruna’, a home delivery service for fishery products. It provides fresh fish and seafood products, ready-to-eat products, and ready-to-cook products for consumers in the Greater Jakarta area, Bandung, and Balikpapan.
Seafood by Aruna is available at Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak, and Grab Mart. Aruna also collaborates with Sayurbox, Nalayan, and Delisari and are open to opportunities for new resellers.
Also Read: Indonesia’s agritech industry is at an inflection point
In April 2017, Aruna had secured an undisclosed seed funding from hardware and machinery distributor UMG Indonesia.
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Image Credit: Aruna
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