Indonesia Weekly Review: 4 Startup Stories You Don’t Want To Miss This Week [16 January – 21 January]

With investment pouring in and new services launching, here are the most important developments of the Indonesian startup ecosystem, this week.

New Zealand Based AdTech Startup Postr Secures Funding – Looks To Expand To Southeast Asia

Advertisement startup based out of New Zealand Postr has secured $2.1 Mn in the latest round of funding, from a group of undisclosed investors, reported e27.

As per the report, its existing investors including Gunung Sewu Group, K1W1, New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF), undisclosed angel investors from Singapore and New Zealand, and senior officials from PayPal also took part in the round.

The funding will be used to facilitate Postr’s expansion in Australia and Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia.

Launched in 2014, Postr is an adtech startup that builds white label apps, enabling its users to “hire” their lock screens for advertising in exchange of mobile data from major mobile networks. The startup has already launched Optus Xtra in collaboration with Australian major Optus and plans to launch similar apps in Southeast Asia as well.

HRtech Startup Ekrut Bags Seed Funding From East Ventures

Indonesia-based early-stage VC firm East Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount of money in human resource technology startup Ekrut in its Seed round of funding.

As per a report by Deal Street Asia, the funds will be used to accelerate the company’s growth.

Founded in 2016 by Steven Suliawan, the startup aids recruiters with their hiring process and speeds up the process of headhunting. As per the report, Ekrut has worked with more than 30 tech companies in Indonesia including Tokopedia, GoJek, and Orami.

Online Beauty Management Platform Sociolla Raises Series B From Istyle, Others

Ecommerce-based portal for makeup and beauty products, Sociolla has secured an undisclosed amount in its Series B round of funding from Japanese fashion company Istyle and VC firm East Ventures.

With this investment, Istyle plans to expand its portal in Indonesia, reported TechInAsia.

Launched in 2015 by John Rasjid, Christopher Madiam, and Chrisanti Indiana, the startup claims to offer around 140 local and foreign beauty brands on its platform.

It had earlier raised a Series A round of funding led by Venturra Capital. East Ventures and angel investor Steve Christian had also participated in that round.

Uber Launches Uber XL For People Travelling In Groups

Cab aggregator Uber launched its Uber XL service in Indonesia earlier this week. Under the Uber XL option, six riders (without extra baggage) can travel together in a single vehicle, Jakarta Globe reported.

According to an official statement by Uber, UberXL is a cost-effective alternative for people travelling in groups, because it allows them to complete their journey in one vehicle, instead of booking two UberX vehicles. The maximum number of passengers allowed to travel via an UberX is 4.