Gobi leads $5.7m Series A for Thailand's Eko

The new capital will be used for Eko's expansion into overseas markets, particularly China, where the majority of its revenue is generated, according to a release. The company will also improve marketing and hire new personnel.

Eko's product is aimed at large companies where workers want to use their mobile devices to communicate securely outside of work. The app provides a group chat platform through which colleagues can organize messages by topic or by group, and can praise and reward each other. Accounts are searchable and can be synchronized across devices, and all information is encrypted.

The company claims its active user base has grown more than 1,800% since April, and that its clients, mostly based in Asia, are worth a combined $25 billion. "Taken together, our large company focus, simplicity, practical features, security and customizability have all been key to the incredible traction we've experienced among large companies," said Korawad Chearavanont, the founder and CEO of Eko.

Gobi prefers to invest in early-stage digital and media companies in China, though it has some involvement outside the country. Recently it has participated in a $30 million Series B round for food delivery app Line0 in January, in addition to a Series A round for second-hand car trading platform Mychebao in September 2014.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• Greater China
• Early-stage
• Technology
• Venture
• Thailand
• China
• Southeast Asia
• Gobi Partners
• Growth capital
• Technology
• Venture