Sino-US shopping app Operator raises $15m Series B
Operator, a US-based conversational shopping app, has closed a $15 million Series B round led by GGV Capital, which is intended to help accelerate its expansion in China.
Other new investors include Formation 8, Morningside Ventures and Hong Kong-based Horizon Ventures. Existing backers Greylock Partners and Expa from Operator's Series A round, which was closed at $10 million in April, also participated. The latest round gives Operator at a $100 million post-money valuation.
Hugo Barra, vice president of global operation at Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi, will join the board of Operator, alongside Hans Tung, managing partner at GGV. As part of the deal, Operator China will open a Shanghai office led by Yolanda Xue, former vice president of merchandising at Sino-US mobile e-commerce app Wish, another GGV portfolio company.
"We look to invest in astute startups like Operator that take the mass-market-first approach, and understand the value of creating a global company from the start," Tung said in a statement. "Founders like Robin [Chan] who have a global vision to serve the world's middle class have the opportunity to create the next generation of billion-dollar companies with lasting growth potential."
Operator describes itself as a personal assistant for shopping. The app allows users to browse categories such as apparel, cosmetics, home items and electronics goods, and send text messages to a chatbot that connect thems with an expert who provides recommendations. Experts earn commissions based on what they sell.
Operator's China expansion plan includes enabling shoppers to buy goods from Western merchants with the help of Chinese-speaking experts.
GGV, which closed its $1.2 billion Sino-US fund in April, targets three main sectors: social and mobile commerce, internet-of-things (IoT) and robotics, plus software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud technology. It previously invested in Wish, which connects sellers on Alibaba's Taobao and Tmall with consumers in the US and Europe. Formation 8 and China-based Legend Capital are also investors in the company.
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