Malaysia's RPG Commerce raises $29m Series B

UOB Venture Management, RHL Ventures, and Vertex Ventures SE Asia & India also participated. Vertex provided a Series A of undisclosed size last year.

RPG’s business model encompasses the launch, operation, and optimisation of global-facing DTC brands across categories such as clothing and homewares. It said in a statement that the brand portfolio and customer base have grown 300% in the past year.

There are currently about 10 brands in the portfolio, including casualwear maker Bottom Labs, thermos maker Montigo, and chemical-free cookware making Cosmic Cookware. The idea of local brands in developing Asia displacing global incumbents is an established investment theme, but there has been little traction in terms of taking them global.

RPG will use the fresh capital for technology development the creation of more brands, and an expansion beyond its current footprint across Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. It will also pursue acquisitions and activities outside the DTC model, including back-end technology infrastructure support for small businesses and incubation programs.

“It is critical for DTC businesses to build traction internationally to ensure success, and RPG stands out as a company that has been able to grow a loyal customer base across the US, Canada, and Europe by building consumer trust through quality products and supply chain innovation,” said Willson Cuaca, co-founder of East.

Last year, East co-led a USD 36m round for Sirclo, an Indonesia-based e-commerce enabler with significant brand optimisation and social commerce capacities, including a key opinion leader and micro-influencer business. The VC firm has backed at least five rounds for the company since 2014, according to AVCJ Research.

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Save this article  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• Consumer
• Early-stage
• Malaysia
• e-commerce