Tembusu provides seed round for Singapore’s GNum

It is said to be one of the largest-ever disclosed first-round investments in a Singapore start-up.

GNum is a subsidiary of GlobalRoam, which works with telecom providers to come up with innovative information-communication services. GNum's technology differs from most peer-to-peer client-server systems in that no download is required - users simply share personalized URLs for calls - and it relies on GSM networks rather than voice-over internet protocol, so voice quality may be superior.

In addition, the URLs allow users to stay in touch with people without releasing their mobile phone numbers into the public domain.

The company will use the new capital to acquire related technologies and for working capital as it prepares for a nationwide rollout in Singapore in the coming months. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are next on the hit list, followed by the US, China, Hong Kong, India and Australia.

"We are confident that GNum will augment the telecommunications ecosystem and bring tremendous value to users and partners by bridging the Internet and telephony divide, at a time of increasing social networking, mobile connectivity and emphasis on privacy," Chik Wai Chiew, a partner at Tembusu, said in a statement.

Headquartered in Singapore, Tembusu has close to $300 million under management and targets growth-stage companies in China, India and Southeast Asia. The investment in GNum came out of Tembusu Growth Fund II.

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

• Topics
• Early-stage
• Venture
• Southeast Asia
• Technology
• TMT
• Southeast Asia
• Singapore
• Venture
• seed
• Tembusu Partners