Reporter: The novice Laoli | Editor: The novice Laoli
KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly investing in Indonesian e-commerce startup Ula. The startup is said to have managed to raise more than US$ 30 million from a number of well-known investors since its launch last year.
Launch Techcrunch, Sunday (3/1), Jeff Bezos has invested in a new round of financing this one-and-a-half year old startup. Bezos himself is said to have agreed to invest in Ula through his family office, Bezos Expeditions.
Startup Ula, headquartered in Jakarta, is also in the advanced stages of talks to complete a new round of more than US$ 80 million.
In addition to Bezos, B Capital Group, Tencent and Prosus Ventures are said to have positioned themselves to lead this financing round, which could close as early as this October.
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Bezos’ interest in Ula, which operates an e-commerce platform business-to-business, comes at a time when Amazon has yet to enter most Southeast Asian countries or maintain a limited presence there.
Ula’s public relations representative did not respond to a request for comment on the news on Saturday.
Ula helps small retailers overcome the inefficiencies they face in supply chains, inventory and working capital. It operates a wholesale e-commerce marketplace to help store owners keep only the inventory they need, and also provides them with working capital.
The startup was founded by Nipun Mehra (a former Flipkart executive in India and a former partner at Sequoia Capital India), Alan Wong (who previously worked with Amazon), Derry Sakti (who oversaw the operations of consumer goods giant P&G in Indonesia), and
