Today (12/8), the aquatech startup eFishery announced a series B funding with an undisclosed amount. This round was led by Go-Ventures and Northstar Group with the participation of Aqua-spark and Wavemaker Partners. The business run by Gibran Huzaifah is to use investment funds for product development, to strengthen business positions, and expand teams.
“Through the introduction of new technology to fish and shrimp farmers in Indonesia, we have the goal of increasing crop yields, lowering operational costs, and increasing their productivity. We hope that product development from eFishery can support the aquaculture ecosystem as a whole, from the cultivation process to distribution,” Gibran Huzaifah said.
He added, “The fresh money helps us to grow the company, open up access to launch our products throughout Indonesia, and achieve our vision to become the leading aquaculture intelligence company in Indonesia. We are excited to welcome the strategic collaboration with Gojek and the Northstar Group that we believe. will be an added value on our platform.”
To date, eFishery has four main products. First is the eFisheryFeeder, which is an automatic feeding device. The second is eFisheryFeed, helping fish and shrimp farmers get feed products at competitive prices. Next, there is eFisheryFund, a loan program for cultivators. And the fourth is eFisheryFresh, an online grocery platform to help farmers sell their crops.
“We are deeply inspired by the positive impact that eFishery has on the aquaculture sector supply chain. The company’s ability to provide farmers with new smart devices integrated with cloud-based mobile analytics has transformed the very traditional way of doing business in Indonesia,” Northstar Group’s Co-founder Patrick Walujo said.
Meanwhile, Go-Ventures’ VP of Investments Aditya Kumar said, “The eFishery solution, which directly supports local farmers, also addresses broader problems, including strengthening the food supply chain, reducing global food shortages, and helping to improve the fishing industry and Indonesian economy in a sustainable manner. Overall. We look forward to seeing these benefits grow exponentially as eFishery expands domestically now and regionally in the future.”
eFishery was founded in 2013 in Bandung, becoming one of the pioneering startups that develop the internet of things-based products. Currently, their products have reached almost all regions of Indonesia. Previously they secured pre-series A funding in 2015, followed by the closing of series A in 2018. The company claims, since the last two years the business has achieved profitability, after experiencing significant growth over the past four years.
Further plans
Some specific plans for new investment funds have been announced. The company wants to build robust data and algorithm capabilities for eFisheryFeeder, as well as to make the automated feed device more compatible with a wide range of pool types and sizes. In order to support business processes, eFisheryPoint was recently launched, to make it easier for farmers to get equipment products, sell their crops, and participate in other activities. Currently, there are 30 points and will be developed to 100 locations by the end of the year.
Currently, eFishery has around 250 employees and plans to add more to achieve business growth. This year is to focus on strengthening the product & engineer team and selling & customer experience.
“Although we have started several trials in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam, our main focus for 2020 is to strengthen our position in Indonesia by enhancing our products and creating more strategic collaborations. Once we have built a strong and replicable model across Indonesia. , we are ready to explore possibilities for regional expansion, “Gibran said.
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Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian
