Financial marketplace app GoBear—no relation to Gojek, which uses the “Go-” prefix for its services—has secured $17 million from returning investors, bringing its total raised to near $100 million, reports TechCrunch this morning.
GoBear facts & stats:
- Launched in 2015 in Singapore and Thailand as a financial services search engine, later morphing into a marketplace
- App now available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam
- 200 employees across 10 offices
- Now it has three main segments: its online financial supermarket, insurance brokerage, and digital lending
- Latter product stems from startup’s acquisition earlier this month of AsiaKredit
- Cooperates with over 100 financial partners, including banks and insurance providers, including HSBC, Citi, and WeLend
See: Gojek goes for gold with new investing service
GoBear is up against an array of startup rivals in Southeast Asia’s fast-growing fintech industry, including Grab and Gojek as the ride-hailing apps rapidly expand into financial services.
This latest funding round is from prior investors Walvis Participaties (a Dutch VC firm) and European insurance giant Aegon, topping up the $80 million they injected in May 2019.