Y Combinator-backed Radius rebrands Bakool, an Indonesia-based buying platform for fresh produce, has raised an an undisclosed seed round, with participation from Kleiner Perkins, Goodwater, Insignia Ventures, Global Brain, former minister of Indonesia Mari Elka Pangestu, and others.

“With Bakool, we are committed to serve untapped cities in Indonesia and increase their households’ productivity,” Bakool Chief Executive Officer Ivan Darmawan said in a statement.

“Through thousands of Bakool’s agents, we can reduce transport and supply costs, without compromising on quality,

“Our agents have made 3x their previous income and we are expanding fast. Long- term we want to become the Whole Foods for rural Indonesia without having offline stores,” he added.

Bakool is a pioneering group buying platform for fresh produce currently serving Indonesia’s untapped tier 2 cities.

Through an agent network in the thousands, the firm facilitates a group buying model to enable lower costs of fresh produce, more time saved for households on going to markets, and increased incomes for their agents.

Founded by seasoned retail, supply chain, and technology operators backed by Y Combinator as well as renowned global and regional investors, the firm aims to increase household productivity in Indonesia by becoming the fresh produce chain for households in tier-2, tier-3, and rural cities in the country, operating without physical stores but instead an agent network.

“Bakool is tapping into the massive, underserved opportunity around fresh produce accessibility for tier-2, tier-3 and rural cities in Indonesia, which already amounts to a significant business even capturing a portion of the market,” said Yinglan Tan, Founding Managing Partner at Insignia Ventures.

“And with Ivan and Stephanie (Co-Founder) sharing more than fifteen years in retail, farming, and supply chain, leadership experience in top Southeast Asia unicorns, and their significant progress and learnings already growing Radius, we believe they are in prime position to evolve into this role to improve not just the way Indonesians in these cities access fresh produce but also impact overall household productivity in the country, with cost savings on group buying, time savings on delivery, and income for their agents,” he added.

By working with an agent network model (B2A2C or business to agent to consumer), Bakool enables fresh produce group buying and delivery for tier-2 city households, improving household productivity.

These households can save up to 15 percent on costs of goods and transportation, as well as save up to five hours of their day as they would no longer need to go to the night markets.

Bakool agents also win in this equation. By making fresh produce more accessible and convenient for their communities, these agents, typically housewives and community leaders, have been able to make up to three times their income.

“Bakool’s mission of increasing household’s productivity is a much-needed focus for technology businesses in the country,” said Former Minister of Indonesia Mari Elka Pangestu.

“This mission will bring long-term returns to the national economy and has potential repercussions for future generations in having a better quality of life,

“I look forward to the progress Ivan, Stephanie, and their team will make to realize this impact for underserved cities and economies across Indonesia,” she added.

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