Monday, May 6, 2019

INSTAWEB FUNDED BY CRADLE

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (Bernama) -- Etesha Sdn Bhd. has raised RM800,000 from Direct Equity 800 (DEQ800) led by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd (Cradle) for its instant web builder, Instaweb.

Instaweb is an automated website builder which creates instant websites from Facebook page instantly. Instaweb has grown to support over 3,000 customers by bootstrapping the business over the years. Partnering with TM Info Media since 2017, the website builder has seen a sharp increase in its user base and subscription.

TM Info Media (TMIM) is a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) that provides digital marketing solutions for businesses mainly but not limited for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Their solutions include business directory, website builder, social media and search engine marketing which aim to empower SMEs in Malaysia to grow their business with online platforms.

CEO of TM Info Media, Sean Koh Chin Soon said that partnering with startups makes execution smooth and easier as there is less red tape. TM Info Media is pleased to support an impressive Malaysian-made product like Instaweb and sees a long-term partnership with Etesha Sdn Bhd.

Issani Isa, CEO of Etesha said that the funding will be utilised to expand Instaweb’s customer base. They are targeting to help 10,000 SMEs to have their own websites. In addition to that, they plan to upgrade the platform, grow the team and improve their services aside from market expansion. Currently, Etesha is working on expanding Instaweb to Australia, Japan and Thailand.

He added, “We decided to partner with Cradle after considering their unblemished track record of funding homegrown startups, founder-friendly approach and connection to the Ministry of Finance Malaysia. We are hopeful Cradle can bring attention to the Government about our homegrown solution that has been solving website penetration problem among SMEs in Malaysia at scale.”

Kamarul Nizam, who formerly led investments at a telco-backed venture capital fund and Reza Razali, a long-time serial entrepreneur in the digital space, have both lent their weight behind Instaweb as board members. Kamarul said, "Instaweb is a low-cost, high-impact solution that has gained momentum among SMEs wanting to put their brand out on the digital world instantly and without much fuss. I'm convinced this capital infusion will level-up Instaweb's ability to delight their customers."

Speaking of the investment in Instaweb, Juliana Jan, Chief Investment Officer of Cradle commented “We believe Instaweb is offering the right solution that caters to all types of businesses. It provides SMEs with a solution that transforms their digital presence with seamless integration with their social media accounts.  As the technology continues to become more ubiquitous, you can expect that this will be the new web building experience.”

The idea of Instaweb started when Issani received many requests from friends to build a website for them. Issani realised he needed a solution that can build multiple websites instantly and also at a very competitive cost. That's when he decided to build the Instaweb platform with his good friend Indera Nordin. It took them a few months to build the engine and after the initial batch of highly satisfied customers, business begins to snowball and the rest is history.

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=34475

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