theAsianparent secures funding to grow more "virtual villages" for parents in Asia, Africa
Now with this fresh round of funds, the company will also use the boost to further develop theAsianparent app, and an e-commerce platform that will carry its own line of mum-and-baby-safe products.
Parenting community platform theAsianparent, which serves about 23.5 million parents across Southeast Asia, is set to reach more parent communities in Asia and Africa.
This is after its holding company Tickled Media announced Thursday (11 Jul 2019) closing of an 8-figure (in US Dollars) Series C funding from Chinese family-focused conglomerate Fosun and Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com.
theAsianparent to expand in more markets in Asia and Africa, venture into e-commerce
“Our move from a content platform to a social network wasn’t an easy one but has significantly accelerated our business to serve as a leading source of information for parents around Asia and the world," said Roshni Mahtani, Founder and CEO of Tickled Media.
An Asian mother of one, Mahtani started theAsianparent as a parenting blog in 2009.
Since its launch, theAsianparent has expanded to 12 countries. These include Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. The company plans to launch the site's African version in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
"One thing that hasn’t changed is our focus on parenting from an Asian perspective,” she added.
In 2018, it launched its own app which has aims to be a "virtual village" for parents and parents-to-be community. It provides users with tips and allows them to track their baby's development and milestones. It also comes with nutrition guides and a photo-sharing feature.
Now with this fresh round of funds, the company will also use the boost to further develop theAsianparent app, which has already been downloaded 1.6 million times.
It will also use the funds to venture into e-commerce. It aims to launch an online store that will carry the company's own line of products that safe for expecting mothers and babies.