Una Brands Raises $15M Series A Funding

Una Brands Secures $15 Million Series A Funding

Una Brands, an e-commerce aggregator concentrating on brands within the Asia-Pacific region, has announced the successful completion of its $15 million Series A funding round.

Investment Details

The funding round was jointly led by White Star Capital and Alpha JWC, with contributions from existing investors and Alvin Teo, the co-founder of Ninjavan. This investment follows a $40 million seed round, encompassing both equity and debt, which was secured just five months prior.

The specific allocation between debt and equity in the seed round remains undisclosed, a common practice among e-commerce aggregators who frequently utilize debt financing for acquisitions due to its non-dilutive nature. According to Kiren Tanna, co-founder and CEO, the Series A represents a priced round, achieving a valuation exceeding five times that of the previous funding stage.

Growth Strategy and Expansion

Una Brands intends to utilize the newly acquired capital to accelerate the expansion of its brand portfolio and enhance its operational capabilities. Further fundraising through both debt and equity is also planned. Currently, the company employs 90 individuals across seven offices strategically located throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore, Australia, India, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Differentiated Approach to E-commerce Aggregation

Unlike many competitors focused solely on Amazon sellers, Una Brands adopts a “sector agnostic” strategy. This approach is driven by the diverse range of marketplaces prevalent across APAC, such as Tokopedia, Lazada, Shopee, Rakuten, and eBay.

The company targets profitable brands generating annual revenues between $1 million and $50 million. Following acquisitions, Una Brands focuses on growth through the introduction of new distribution channels and expansion into new geographic markets.

Performance and Technology Development

Since its launch, Una Brands has successfully acquired over 15 brands. Initial acquisitions have demonstrated a significant 50% increase in both sales and profits. The average EBITDA margin of acquired brands stands at approximately 26%, positioning the company for future profitability, as stated by Tanna.

A key component of Una’s strategy involves developing proprietary technology to facilitate brand scaling. Recognizing that many brands operate outside of Amazon and often rely on seller-fulfilled models, even from home-based operations, Una is transitioning them to its professional warehouse fulfillment infrastructure.

The company is actively building technology to collect transaction-level data from various channels, integrating it into its ERP system for comprehensive operational performance tracking.

Industry Perspective

Jefrey Joe, managing partner at Alpha JWC, commented, “Digitally native brands in APAC represent a significant trend, growing at four times the rate observed in Western markets. We are confident that Una’s value proposition will resonate with brands throughout the region, further driving the growth of direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses, particularly in countries like Indonesia.”