Raena's Target in Indonesia Post Series A Funding and Business Pivot

The impact of the pandemic can significantly drive startup businesses, especially for those who promote online services and trending products among communities. One that has experienced an increase during the pandemic is Raena. The platform helps promotional activities take advantage of social media influencers.

In order to increase traction, the company's decided to pivot (in the sense of turning a business direction to widen market share), by providing integrated solutions not only for influencers but also for women who want to have additional income to become beauty entrepreneurs.

Raena's Founder & CEO, Sreejita Deb revealed to DailySocial, from the beginning to the end of 2020, Raena's new business line has experienced massive growth. One of the reasons is the increasing number of people who make online transactions during the pandemic.

"Even though many claims pivoting is something negative, for us, it is an opportunity for business to be more flexible. Previously, we only provide a platform to influencers, now, we want to provide a comprehensive solution for those who want to have their own business," Sreejita said.

Raena's new concept is social commerce, managing all the needs and processes that are usually performed by online sellers. Starting from managing stock of goods, suppliers, selecting brands, to logistics. For those who want to join Raena and want to become a seller, they can focus more on developing their number of followers on social media, WhatsApp, marketplace channels such as Shopee, Lazada, Tokopedia, and others.

"Previously, we have a one-to-one model that links one supplier to one influencer. Now, we offer a many-to-many model, which connects various brands and various suppliers to various influencers," she added.

Series A funding

In order to massively grow business, Raena has completed a $9 million Series A fundraising activity led by Alpha Wave Incubation and Alpha JWC Ventures. Other investors involved in this year's funding include AC Ventures, Beenext, Beenos, and Strive. In 2019, Raena secured $1.8 million in early-stage funding.

"To date, we have not spent too much money on marketing activities. That's why we are not too aggressive in raising funds. Our focus is to increase the value of influencers or those who join Raena," Sreejita said.

With this fresh fund, Raena's future plans are to increase the number of sellers, increase the number of brands, and the internal team. Currently, Raena has a team consisting of 15 people in Indonesia. And until the end of next year, the number is planned to be increased. Raena also sees the Indonesian market as the main target.

Alpha JWC Ventures said the reason they were interested in investing was Raena's vision to empower female entrepreneurs throughout Indonesia by opening access to high-quality beauty products. In addition, Raena is a solution for brands that expect to enter Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, and for entrepreneurs who are looking for business consistency.

"By serving these two segments, Raena is entering a large market that continues to grow along with the growing middle class in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. With the expertise of Raena's founding team and our support, we are confident that Raena can grow into a leading player in the Southeast Asian beauty industry," Alpha JWC Ventures' Co-founder & General Partner, Chandra Tjan said.

Previously, DailySocial had reviewed the beautytech trend in Indonesia, which is defined as a new model for actors in the beauty industry to reach consumers. Its business model no longer revolves around conventional distribution channels but combines the strengths of technology and digital.

Based on the Euromonitor report, the beauty market value in Indonesia was estimated to reach $8.46 billion in 2022, up from the estimated value in 2019 of $6.03 billion.

–Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian