AnyMind Group, an end-to-end commerce enablement company has today announced that it has raised ¥4 billion (approximately US$29.4 million) in its Series D funding round, with total funding to date approximating US$91.7 million. In addition, the company has also secured ¥1 billion credit facility from Mizuho Bank for future use. AnyMind Group’s Series C stock was issued for the acquisition of cross-border marketing company ENGAWA in January 2021.
The Series D funds were raised from new investors including JIC Venture Growth Investments (JIC Venture Growth Fund I Investment Limited Partnership), Japan Post Investment Corporation (Japan Post Investment I, ILP), Nomura SPARX Investment (Japan Growth Capital Investment Corporation), and PROTO Ventures Inc. (PROTO Ventures 2 Investment Limited Partnership), along with existing investor Mitsubishi UFJ Capital (Mitsubishi UFJ Capital VII, Limited Partnership).
The funds will be used to strengthen the company’s advancement in the commerce enablement space and fund future acquisitions.
On the company’s Series D funding round, Kosuke Sogo, CEO and co-founder of AnyMind Group said: “Despite COVID-19 and geopolitical situations impacting the world, we have still been able to achieve solid growth as a business. On the other hand, we are seeing economies across Asia, including our operating markets of ASEAN and India, rapidly regaining growth momentum. We will continue to grow our business at a pace that matches our ambitions, look towards expanding our capabilities through M&A, and strengthen our investment and profit structure for growth, as we continue to become the next-generation infrastructure for commerce in Asia.”
In March this year, the company launched AnyChat, a conversational commerce platform, and in April, the company launched e-commerce management platform AnyX, which optimizes e-commerce operations through central management of multiple e-commerce channels. Funds from this round will be used to further enhance existing platforms and strengthen market share across the company’s operating regions.
In addition, the funds raised will be used for future acquisitions both in Japan and internationally. To date, AnyMind Group has acquired seven companies from various parts of the region including Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and India. The reasons to make these acquisitions were either to acqui-hire a company’s leadership, expand into new businesses or regions, acquire additional sales channels, or all three.
In 2021, AnyMind Group saw revenues of US$174 million with a compound annual growth rate (2017-2021) in revenue of 62%.
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AnyMind Group was founded in Singapore in 2016, and subsequently expanded into Southeast Asia, East Asia, India and the Middle East. In 2019, the company shifted its headquarters to Tokyo, Japan. At present, AnyMind Group has operations out of 17 offices across 13 markets, with over 1,000 staff from 27 nationalities.
Prior to the launch of AnyChat, the company had developed and launched manufacturing platform AnyFactory and logistics management platform AnyLogi. The company started in the marketing technology industry with platforms for advertising and influencer marketing, and after that expanded into the publisher technology space and creator technology space.
The moves over the past two years were made as AnyMind Group creates and enhances its suite of tools, which look to form the backbone of businesses in the future. This future will be one where business can be done through a single platform, is borderless and open, and data can be utilized and maximized freely across traditionally siloed business functions. The company terms this “next-generation commerce.”
On the company’s various business and product movements, Sogo said: “We will continue to make it exciting for everyone to do business by enhancing and expanding our innovations that form the infrastructure for the next generation of commerce. Over the years we have developed platforms across the end-to-end spectrum of commerce that can be used individually, and can now also be used as part of an integrated suite of tools to deliver more effective and efficient commerce for businesses. We are just at the start of our journey, as we power some of the most exciting enterprises and forward-thinking publishers and influencers in this part of the world.”
