Edamama, an e-commerce startup platform based in the Philippines, is said to raise US$5 million in its pre-series A round.
Many esteemed Filipino and global angel investors joined the round of ventures for the e-commerce platform with some of the familiar names like Gentree Fund, Foxmont Capital Partners, Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc (RRHI), Globe Telecom, JG Summit, and Kickstart Ventures, which are affiliates of SM Investments Corporation.
Edamama is a motherhood-focused platform. Currently, it is selling baby care products and essentials that primarily revolve around promoting the healthy growth of a baby. Visitors can find baby lotion, baby wash, diapers, romper, stroller, baby blanket, and more products on the site. Partnered with Procter & Gamble’s Pampers, the platform also has a “Subscribe & Save” category that helps deliver pampers to the doorstep whenever necessary.
More than just a marketplace, Edamama is also a hub for parents and kids to take part in activities and classes to learn skills and knowledge for personal growth and family bonding. Parents can learn more about what they can do to promote the growth of their child, ways to improve quality family time, and child-focused health concerns under their “Discover” tab.
The company is hoping to use the new funds for warehouse expansion in increasing its capacity and capabilities and further improve its delivery services. Part of the funding will be used to explore new direct-to-consumer mediums like social commerce, and upgrade their omnichannel to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience.
The mission of Edamama has caught the attention of Minette Navarrete, President of Kickstart Ventures, “Edamama captures the essence of this ‘village’: an easy, trustworthy, and personalized shopping experience for busy moms, useful, curated, verified content and safe community interactions that affirm and support parenting,”
Bela Gupta D’Souza, the founder of Edamama noticed mothers have been actively purchasing child care products online especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since its launch in May 2020, the company has become the trusted e-destination for many parents in Philippines, and has served more than tens of thousands of expectant and new mothers.
A majority growth of Philippines e-commerce market is the maternity products category due to the high fertility rate, and the segment’s value is predicted to surpass US$1 bil in 2022.