Malaysian adtech startup AdEasy raises over US$200k to expand tech

AdEasy, a Southeast Asian online marketplace for buying offline advertisement space, has raised over US$200,000 from angel investors, bringing the total investment amount to over US$455,000. The investment will be used to expand its technology on campaign planning and analytics, as well as to improve the user experience.Also, part of the investment will be used to further develop solutions to improve offline ad campaigns’ measurement and ROI. According to the company, this will allow its users to make better-informed decisions, track campaign progress, and gain insights from a traditionally offline medium. The previous funding rounds included a successful crowdfunding campaign through the pitchIN platform and a seed funding round from Cradle.In a statement to A+M, COO Therine Goh (pictured left) said 20% of the funds are allocated for marketing efforts. She added that its marketing strategy for now is to gain awareness and leads via PR, digital marketing, and digital OOH, as well as partnerships with companies that share the same target market." In the year 2020, we plan to expand to Singapore and Thailand. We do not have a confirmed strategy yet as it will depend on the individual country," Goh said. She added that its tentative go-to-market plan would be to activate PR, digital marketing as well as digital and static OOH billboards, private cards, radio, events, and partnerships with local relevant companies.Founded in 2017 by Goh and CEO and co-founder Melissa Sim (pictured right), AdEasy has worked with FashionValet, WeWork, Klook, honestbee, OPPO, dahmakan, WOBB and Mah Sing, among others. The platform offers a quick browsing of over 800 real-time ad spaces across 16 offline media types, easy and transparent comparison of media rates and information, and an easy and automated way to book ad spaces in just a few clicks.The company was founded after both Sim and Goh experienced the inefficiency in booking offline ad spaces directly from media owners. The duo then decided to apply a digital solution to offline advertising, making it convenient for small and medium business owners to advertise themselves. This would allow any brand, even with a small budget, to be able to easily purchase advertising space on billboards, magazines and other traditional advertising platforms.Sim said the investment is a testament to the impact that AdEasy is having on the industry. "The funding will help us scale our business even faster, and give us a strong financial base on which to expand our platform’s offerings. We will double down on our efforts to improve our features and implement new technologies, which will help our clients leverage the full benefits of offline advertising," she said.Meanwhile, Goh said that there is a need for a better solution to make offline advertising more appealing to brands, and quantifiable measurement is crucial."At AdEasy, we are always looking to improve our features and provide the best value to our users. These new funds will allow us to put renewed focus on developing crucial technology solutions for both brands and media owners," she said.