Singapore – Sleek, the smart corporate services platform that provides accounting services for SMEs and entrepreneurs, has bagged US$14m in Series A funding, valuing the company now at US$24m.

The fresh funds will be used to bolster Sleek’s tech and product development, hiring, and expand presence in existing markets and enter new ones.

Sleek, which has a presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia, as well as the UK, and the Philippines, streamlines, automates, and integrates company set-up, financial and regulatory reporting, and book-keeping, as well as banking services.

Commenting on the new funding, Julien Labruyere, Sleek’s co-founder, said, “This will allow us to grow faster and improve our product further in order to become the go-to digital platform for all entrepreneurs.”

The company has recently launched ‘Sleek Business Account’ that simplifies opening bank accounts for SMEs. It enables entrepreneurs and small business owners to open a deposit account in just a day through the Sleek app, and start transacting.

Adrien Barthel, Sleek’s co-founder, said that with the launch of Sleek Business Account, they have added a major brick in the company’s product vision of building the operating system for entrepreneurs. 

“Gone are the days where you needed to navigate between your corporate secretary, accountant, and banker – often sending documents hard copies via courier. Now everyone can start a Singapore company and collect the first payments in a day, and from anywhere,” said Barthel.

The funding has been led by investors White Star Capital and Jungle Ventures.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Home-grown eCommerce brand Youbeli has partnered with Taiwanese eCommerce platform PChomeSEA to bulk up its product offerings. 

Youbeli has listed electronics, health and beauty, and home and living to be the top categories under PCHomeSEA. Youbeli said that such categories were estimated to garner the highest traction among Malaysian shoppers as Taiwan is being recognized as among the top manufacturers of high-quality products in Asia.

To celebrate the partnership, both platforms will be offering free delivery nationwide with no minimum purchase. 

Chua Khai Suan, chief executive officer of Youbeli said that the long-standing bilateral relations between Malaysia and Taiwan in various aspects of the economy and social development has made Taiwan an attractive option for Malaysians to shop online.

“Malaysian online shoppers have become more sophisticated in their choices of products. With the current Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented as the government that encourages Malaysians to shop online, Youbeli has decided to secure this exclusive partnership with PChomeSEA. With the current FREE delivery promotion, we hope that Malaysian online shoppers will enjoy high-quality products while saving on postage,” said Chua.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of PChomeSEA Sam Tsai said, “Taiwan has built a reputable online shopping experience for the past 20 years with an annual eCommerce transaction that exceeds the annual transactions in all 10 countries in the Southeast Asian region. Therefore, we take pride in our Made in Taiwan (MIT) label that ensures affordable products without compromising on the quality. To date, PChomeSEA offers more than 5 million different products featured in more than 300 million listings,” 

Malaysian online shoppers can now start making purchases from PChomeSEA on Youbeli’s website and mobile app.