Raena, founded in 2019 and based in Singapore, operates a social-commerce platform focused on skincare and beauty that lets resellers choose items from a catalog of mostly Japanese and Korean brands. The company uses a drop-shipping model: resellers list products on social channels and marketplaces, then order from Raena only after a customer purchase so Raena ships directly to the buyer. Raena pivoted to serve resellers after discovering customers were regularly buying and reselling its products; its reseller base is primarily women aged 18–34 in Indonesia and Malaysia. The startup reports it grew revenue 50x between January and December 2020, has more than 1,500 resellers, a 60% seller retention rate after six months, and that 90% of sales are skincare (top sellers: serums, toners, essences). Planned product and operational investments include hiring a tech team to build order-management tools and striking direct deals with manufacturers to improve margins. The company intends to scale headcount from 15 to over 100 in the next three months and expand into additional Southeast Asian markets, targeting opportunities such as Indonesia, which it estimates as a $20 billion market. Raena is an Indonesian startup that partners with social media influencers to develop, brand and distribute consumer products, initially focusing on women’s beauty. The company launched two months prior to the article and has partnered with seven influencers with a combined following of about 12 million. Raena sources and develops products (starting with Japanese and Korean beauty brands), runs consumer research with influencer partners, and uses internal data tools to measure engagement and suitability for product launches. Its first branded launch, Moonella and Family with influencer babymoonella, targeted childcare and all-purpose balm demand and moved from concept to market in five weeks. Raena standardizes product development and logistics for influencers, shares sales revenue with partners (terms undisclosed), and sells through marketplaces like Shopee and Lalabee.co to address regional distribution differences. The team includes alumni from Google, Amazon, Alibaba, Zalora and other consumer and tech companies and plans to scale across Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

Total raised

$11M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Feb 2021