• QLL

  Participated · Equity · Nov 2014

  QLL develops educational mobile apps and an educator-facing platform that delivers personalized learning sessions using user analytics. Since launching in 2007 the company has produced roughly 150 iOS and Android apps, with about 6.5 million downloads in Taiwan and over 300,000 monthly active users. Its product set includes Pocket Chinese Tutor for pronunciation correction and several bilingual storytelling apps for children aged two to six. QLL’s apps run across mobile devices and smart TVs and have been preloaded on hardware from partners including Sony, Huawei, Foxconn and Fuhu. The company monetizes via content licensing to businesses and educators, app sales and in-app purchases, and advertising (currently about 10 million ad impressions per month). QLL plans to roll out an online platform that lets educators create and exchange digital learning materials without coding, and will expand internationally beginning with a Singapore test market before moving into Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Canada and the U.S.; it may work with Huawei for distribution in Indonesia.

• WritePath

  Participated · Seed · Jun 2014

  WritePath combines an in-house machine translation engine called Warren with human translators and a corporate management system (T‑Booster) to produce consistent, high-quality English financial and ESG disclosures. The company offers both managed translation workflows and a self-service portal for rapid, time-sensitive material disclosures. Its clients include Foxconn, ASUS, China Airline, the Taiwan Stock Exchange and Taiwan Mobile. WritePath began as an essay-editing and B2C translation service (covered by TechCrunch in 2014) before pivoting to B2B financial disclosure work to solve scalability and recurring-demand issues. The startup cites regulatory and market drivers such as MiFID II and growing investor demand for English disclosures across Asia. Part of the new funding will be used to upgrade the portal to handle multiple files and batches and to expand services into additional verticals such as design and layout for ESG reports. WritePath operates three online vertical editing services—Topadmit.com for college applicants, Topsciedit.com for academic researchers, and Bizeditors.com for enterprise clients—using a shared technology platform and business model. The company says TopAdmit grew 50% in the 2013–2014 admission cycle and received orders from 22 countries; Topsciedit has worked with more than 300 researchers and doctors and signed long-term contracts with research institutes; Bizeditors currently serves 190 multinational corporations. WritePath receives most orders from China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the Ukraine. The startup aims to become “the world’s premier vertically integrated editing and translation service provider” and differentiates by multi-language interfaces, regional customer support, speed, and pricing. It competes with U.S.-centric EssayEdge in admissions and positions Bizeditors against translation services such as Gengo (the article notes a Gengo spokesman disputed some of WritePath’s characterizations of Gengo’s language coverage). The company plans to use new capital to expand physical presence in Japan, Korea, and the U.S.

• e27

  Participated · Equity · Feb 2013

  E27 is best known for its e27.co news site and its long-running Echelon events business. Founded in 2007, the company also operates newer products including a job listings service, a Crunchbase-style database and a marketplace for third-party bundled deals. E27 endured a rough past year that included layoffs and restructuring, and it plans to redevelop its tech-focused news website and events business. CEO and co-founder Mohan Belani intends to make new hires across editorial and events teams and to strengthen those newer businesses to create an online-to-offline ecosystem. Financially, E27 closed a SG$3 million (US$2.2 million) Series A after prior seed rounds, the most recent being a $650,000 raise last summer. The company plans to focus more heavily on the Southeast Asia market while leveraging investor ties for regional tie-ins. E27 publishes technology and startup news across Asia and runs an events business anchored by its flagship two-day Echelon conference. The company is using editorial coverage and live events as its core product offering. This year Echelon was sponsored by Braintree, reflecting the events-business component of its model. E27 closed a $650,000 bridge round from existing investors and is preparing to raise a larger round later in the year. The team says it is "hunkering down" and focusing on what it believes is right for the ecosystem as it evolves. Sources told TechCrunch that E27’s traffic is significantly below a rival’s claimed 2.4 million monthly pageviews, though E27 declined to disclose its own metrics. The company has previously raised $615,000 in 2013. e27 operates a news site focused on Asian tech startups and organizes conferences, with its flagship event called Echelon. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Singapore. e27 plans to expand into Southeast Asia and hire editorial staff in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Management said the company will maintain its focus on the annual Echelon event. Last year Echelon attracted about 3,000 attendees, 50 startups and 150 investors. Financially, e27 has been largely bootstrapped apart from a small angel round in early 2012, and it has now raised additional external funding.

No current team members are available.