Country for PR: Hong Kong
Contributor: PR Newswire Asia (Hong Kong)
Wednesday, August 19 2020 - 16:30
AsiaNet
iKala raises US$17M Series B to expand global footprint
TAIPEI, Aug. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/--

The fund injection will propel iKala's R&D investment, drive innovation in AI 
technologies to propel digital transformation and build integrated solutions 
for new retail in Southeast Asia and beyond 


iKala(https://ikala.tv/), Asia's leading AI company headquartered in Taiwan, 
has raised US$17M in a Series B round of funding led by Wistron Digital 
Technology Holding Company, a Wistron Corporation's wholly-owned subsidiary 
which focuses on digital technology industries and software application related 
investments. Previous investors Hotung Investment Holdings Limited and Pacific 
Venture Partners are also coming in, showing confidence in iKala's practical AI 
and digital solutions and SEA cross-border operational efficiency.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200818/2888453-1 

The latest round of funding takes the company's total funding to US$30.3 
million and will be used to further fuel iKala's AI and digital technologies 
innovation. Equally, it signals the company's expansion into new markets 
including Indonesia and Malaysia, while strengthening its position in its 
existing key markets of Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, 
Vietnam and Japan. 

This strategic investment marks the lead investor Wistron Digital Technology 
Holding Company, which also focuses on big data analytics, entry into Southeast 
Asia. Together, both companies are confident of propelling the region's digital 
transformation journey forward and facilitate the development of Artificial 
Intelligence technology and software.

"We've been on a strong growth trajectory over the last couple of years, 
expanding into new markets and developing cutting-edge technology that has put 
us in a leading position in the region's digital transformation and commerce 
space. With this funding, we look forward to exploring new opportunities in AI 
commerce beyond our existing markets," said Sega Cheng, co-founder and CEO of 
iKala.

"Taiwan has an excellent reputation for having some of the best high tech 
talents in both hardware and software around the region. With Wistron as a 
strategic partner, iKala can become a major driving force for transforming 
Taiwan into an AI industry and talent hub in Asia," said Dr. Lee-Feng Chien, 
iKala's board member, former Google Taiwan managing director, who joined 
earlier this year.

"As part of the Fortune Global 500 and as a TSP (Technical Service Provider) 
company, iKala's AI and software capabilities will be a value-adding element to 
Wistron's long-held and leading hardware industry presence. We have heavily 
invested ourselves in digital transformation and further creation of new 
business to provide our clients with new opportunities brought by digital 
transformation," said Robert Hwang, Vice Chairman & President of New Business, 
Wistron. 

Following its exceptional growth in the cloud and digital transformation 
industry since Series A round of funding early last year, iKala established a 
new division in June: iKala Commerce. The new solution consolidates AI-powered 
influencer database KOL Radar, and AI social commerce solution Shoplus, to 
provide an integrated solution and holistic customer data insights for the 
region's social commerce players.

SOURCE  iKala
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