$5.5M in Seed Funding from Craft Ventures, Valor, Saga VC and Chapter One

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2024 — Today we are announcing Ragie, a new AI company that enables developers to build AI applications connected to their own data with outstanding results in record time. Now available to the general public, Ragie was built by industry veterans Bob Remeika and Mohammed Rafiq. Ragie has raised $5.5M in funding led by Craft Ventures, Saga VC, Chapter One, and Valor.

Most companies rely on LLM providers like OpenAI and Anthropic combined with a technique called RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) for their AI applications. RAG leverages a company’s own data to generate more insightful content than can be generated based on what models have been trained on alone. To do this, companies ingest and index their data in a vector database, feed it into a prompt, and generate more thorough and accurate content.

However, the process of building production applications using RAG is very tedious. Developers must:

• Connect and sync multiple data sources including knowledge base applications and cloud file stores
• Extract meaningful data from a variety of file formats and media types like PDFs, Microsoft Office documents and images
• Implement constantly evolving techniques for chunking and retrieval
• Build a scalable data processing pipeline that is resilient and fast
• Avoid hallucinations and ensure that generated content is accurate
• Use open source frameworks that can be time consuming to learn and set up

Building a homegrown solution like this is time consuming and, despite a team’s best efforts, produces brittle applications.

Ragie solves this by providing a fully managed RAG-as-a-Service platform for developers. Originally developed as a solution for Glue, David Sacks’s new chat application, Ragie implements a robust data ingest pipeline and retrieval API that uses the latest techniques in RAG for chunking, searching, and re-ranking. Through a streamlined developer experience, developers can connect and sync their applications with data in Google Drive, Notion, and Confluence.

In addition to offering the core functionality developers need for RAG, Ragie also offers advanced features such as “Summary Index” to avoid document affinity problems and “Entity Extraction” for extracting structured data from unstructured documents.

Ragie’s straightforward pricing aligns with the way apps are developed, deployed, and scaled. Ragie includes a free tier for developers to get started building their applications, a pro plan for production, and enterprise for scale.

Sign up for Ragie for free and get started in minutes using the TypeScript and Python SDKs. For a limited time to celebrate the launch, Ragie is offering a free month of Pro. Learn more at Ragie.ai

SOURCE Ragie

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2024 — Copec WIND Ventures today announced the inaugural TailWIND Awards, celebrating trailblazing startups that have successfully expanded into the dynamic Latin American market. The list recognizes VC-backed tech companies that have demonstrated impressive traction in their home countries while also making significant and successful expansions into Latin America.

Latin America presents an opportunity for startups from around the world. With double the population and urbanization equal to the United States, Latin America is experiencing a massive digital and innovation transformation. Over the last few years, the region has quickly become a vibrant and growing tech ecosystem and has emerged as a growth market for technology companies and start-ups. This is due to high smartphone penetration, a rapidly growing middle class yearning for better mobility, retail, and other sectors experiences, abundant advantages in solar, wind, and hydro resources, and clean energy elements such as copper and lithium.

The TailWIND Awards shine a spotlight on innovative private companies based outside Latin America that have recognized the opportunity and expanded into the region, contributing to its transformation in meaningful ways. They honor these exemplary startups that embody the spirit of innovation and expansion.

The following companies are being recognized for this year’s award:

• Busbud (Quebec, Canada) – Online Marketplace
• Caban Systems (Burlingame, California) – Energy
• Cabify (Madrid, Spain) – Mobility
• MineSense Technologies (Vancouver, Canada) – Mining
• Optibus (Tel Aviv, Israel) – Transportation
• PayJoy (San Francisco, California) – Fintech
• Turntide Technologies (Sunnyvale, California) – Energy Efficiency
• Revolut (London, UK) – Fintech

The full report can be viewed here:  https://s3.sa-east-1.amazonaws.com/windventures.vc-static-files/TailWIND+Report.pdf

Brian Walsh, the Head of Copec WIND Ventures, expressed his enthusiasm about the awards: “We are excited to recognize and celebrate these innovative startups that are making a significant impact in Latin America. Their expansions are not only contributing to the region’s digital and economic transformation but also fostering a more sustainable and connected future. The TailWIND Awards are a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and vision of these companies, and we look forward to seeing their continued growth and success in Latin America.”

Started in 2020 and backed by Copec, WIND Ventures aims to invest in start-ups and scale-ups across the world, transforming the energy, mobility, and retail sectors and granting entrepreneurs with ‘unfair’ access to the rapidly growing Latin America region. The firm has deployed over $110 million in capital and completed three exits to date. It manages 20 active portfolio companies and continues to deliver distinctive value to global founders in partnership with COPEC S.A. Investments include Ineratec, SOURCE Global, Wallbox, Grabango, and Resonant Link.

For more information about the TailWIND Awards and Copec WIND Ventures, please visit our website at www.copecwindventures.com.

About Copec WIND Ventures:

Copec WIND Ventures is based in San Francisco and serves as the CVC arm of Copec, one of the leading energy, mobility, and retail companies in Central and South America. Copec is also one of the most valued brands throughout Latin America. WIND Ventures leverages Copec’s significant resources to accelerate growth, primarily within Latin America, for startups and scaleups across the world within the new mobility, energy, and retail sectors.

For more information, visit windventures.vc or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:
Mary Magnani
CodePR
[email protected]

SOURCE Copec WIND Ventures

Series A Fund Boosts AI-Driven Plant Monitoring in U.S. Industrial Sector

HOUSTON, Aug. 12, 2024 — UptimeAI, the world’s first AI-based plant monitoring software for industrial businesses announces it has raised $14 million in Series A funding to boost its North American operations. WestBridge Capital led the round, with participation from Emergent Ventures and Aditya Birla Ventures. This funding will accelerate UptimeAI’s mission to revolutionize U.S. industrial plant monitoring and maintenance with advanced AI technology, following a stellar 400% growth in FY2023.

Meeting Industry Needs with Advanced AI

The global AI market for heavy industries is projected to grow from $10.6 billion in 2024 to $47.8 billion in 2029 at a CAGR of 35.1%. Global manufacturing leaders are increasingly leveraging AI to achieve more than basic pattern recognition and predictive analytics. They seek intelligent applications that can automatically identify root causes, extract best practices, and drive continuous improvement.

However, assessments by Forbes, McKinsey, and other industry bodies indicate a failure rate of 70-95% for such digital initiatives, compelling enterprises to develop their own scalable AI solutions.

Delivering ROI with Minimal Site Involvement

UptimeAI’s solutions deliver a 10-15X ROI within nine months, requiring minimal site team involvement. Its patented system model design approach eliminates the need for continuous AI model training by data scientists.

Consequently, nine out of ten customers have already scaled the UptimeAI solution across all sites within a 12-month period. This has resulted in significant savings in energy and maintenance costs, which in turn have driven a positive IRR for industrial plants.

“UptimeAI offers an enterprise-grade, AI-enabled Operational Excellence platform, which has achieved a 100% success rate in improving the profitability of process and manufacturing operations across six industries. This funding will enable UptimeAI to further assist large industrial enterprises to succeed in their digital transformation journey by optimizing their reliability, process efficiency, and maintenance cost.” stated Rishit Desai, Partner at WestBridge Capital.

US Operation Expansion

This latest round of funding will significantly support UptimeAI’s rapid expansion plans across North America and will help position the company as the market leader in boosting efficiency and reliability in U.S. manufacturing and processing sectors.

Jagadish Gattu, CEO, UptimeAI, said, “Our vision is to embed the expertise of a seasoned Subject Matter Expert (SME) into a self-learning AI solution, making this invaluable knowledge accessible to every engineer aiming for operational excellence. With 90% of our revenues already generated from the US and Middle East markets, and with our current profitability, this new funding validates our go-to-market and product strategy. It will further enable us to expand our AI Expert OEx platform offerings in these key regions.”

Aryaman Vikram Birla, Founder, Aditya Birla Ventures, concluded, “AI-enabled operational efficiency solutions can significantly impact industries. UptimeAI, with deep domain expertise is demonstrating strong ROI impact across large enterprise clients in US and India with its AI solutions.  We have strong belief in the capabilities of the founding team and the investment is in line with our vision to back outstanding founding teams, building businesses of tomorrow. Our endeavor is to open up ABG’s global ecosystem and network for the growth of our portfolio companies.”

Founded in 2019 by Jagadish Gattu and Vamsi Yalamanchili, UptimeAI secured $3.5 million in seed funding in December 2022. The company empowers manufacturing leaders to achieve peak capacity utilization and drive AI-enabled operational excellence across all sites.

About UptimeAI

UptimeAI is a San Francisco-based technology provider offering operational excellence capabilities via its AI Expert OEx platform. The company supports firms in the chemical, oil and gas, and utility sectors, helping them understand the relationships between asset performance and process anomalies to drive operational excellence. Many global industrial customers have implemented UptimeAI’s solutions across North America, the Middle East, and India.

Notes to editors:
Media contact: [email protected] 

Data References:

SOURCE UptimeAI

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 12, 2024 — cultivate(MD), a leading medical device venture capital company announced today its participation in the successful Series A extension round of Prana Thoracic, a Houston-based medtech startup.

The round, which was oversubscribed by 30%, secured an additional $3 million, bringing Prana Thoracic’s total funding to $9 million. This achievement underscores the strong confidence in Prana Thoracic’s mission to revolutionize lung cancer intervention through precision surgical solutions.

“We are excited to support Prana Thoracic in their mission to improve lung cancer treatment. Their innovative approach has the potential to significantly impact patient outcomes,” said R. Sean Churchill,MD, MBA – Managing Director of cultivate(MD).

Prana Thoracic’s cutting-edge approach to lung cancer treatment aligns with cultivate(MD)’s commitment to investing in transformative healthcare technologies. The company’s pioneering work in developing minimally invasive techniques for lung tissue excision has the potential to dramatically improve patient outcomes, offering earlier and more precise interventions for those affected by lung cancer.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our investors in this financing round. Their confidence in our mission and plan is motivating,” said Joanna Nathan, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Prana Thoracic. “This additional funding will enable us to accelerate our efforts in bringing precision surgical solutions to lung cancer patients worldwide.”

“The team has made remarkable progress in developing this novel and minimally invasive technique for lung tissue excision, which has the potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage lung cancer,” said Edward M. Boyle, MD, Founder and Director of Prana Thoracic. “Beyond lung applications, they are pioneering new methods to use this technology for other soft tissues and are actively exploring integration with ablation and robotic systems, aligning with the future direction of these fields.”

In addition to the investment from cultivate(MD), this fundraising round was supported by new investors GenHenn Capital, and Houston Angel Network, with participation from prior lead investor New World Angels. Existing investors include Johnson & Johnson Development Corp, Texas Medical Center Venture Fund, and the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

The funds from this oversubscribed round will be instrumental in accelerating Prana Thoracic’s product development and advancing its clinical and regulatory milestones, bringing the company closer to its goal of transforming lung cancer intervention.

About cultivate(MD)

cultivate(MD) is a medical device venture capital firm dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation. With a keen focus on cutting-edge medical technologies, cultivate(MD) supports companies that show the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery and patient care.

For more information, visit: https://cultivate-md.com

About Prana Thoracic

Prana Thoracic was founded with a vision to transform lung cancer intervention through precision surgical solutions. We aim to right-size interventions for those patients seeking earlier options in the management of their disease. Our flagship product, the Prana System, has been meticulously designed to enable image-guided, minimally invasive surgery, conserving healthy tissue and driving personalized treatment plans in a range of conditions including lung cancer. Our team of leading surgeons, engineers, and entrepreneurs is obsessed with developing technologies that raise the bar for physicians and patients alike.

For more information, visit: https://www.pranathoracic.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans, beliefs, expectations, assumptions, and other statements that are not necessarily historical facts. You are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve risks and uncertainties. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements. This communication also contains market data related to our business and industry which includes projections that are based on several assumptions we believe are reasonable and most significant to the projections as of the date of this communication. If any of our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may significantly differ from our projections based on these assumptions.

SOURCE cultivate(MD)

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 12, 2024 — Startup World Cup, one of the biggest and richest startup pitch competitions in the world, successfully hosted its highly anticipated flagship Startup World Cup Silicon Valley Regional competition on August 1, 2024.

Out of the Top 16 finalists, Earthgrid, which develops plasma tunnel boring robots to build a network of underground utility tunnels, became the champion. This achievement paves the way for their participation in the Startup World Cup Grand Finale to be held in San Francisco on October 4, 2024 for an opportunity to win a $1,000,000 investment prize.

The event was organized and by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm. A panel of independent venture capital investors judged the pitches of the finalists and ultimately awarded Earthgrid as the winner.

“We are delighted by the quality and enthusiasm of the entrepreneurs who were competing,” said Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures, who created the Startup World Cup competition in 2016. “Each year we are impressed by the quality of startups who apply and present. I look forward to seeing Earthgrid on the Grand Finale stage.”

With more speakers to come, Robert Herjavec (ABC’s Shark Tank Star), Tim Draper (Founding Partner of Draper Associates & DFJ), Suzanne DiBianca (Chief Impact Officer of Salesforce), Faye Iosotaluno (CEO of Tinder), Daniel Danker (Chief Product Officer of Instacart),and more are already confirmed to speak at the Grand Finale on October 4^th, 2024 in San Francisco. (https://www.startupworldcup.io/grand-finale)

Event Details:

Startup World Cup 2024 Grand Finale
October 4, 2024
San Francisco Hilton Union Square

Grand Finale Tickets: https://swc2024.eventbrite.com 

Check out the Grand Finale video highlights here.

About Startup World Cup

Startup World Cup is a global conference and competition with the goal of bridging startup ecosystems worldwide. The competition gives startup companies from all over the world a chance to win a US $1,000,000 prize in the form of an investment. This year, there will be approximately 100 regional events across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, leading up to the Grand Finale in San Francisco in September. Startup World Cup is organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm.

About Startup World Cup 2024 Grand Finale:

The Startup World Cup Grand Finale will take place in San Francisco, October 4, 2024. Past Startup World Cup Grand Finale events featured prominent figures from the high-tech community, including John Chambers (Former CEO of Cisco), Steve Wozniak (Co-Founder of Apple), Reid Hoffman (Founding CEO of LinkedIn), Vinod Khosla (Co-Founder of Sun Microsystems), Adam Cheyer (Co-Founder of Siri), Marc Randolph (Co-Founder of Netflix), and Jay Vijayan (Former CIO of Tesla). The Grand Finale judging panels have included prominent investors from Kleiner Perkins, Y Combinator, Techstars, Intel Capital, 500 Startups, GE Ventures, DFJ, Social Capital, and Index Ventures.

SOURCE Pegasus Tech Ventures

Personal Hair Care Pioneer Innovating $83BB Global Hair Care Market with B2B, B2C, and B2R Solutions

ATLANTA, Aug. 9, 2024 — MYAVANA, the trailblazer in AI-driven personalized hair care, has just closed a $5.9 million seed round. This infusion of capital underscores MYAVANA’s pivotal role in revolutionizing the global hair care market, projected to reach $113 billion by 2031. It is spearheaded by strategic investors who understand the AI market and MYAVANA’s impact using hair data to inform markets. Investors include Prisma Ventures (the innovation fund of Ulta), H/L Ventures, New Age Capital, BrainTrust, Duo Partners, REFASHIOND Ventures, Resilient Ventures, Amazon, Reform Ventures, and NGC Capital. This round of funding will accelerate MYAVANA’s unique market position, pioneering personalized haircare under the visionary leadership of its founder, Candace Mitchell.

MYAVANA’s journey over the past 12 years has been marked by breakthrough innovations, with the development of the world’s first AI-driven, proprietary personalized hair care software system at its core. Hair analysis is as unique as a fingerprint and reveals so much about us:  texture, type, condition, toxins and minerals in the body, illnesses, stress, medications, and diet. MYAVANA is leveraging its market leadership position and data-driven insights to impact several core areas initially.

Four Business Lines Driving Growth and Innovation

At the heart of MYAVANA’s business model lie four distinct pillars, each contributing to its rapid growth and market penetration:

• Strategic Retail Partnerships: MYAVANA’s real-time data analytics platform enables partners like Ulta and Amazon to drive purchases with its Hair RI solution. MYAVANA has also collaborated with the National Black-Owned Beauty Supply Association and Braintrust Founders Studio, facilitating distribution to over 1,000 retailers and salons.
• Consumer Data Solutions: MYAVANA’s comprehensive HairCl database is valuable for hair brands and R&D companies such as Unilever and BASF, which seek actionable consumer insights to enhance their offerings. MYAVANA hopes to work with all hair care manufacturers so they understand exactly who their target customers are and can boost sales accordingly.
• Personalized Hair Analysis: Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, MYAVANA offers personalized hair analysis through its HairAI^™ technology, empowering consumers with tailored product recommendations suited to their unique hair characteristics.
• Scientific Intelligence Services: MYAVANA’s scientific intelligence provides access to its proprietary HairSI^™ Strand Analysis Kit, offering comprehensive healthy hair care plans tailored to individual challenges and goals.

Hair AI: Redefining Personalized Hair Care

MYAVANA’s pioneering HairAI^™ technology utilizes microscopic hair analysis and advanced algorithms to decode the intricacies of hair texture, type, and condition, providing retailers, consumers, and salons with instant product recommendations tailored to their specific needs. “A person’s hair is as unique to them as a fingerprint, and we’ve unlocked powerful, personalized insights with our AI platform,” said MYAVANA CEO and Founder Candace Mitchell. “Hair is the longest record of your body’s health, providing as much as a decade of information about a person’s health and needs. I’m grateful to our investors who see the long-term potential and share our mission.”

“This is such a differentiated and powerful use of AI in an enormous market with few competitors,” said Agustina Sartori, Sr. Director of Innovation at Ulta Beauty. “There’s a great deal of potential for MYAVANA to not only influence the health and beauty sector but to have a profound impact beyond cosmetic concerns.”

“Our mandate is to seek impactful businesses with high growth potential and diverse founding teams, and MYAVANA is just such a company,” said Oliver Libby, Managing Partner at H/L Ventures. “Hair AI can lead to numerous commercial opportunities and even wellness insights, and we believe Candace and her team can unlock this exciting potential.”

“This represents a highly differentiated and powerful use of AI in a vast market with few, if any, competitors,” said Karyn Schoenbart co-founder of Duo Partners and former CEO of the NPD Group. MYAVANA has immense potential to revolutionize the health and beauty sector—and beyond—with its unique technology. By enabling consumers to identify the right products and offering brands and retailers a novel approach to market, MYAVANA is poised to disrupt the industry”.

Inaugural Techturized Beauty Tech Summit: Driving Industry Transformation

As MYAVANA celebrates its 12th anniversary, it hosted its inaugural Techturized Beauty Tech Summit on Saturday, June 15th, at Georgia Tech to unlock value and drive innovation in the hair care sector. Industry leaders such as Robin D. Groover and Melissa Hibbert participated to discuss the opportunities for retailers, manufacturers, and consumers as they explore the transformative potential of technology in shaping the future of beauty and wellness.

About MYAVANA: Empowering Consumers, Inspiring Change

MYAVANA is a venture backed 12-year old beauty tech company providing data-driven insights to retailers, salons, brands, and consumers. As one of the only black-owned AI enterprises, MYAVANA takes pride in its diverse team of women in STEM who have been instrumental in shaping its success story. MYAVANA has raised $6.2M total to chart new frontiers in personalized hair care and beyond, empowering consumers and businesses by driving positive change in the beauty and health industry. For more information visit www.myavana.com.

Media Contact:
Elizabeth Byington
[email protected]

SOURCE MYAVANA

SEATTLE, Aug. 9, 2024 — Inform Solutions, a premier provider of investment-ready brand foundations and strategic communications for innovative startups, today announced the release of its latest industry report, The Landscape of Impact Reporting: 2023 Reporting Trends Across Sectors. The comprehensive report examines the design, publishing, and thematic trends observed in over 50 impact reports from companies across diverse industries.

“As stakeholders demand greater transparency and accountability, impact reporting has become a critical way for companies to showcase their efforts in driving positive change,” said Heidi Brown, founder and principal of Inform Solutions. “Our latest report provides valuable insights into how businesses, both large and small, are communicating their positive contributions to the world.”

The report provides an analysis of publishing formats and timing, along with an exploration of the key themes driving impact reporting today. It also showcases a gallery of cover designs, highlighting the creative strategies companies are using to visually communicate their impact.

View the report at: https://inform.solutions/2023-impact-reporting-trends.

About Inform Solutions:

Since its inception in 2016, Inform Solutions has been empowering innovators by providing brand clarity and compelling communications. The company supports early-stage startups and innovative firms, particularly in tech, life sciences, and professional services, by aligning brand strategies with investor and stakeholder priorities, fostering sustainable growth.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Heidi Brown
Principal, Inform Solutions
[email protected]
(833) 925-0923

SOURCE Inform Solutions

-Uzum aumenta su beneficio neto un 50% en el primer semestre de 2024 y se prepara para una ronda de financiación de serie B

TASHKENT, Uzbekistán, 9 de agosto de 2024 — Uzum (en adelante, “nosotros”, “nos”, “nuestro”, “Uzum” o la “Compañía”), un ecosistema líder de servicios digitales en Uzbekistán, anuncia hoy sus principales resultados para el semestre finalizado el 30 de junio de 2024.

Principales aspectos operativos y financieros destacados

• El GMV del mercado creció 4 veces año tras año
• La cartera de préstamos de los servicios fintech de Uzum se duplicó con creces
• Uno de cada tres residentes de Uzbekistán utiliza los servicios de Uzum
• Uzum se está preparando actualmente para lanzar una ronda de financiación de Serie B en el cuarto trimestre de 2024 o el primer trimestre de 2025 y busca recaudar hasta 300 millones de dólares para financiar el desarrollo adicional de su negocio BNPL, productos de préstamos en línea y su vertical de comercio electrónico

El ecosistema de Uzum registró un fuerte crecimiento durante el primer semestre de 2024, con un aumento del beneficio neto consolidado del 50 % interanual gracias al rápido desarrollo de sus servicios de comercio electrónico y tecnología financiera. La audiencia combinada del ecosistema casi se duplicó interanualmente y alcanzó los 10,6 millones de usuarios activos por mes, o aproximadamente el 30 % de la población de Uzbekistán.

Nikolay Seleznev, director de estrategia y desarrollo empresarial de Uzum, comentó:

“Estamos orgullosos de los sólidos resultados que Uzum ha obtenido durante el primer semestre de este año y agradecemos a nuestros inversores, socios y clientes por creer en nuestra misión mientras trabajamos para liberar todo el potencial del comercio electrónico y la tecnología financiera en Uzbekistán. Para el segundo semestre de 2024, sentaremos las bases para el lanzamiento de la tarjeta bancaria Uzum, así como de nuestro negocio de préstamos y depósitos en línea. A finales de este año o principios del próximo, planeamos atraer más fondos para acelerar el crecimiento en el prometedor mercado de Uzbekistán. Para ello, estamos apuntando a grandes fondos internacionales, que serían fundamentales para una posible cotización posterior en una bolsa de valores internacional a medio plazo”.

E-commerce

La unidad de comercio electrónico de Uzum registró un aumento de casi cuatro veces en GMV, ya que el mercado en línea Uzum Market consolidó aún más su posición como el campeón del comercio electrónico del país. El GMV del mercado creció 3,5 veces interanual, mientras que el número de pedidos procesados por el mercado en el primer semestre de 2024 creció más del triple interanual y totalizó más de 8 millones, con más de 10.000 vendedores que ahora operan en la plataforma. De cara al futuro, la empresa está en camino de poner en marcha la primera fase del complejo de almacenamiento más grande de Uzbekistán (77.000 metros cuadrados) para fin de año para dar servicio a la mayor expansión de Uzum Market.

Durante este período, el servicio de entrega de alimentos en línea Uzum Tezkor se convirtió en un contribuyente significativo al negocio de comercio electrónico de Uzum. En poco más de un año de su funcionamiento, Uzum Tezkor se ha convertido en el servicio de entrega nacional más grande por alcance geográfico, cubriendo las ocho ciudades más grandes del país. El servicio continúa incorporando nuevos restaurantes para ofrecer a los clientes una gama cada vez mayor de opciones de entrega, con 1.690 restaurantes operando en la plataforma al final del período.

Fintech

La empresa siguió centrándose en la rentabilidad y el desarrollo de productos para sus negocios de tecnología financiera, en particular el banco digital Uzum Bank y el servicio de pago a plazos Uzum Nasiya. Durante este trimestre, el banco lanzó tarjetas virtuales Visa de marca con condiciones atractivas para los consumidores uzbekos y está planeando un lanzamiento activo de productos de préstamos en línea durante los próximos 12 a 18 meses, mientras el negocio experimenta una transformación estratégica hacia un neobanco completo con una gama completa de servicios bancarios diarios.

Uzum Nasiya, un cómodo servicio de pago a plazos para las necesidades cotidianas, registró un aumento interanual del TFV de 2,5 veces, mientras que su cartera de préstamos se duplicó con creces. El número de usuarios con límites aprobados ascendió a 2,8 millones al final del segundo trimestre de 2024, un aumento del 27% con respecto al primer trimestre de 2024. El servicio también mostró una fuerte sinergia con el mercado en línea de Uzum, con más del 55% de los pedidos en Uzum Market pagados a través de la solución BNPL de Nasiya durante este trimestre.

En la primavera de 2024, Uzum alcanzó una valoración de más de mil millones de dólares y se convirtió en el primer unicornio tecnológico de Uzbekistán, lo que colocó al país entre los mercados más dinámicos y de mayor oportunidad del mundo para el desarrollo del comercio electrónico y los servicios de tecnología financiera. La empresa está sentando las bases tecnológicas para la digitalización de la economía de Uzbekistán y tiene como objetivo continuar su ritmo de crecimiento desarrollando activamente su propia infraestructura física y de TI, así como integrando perfectamente sus servicios en todo el ecosistema de Uzum.

Acerca de Uzum 

Uzum es un ecosistema digital y la plataforma digital más grande de Uzbekistán, que ofrece servicios que abarcan comercio electrónico, entrega exprés, banca y tecnología financiera, y desarrollo empresarial. Más de 10 millones de personas en Uzbekistán, o casi un tercio de la población del país, utilizan los servicios de Uzum cada mes.

Después de una exitosa ronda de serie A en marzo de 2024, Uzum se convirtió en el primer unicornio tecnológico en Uzbekistán con una valoración posterior al dinero de más de mil millones de dólares.

Obtenga más información en uzum.com.

Para información adicional, contactar: [email protected] 

TASCHKENT, Usbekistan, 8. August 2024 — Uzum (im Folgenden als „wir”, „uns”, „unser”, „Uzum” oder das „Unternehmen” bezeichnet), ein führendes Ökosystem digitaler Dienstleistungen in Usbekistan, gibt heute seine wichtigsten Leistungskennzahlen für die sechs Monate bis zum 30. Juni 2024 bekannt.

Wichtige operative und finanzielle Kennzahlen

• Marktplatz GMV wuchs um das 4-fache im Vergleich zum Vorjahr
• Kreditportfolio von Uzum Fintech-Dienstleistungen mehr als verdoppelt
• Jeder dritte Einwohner von Usbekistan nutzt Uzum-Dienste
• Uzum bereitet derzeit eine Serie-B-Finanzierungsrunde für das vierte Quartal 2024 oder das erste Quartal 2025 vor und möchte bis zu 300 Millionen US-Dollar aufbringen, um die weitere Entwicklung seines BNPL-Geschäfts, seiner Online-Kreditprodukte und seiner E-Commerce-Sparte zu finanzieren.

Das Uzum-Ökosystem verzeichnete im ersten Halbjahr 2024 ein starkes Wachstum, wobei der konsolidierte Nettogewinn dank der rasanten Entwicklung seiner E-Commerce- und Fintech-Dienste im Vergleich zum Vorjahr um 50 % stieg. Die Gesamtzahl der Nutzer des Ökosystems hat sich im Vergleich zum Vorjahr fast verdoppelt und hat 10,6 Millionen aktive Nutzer pro Monat erreicht, was etwa 30 % der usbekischen Bevölkerung entspricht.

Nikolay Seleznev, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer bei Uzum, kommentierte:

„Wir sind stolz auf die soliden Ergebnisse, die Uzum in der ersten Hälfte dieses Jahres erzielt hat, und wir sind unseren Investoren, Partnern und Kunden dankbar, dass sie an unsere Mission glauben, während wir daran arbeiten, das volle Potenzial von E-Commerce und Fintech in Usbekistan zu erschließen. In der zweiten Hälfte des Jahres 2024 werden wir die Grundlagen für die Einführung der Uzum-Bankkarte sowie für unser Online-Kredit- und Einlagengeschäft schaffen. Ende dieses oder Anfang nächsten Jahres wollen wir weitere Finanzmittel beschaffen, um das Wachstum auf dem vielversprechenden Markt Usbekistans zu beschleunigen. Zu diesem Zweck zielen wir auf große internationale Fonds ab, die mittelfristig für eine spätere Notierung an einer internationalen Börse von Bedeutung wären.

E-Commerce

Die E-Commerce-Einheit von Uzum verzeichnete einen fast vierfachen Anstieg des GMV (Gross Market Value, Bruttowarenwert), da der Online-Marktplatz Uzum Market seine Position als E-Commerce-Champion des Landes weiter festigte. Der GMV des Marktplatzes wuchs im Jahresvergleich um das 3,5-fache, während sich die Zahl der über den Marktplatz abgewickelten Bestellungen im ersten Halbjahr 2024 im Vergleich zum Vorjahr mehr als verdreifachte und sich insgesamt auf mehr als 8 Millionen belief, wobei inzwischen mehr als 10.000 Verkäufer auf der Plattform tätig sind. Das Unternehmen ist auf dem besten Weg, die erste Phase des größten Lagerkomplexes in Usbekistan (77.000 m²) bis zum Jahresende in Betrieb zu nehmen, um die weitere Uzum Market-Expansion zu unterstützen.

In diesem Zeitraum wurde der Online-Lebensmittel-Lieferdienst Uzum Tezkor zu einem wichtigen Bestandteil des E-Commerce-Geschäfts von Uzum. In nur etwas mehr als einem Jahr hat sich Uzum Tezkor zum größten inländischen Zustelldienst nach geografischer Reichweite entwickelt und deckt die acht größten Städte des Landes ab. Der Dienst nimmt weiterhin neue Restaurants auf, um den Kunden eine wachsende Auswahl an Lieferoptionen zu bieten. Zum Ende des Berichtszeitraums waren 1.690 Restaurants auf der Plattform vertreten.

Fintech

Das Unternehmen konzentrierte sich weiterhin auf die Rentabilität und die Produktentwicklung für seine Fintech-Geschäfte, insbesondere die digitale Uzum Bank und den Ratenzahlungsdienst Uzum Nasiya . In diesem Quartal führte die Bank virtuelle Visa-Karten mit attraktiven Konditionen für usbekische Verbraucher auf Vorbestellung ein und plant eine aktive Einführung von Online-Kreditprodukten in den nächsten 12 bis 18 Monaten, während sich das Unternehmen strategisch zu einer vollwertigen Neobank mit einem umfassenden Angebot an täglichen Bankdienstleistungen wandelt.

Uzum Nasiya, ein praktischer Ratenzahlungsdienst für den täglichen Bedarf, verzeichnete einen Anstieg des Time-to-First-Value-Wert um das 2,5-fache im Vergleich zum Vorjahr, während sich der Kreditbestand mehr als verdoppelte. Die Zahl der Nutzer mit genehmigten Limits belief sich Ende des zweiten Quartals 2024 auf 2,8 Millionen, was einem Anstieg von 27 % gegenüber dem ersten Quartal 2024 entspricht. Der Dienst zeigte auch starke Synergien mit dem Online-Marktplatz von Uzum, da mehr als 55 % der Bestellungen auf Uzum Market in diesem Quartal über die BNPL-Lösung von Nasiya bezahlt wurden.

Im Frühjahr 2024 erreichte Uzum eine Bewertung von über 1 Milliarde US-Dollar und wurde das erste IT-Einhorn in Usbekistan. Damit zählt das Land zu den dynamischsten und chancenreichsten Märkten der Welt für die Entwicklung von E-Commerce und Fintech-Dienstleistungen. Das Unternehmen legt die technologische Grundlage für die Digitalisierung der usbekischen Wirtschaft und will sein Wachstumstempo durch die aktive Entwicklung seiner eigenen physischen und IT-Infrastruktur sowie die nahtlose Integration seiner Dienste in das Uzum-Ökosystem fortsetzen.

Über Uzum

Uzum ist ein digitales Ökosystem und die größte digitale Plattform in Usbekistan, die Dienstleistungen in den Bereichen E-Commerce, Expresslieferung, Bankwesen und Fintech sowie Unternehmensentwicklung anbietet. Mehr als 10 Millionen Menschen in Usbekistan, d. h. fast ein Drittel der Bevölkerung des Landes, nutzen jeden Monat die Dienste von Uzum.

Nach einer erfolgreichen Serie-A-Finanzierungsrunde im März 2024 wurde Uzum mit einer Bewertung von über 1 Milliarde US-Dollar nach dem Investment zum ersten IT-Einhorn in Usbekistan. 

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter uzum.com.

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