WHA Venture Holdings Co., Ltd. (WHAVH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of WHA Corporation Public Company Limited (SET: WHA), recently announced that it invested USD 1 million in Mercular, a Thai vertical E-commerce start-up specializing in hobby lifestyle products, such as audio gadgets, gaming gears, hobby stations and other recreational equipment. WHAVH’s investment was finalized at the end of June as part of Mercular’s Bridging Round (Pre-Series B) fundraising. This will enable Mercular to integrate its E-commerce value chain with WHA Group’s well-established logistics ecosystem including premium warehouses and distribution centers. The synergies also exist with leading E-Logistics start-up Giztix, in which WHA Group invested last year with respect to efficient transportation services, especially last-mile delivery.
Ms. Jareeporn Jarukornsakul, Chairman and Group CEO of WHA, expressed her delight with the partnership in Mercular, “This investment is perfectly in line with our group’s strategy to expand our customer base and play a bigger role in the B2C sector, especially among the new generation. Moreover, it also fits with our ‘Digital Innovation and Transformation’ plan to offer new products and services in collaboration with dynamic startups. Mercular will be one of the customer expansion channels for WHA Group to penetrate a new segment since nowadays, B2B and B2C businesses are converging” commented Ms. Jareeporn.
“As Thailand’s leading player in logistics, WHA Group is ready to bring in its expertise to support Thai start-ups and entrepreneurs, facilitating the growth of the entire supply chain from sellers to logistics operators, while helping them reduce their logistics costs and increase their competitiveness. Over the next few years, WHA Group will continually seek new investment opportunities both in Thailand and the region to expand our businesses and achieve sustainable growth,” she added
Through this investment, WHAVH will join other Mercular’s existing shareholders, including Central Group (CRC), Kairous Capital, CyberAgent Capital, Nvest Ventures, Premiers and 500 TukTuks.
