Taiwan’s Appier snags $80m to drive global expansion

Taiwanese AI startup Appier announced it has raised US$80 million in a series D round to fuel its global expansion plans.

Appier co-founder and CEO Chih-Han Yu / Photo credit: Appier

The round, which pushed Appier’s total funding to US$162 million, included participation from companies such as TGVest Capital, Hopu-Arm Innovation Fund, Temasek’s Pavilion Capital, Insignia Venture Partners, Jafco Investment, and UMC Capital.

Aside from its worldwide expansion, the company will also use the new capital injection to attract global talent, further develop and scale its product suite, and explore new industries beyond digital marketing.

The SoftBank-backed company said that it has achieved “exceptional” growth in terms of reach, size, and product offering since its series C round in 2017. According to the statement, Appier’s growth coincides with the increasing demand for business leaders to implement and leverage AI and help retain relevancy.

To date, the company has more than 400 employees across 14 businesses in 12 markets, serving over 1,000 enterprises.

It has recently acquired a couple of startups to widen the scope of its core offering. Appier acquired Tokyo-based behavioral data provider Emin last month to provide users with AI-powered marketing tools aimed at driving consumer engagement across multiple channels. In August 2018, it acquired Bangalore-based Qgraph, whose brand merged with Appier’s marketing automation platform, Aiqua.

Established in 2012, Appier helps businesses solve problems through its AI-based solutions. Its existing backers include Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, and Line, among others.