Singapore-based big data startup to enter Japan through new investment

Photo credit: Crayon Data.

Singapore-based big data startup Crayon Data announced today it received a cash injection by Japanese general trading conglomerate Mitsui & Co. The amount invested in the startup is undisclosed.

The deal opens the way into the country for Crayon, that “hopes to soon map the tastes of Japan.” As in other territories, the startup says it will focus on banks, hotels, advertising, and media. Mitsui will also put Crayon’s tech to use in its own subsidiaries.

The deal opens the way into Japan for Crayon.

The startup currently has offices in Singapore, Chennai, London, New York, and Dubai.

Crayon most recently raised an undisclosed round of funding from Indian tycoon and prolific investor Ratan Tata, as well as NSI Ventures. Excluding this latest investment, the startup says it has raised a total of US$7 million so far. Jungle Ventures and SPRING Singapore participated in its series A round back in February 2014.

The company’s flagship product, called Maya, is a tool that helps businesses offer personalized choices to their customers. It does this through what Crayon calls a “consumer taste fabric” – the result of a set of systems and algorithms working on a multitude of data to produce unique insights.

We’ve reached out to Crayon for more details and we will update this story when we hear back.