East Ventures joins round of ex-Grab exec’s bookkeeping firm

Lista, a bookkeeping app for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines, has raised an undisclosed sum from 1982 Ventures, East Ventures, Saison Capital, Alternate Ventures, and other angel investors.

Photo credit: Lista

Angel investors who took part in the financing round include former Grab Philippines president and co-founder Brian Cu, Pinelabs CEO Amrish Rau, Cred founder Kunal Shah, Jupiter Bank CEO Jitendra Gupta, and Google Asia Pacific senior executives Aurelien Pichon and Alap Bharadwaj.

Lista will use the latest investment to step up hiring in the company and expand its product offering to reach more MSMEs in the country.

The startup was established by Aaron Villegas, a serial entrepreneur, and Khriz Lim, a former Grab executive who led GrabFood’s expansion into the Philippines. The platform helps Filipinos manage finances by tracking debts, recording transactions, and issuing invoices.

See also: Ex-Grab Philippines head seizes a generational opportunity with new startup

“MSMEs are the backbone of the Philippines economy and it’s time we stop leaving them behind,” said Lim. “Through this app, we want to revolutionize the way MSMEs operate and provide them with a reliable digital partner for small businesses in the country.”

Since its launch in September, Lista has helped collect close to US$1.5 million in receivables for MSMEs across the Philippines. The company also aims to cater to freelancers, logistics operators and riders, and other small businesses.