India’s BetterPlace officially acquires Malaysian recruitment startup (update)

Pravin Agarwala, co-founder and group CEO of BetterPlace / Photo credit: BetterPlace

BetterPlace, an India-based SaaS and workforce management platform, has officially acquired Troopers, a Malaysian firmt that specializes in part-time staffing and recruitment services.

The deal was first reported by Tech in Asia in March.

Troopers was acquired in a deal estimated to be worth between US$15 million and US$20 million, a source told Tech in Asia last month.

Founded in 2017 by Joshua Tan and Kevin Lee, Troopers provides part-time recruitment roles for individuals and offers staffing solutions to companies.

The acquisition will integrate Troopers’ automated gig matching and rostering features into BetterPlace’s platform, according to an official announcement from BetterPlace.

This comes just a month after BetterPlace acquired Indonesia-based MyRobin for an undisclosed amount.

In a previous interview with Tech in Asia, Pravin Agarwala, BetterPlace’s co-founder and group CEO, had indicated that the acquisition was just the first step in the company’s plans for expansion into Southeast Asia. The firm is looking to invest “north of US$50 million” into the region over the next three years, he said.

See also: Exclusive: Acquiring MyRobin the first of BetterPlace’s SEA plans

Agarwala had also said that Better Place was eyeing Malaysia next. The Indian firm also plans to expand into Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam, but it’s unclear if this would be done via through further acquisitions.

Better Place is also setting its sights on the Middle East as well as Latin America and Africa.

Update (April 17, 4:00 p.m. SGT): This article was updated to include an official announcement from BetterPlace.