Rocket Internet enters holy matrimony with Indonesia’s Bridestory, leads series A funding

Indonesia’s online wedding marketplace Bridestory announced today that it secured a round of series A funding led by Rocket Internet. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, as Rocket Internet is a company builder, and rarely makes investments outside of its own homemade startups.

Also on board in this round are two new investors, Lippo Digital Ventures and Skystar Capital, as well as Bridestory’s existing investors Sovereign’s Capital, Fenox Venture Capital, and East Ventures. (Disclosure: East Ventures and Fenox VC also invest in Tech in Asia. See our ethics page).

Bridestory co-founder Kevin Mintaraga says he is only able to disclose that the investment was a mid-range, single-digit-million amount, meaning it falls somewhere in the middle of US$1 million and US$10 million. With fresh funds at hand, Mintaraga says Bridestory will expand its team in product development, sales, marketing, and customer support. “We are also going to identify the opportunity in other markets and expand into three to five different countries,” says Mintaraga.

See: Indonesia’s Bridestory grabs funding from four VCs, new Jakarta player Sovereign’s Capital takes the lead

The startup’s course is set for a regional and eventual global expansion, according to Bridestory.

“I believe that there is a demand for a platform that connects engaged couples with wedding vendors. With wedding becoming a cross border event, people can get married anywhere, and wedding vendors can provide products and services everywhere in the world,” says Mintaraga.

Mintaraga says that Bridestory will especially benefit from Rocket’s global network. Rocket Internet is present in over 100 countries worldwide. The investment marks Rocket’s entrance into the online wedding market.

“Our biggest challenge is to understand about [the] wedding planning process and cultures in other countries, so we are able to localize our platform to meet local needs and behaviours,” says Mintaraga.