9 startups graduate from Muru-D’s first cohort in Singapore

Photo credit: Muru-D.

Australian-born startup accelerator Muru-D launched its Singapore program just short of a year ago. Its first cohort of startups entered its premises, located right next to Singapore’s Central Business District, a few months later. Now, after a six-month acceleration program, nine startups are ready to face the world beyond.

Five of the nine graduating startups have female founders or co-founders.

Participating in Muru-D Singapore’s inaugural cohort are both early- and  later-stage startups from around the world, and this was a conscious choice when selecting them, says Jamie Camidge, head of strategic partnerships and alliances.

This first cohort is comprised of teams from Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Canada, and Russia. As Muru-D co-founder Annie Parker points out, five of the nine startups have female founders or co-founders.

“Diversity in our teams is our big strength,” Jamie adds.

The graduating startups have received US$29,450 in seed funding each from the accelerator, while a few of the startups have already raised additional funding, adding up to a total of US$736,000. Support for the program has come from local organizations like Infocomm Investments (IIPL), the investment arm of Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA).

Besides Singapore, Muru-D operates in Sydney and Brisbane. The Telstra-backed accelerator has partnered with several startup programs around the world, like 500 Startups in the US, The Junction in Israel, and SOSV’s Shanghai-based Chinaccelerator and Shenzhen-based HAX. “Being global from day one is hugely important,” Annie says.

Graduation day

Here are the nine startups that got on Muru-D Singapore’s stage, in order of appearance:

PrecisionBit

PrecisionBit has developed a digital marketing tool based on visual intelligence. With it, the startup helps marketers reach a wider audience and increase their sales by analyzing popular images and identifying particularly effective elements and themes. Advertisers can then have a clearer idea of the type of image to use for maximizing their campaigns’ reach and effectiveness. Its product can double a campaign’s effectiveness, the team claims.

It’s currently raising a US$500,000 seed round in order to beef up product development and chase revenue growth.

PrecisionBit pitching.