Singapore startup bags $3m to build tiny houses for travelers

Big Tiny, a Singapore-based travel company, has raised US$3 million in a pre-series A round led by Singaporean businessperson Koh Boon Hwee, with participation from Phillip Private Equity, GPPC Capital Limited, and Ascend Angels. The investment boosts the firm’s valuation to US$22.5 million.

(From left) Big Tiny founders David Ng, Jeff Yeo, and Adrian Chia / Photo credit: Big Tiny

Founded by Adrian Chia, Jeff Yeo, and David Ng in 2017, Big Tiny partners with landowners to build small houses, which travelers can rent through the company’s online platform, Tiny Away.

While Big Tiny was built by Singaporean founders, the company’s main market is Australia. It currently has almost 100 properties across the country, spread across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Tasmania.

In a statement, the company said that when national Covid-19 restrictions in Australia were eased in June 2020, it saw a 3x increase in the number of bookings that month. Its revenue in the first half of this year also increased 3.5x compared to the same period last year.

Big Tiny plans to use the fresh funds to continue its growth across Australia, expand to New Zealand, and open 300 more houses in those two countries by next year. It currently has 30 employees in Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.