Temasek, SoftBank invest in Sequoia-backed Chinese marketing solutions startup

Tezign, a Chinese marketing solutions platform, said it has bagged an undisclosed amount in its series C2 round led by Singapore state-owned investment company Temasek Holdings.

Unicorn Capital Partners, C Ventures, and SoftBank China Venture Capital also joined in the round, along with existing investors Sequoia Capital China, Hearst, Linear Capital, Eminence Ventures, and Cherubic Ventures.

The latest investment brings the total capital the firm raised in its series C round to date to US$100 million, which includes its series C1 round led by Sequoia Capital China last year.

Tezign founder and CEO Fan Ling / Photo credit: Tezign

Founded in 2015, Tezign offers platform-based design tools for small and medium-sized enterprises and larger companies. It uses a matching algorithm and image recognition to match designers with customers and provides corporate clients and businesses with the systems for smart marketing.

The firm serves over 1,000 clients including Alibaba, ByteDance, Unilever, Starbucks, Shiseido, Ant Group, Tencent, L’Oréal, and Budweiser.

With the new fund, the Shanghai-based company will further invest in its product, research and development, as well as data technology. It will also hire talent and set up an office in the South China region.

In 2016, Tezign closed tens of millions of yuan in a series A round led by Sequoia Capital China, which was followed by series B fundraising led by Hearst in 2018.

Correction (March 24, 2021 11:30am SGT): Temasek Holdings was incorrectly mentioned as Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund.