Daily Briefing: Building management firm Smarten Spaces raised $16m in series A funding; Staffing platform Workmate secures $7.08 in funding round

And Hong Kong’s Plaza Premium Group expands to Changi Airport.

From DealStreetAsia:

AI-powered space management solutions provider Smarten Spaces has raised $16.35m (US$12m) in its Series A funding round from Symphony International Holdings, the company announced.

On its website, the company said it is currently “smartening” 60 million sqft of spaces globally. The current market value of smart spaces and businesses globally is projected at $25.89b ($19.9b) and Smart Spaces said it wants to disrupt this industry by offering its AI-powered platform.

Launched in 2017 by Dinesh Malkani and Anushka Verghese, Smarten Spaces provides a building management platform that uses end-to-end AI, which allows owners of commercial and industrial properties to digitise and manage their spaces. The platform can be used to manage building access control, reservation of conference rooms and individual workstations, room temperature and lighting, co-working spaces, food and beverage services, and community bulletin boards.

Read more here.

From e27:

Southeast Asian end-to-end staffing platform Workmate (formerly Helpster) has closed a Series A funding round of $7.08m (US$5.2m), led by Atlas Ventures, it announced.

The company said that the fresh funds will be used to increase investment in sales, grow the technology team, and expand to new cities.The investment brings Workmate’s total funding to $13.63m (US$10m) since its launch in January 2016.

Workmate notes that in Southeast Asia, the informal labor sector accounts for more than 50% of the region’s workforce, with approximately $272.56b (US$200b) in wages paid to informal workers annually. The staffing market for informal labor in the region is expected to double to $10.90b (US$8b) by 2025.

Read more here.

From TTG Asia:

Hong Kong-based airport services provider Plaza Premium Group (PPG) is expanding its global footprint and enhancing products across 11 international airports, including Changi Airport.

“Year 2019 and 2020 mark a big leap forward for PPG and we are committed to serve over 16 million travellers by the end of 2020, a 10 per cent increase compared to where we are now,” said Song Hoi-see, founder and CEO of PPG.

“In addition to expanding in the US, China and Indonesia as part of our US$100 million investment in coming years, we continue to strengthen our leading position in the existing markets by creating a holistic departure, transit and arrival experience.”

The brand’s inaugural location Aerotel Singapore is undergoing renovation of its outdoor swimming pool with plans to open end 2019 with enhanced services.

The group’s flagship brand Plaza Premium Lounge will also open in Dubai International Airport in December 2019, spanning across 1,260m², the largest independent pay-per-use lounge at the airport’s Terminal 3.

Read more here.

Screenshot from Smarten Spaces website