Digital food guide gets new funding of $8.5m

(From left) Mr Daniel Hum, Mr Elisha Ong and Mr Dixon Chan, co-founders of Burrple. PHOTO: ST FILE

A digital guide to restaurants and cafes in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur has received fresh capital of US$6 million (S$8.5 million) to expand into other Asian cities.

The new funding for Burpple, which already has a long list of investors, comes from Tembusu Partners, SPH Media Fund and Triumph Capital.

Launched in 2012 by three Singaporeans, Burpple's shareholders include Neoteny Labs, Silicon Straits, NUS Technologies Holdings and QuestVC.

Tembusu is a private equity firm that invests in fast-growing companies, while SPH Media Fund is the venture-capital arm of Singapore Press Holdings. The third investor, Triumph Capital, focuses on facilitating transnational investments between Australia and China as well as other Asian markets.

Burpple, which is a mobile application and website that helps users decide where to eat based on recommendations from other food lovers and its in-house editors, will use the funds to enhance its features, introduce complementary dining services, and hire engineers and product development staff for its regional expansion.

Its user base has doubled to more than four million over the last 12 months. Earlier this year, it launched an online service to help food and beverage owners expand their reach by connecting with Burpple users.

More than 1,000 owners have signed up for the Burpple for Business service, which will be further improved using the fresh funds.

"Our mission is to help people enjoy life by finding the perfect places to eat with the people they love," said co-founder Dixon Chan, who is also the chief executive of Burpple.

Chong Koh Ping

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 02, 2015, with the headline Digital food guide gets new funding of $8.5m. Subscribe