Philippine E-Commerce Startup Edamama Raises P1.1 Billion in Series A Funding

Philippine “parenting-focused” e-commerce platform Edamama has just raised $20 million (P1.11 billion) in Series A funding during a round led by Alpha JWC Ventures. In an oversubscribed fundraising round that it claims is one of the largest early-stage rounds in the country, Edamama received significant investments from the Sy family’s GenTree Fund, Gokongwei-owned Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., Ayala-backed Kickstart Ventures, Temasek-affiliated Innoven capital, Foxmont Capital Partners, and angel investor Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng. 

Founded in 2020 by husband-wife founder duo Nishant D’Souza and Bela Gupta, Edamama now aims to be the top parenting brand in Southeast Asia. Made by parents for parents, Edamama gives Philippine parents access to curated, authentic, and affordable parenting products and services. 

“As parents, we want the best for our children. However, parents in the Philippines have limited options for quality products, and there is also a dearth of credible platforms for product reviews. Edamama fills that buyer confidence gap by giving parents access to the best shopping experience with a wide range of quality SKUs, and trusted by a strong community that supports parents on their most exciting journeys,” stated Eko Kurniadi, Partner of Investments at Alpha JWC.

With its latest round of funding, Edamama will expand operations, offer same-day and next-day delivery solutions in new locations, enhance content and community elements, launch its offline stores, and scale its private label portfolio. 

“We are very impressed by the caliber of the team and the top-notch processes that were developed despite Edamama being at an early venture stage. It shows that Edamama centers on deep customer understanding with best-in-class operations. This foundation sets Edamama up for exponential growth and we look forward to partnering with Bela, Nish, and the team,” added Kurniadi.

Since its founding, Edamama has witnessed 100x growth as it responded quickly to the demand for digitally accessible parenting products during the pandemic. Two years since it began, Edamama has delivered over 1.5 million products nationwide. 

“Alpha JWC’s outstanding track record with some of the most successful ventures in the region offers Edamama the opportunity to leverage global best practices to serve our customers better and faster every day,” shared Edamama founders Bela Gupta and Nishant D’Souza. "Our team is honored by this vote of confidence and grateful to our repeat investors for their ongoing trust and unparalleled support as we build a leading parenting brand."