Singapore-based networking and mentorship startup Tigerhall Pte Ltd has raised $2 million (approximately Rs 15.21 crore at current exchange rates) in a funding round led by Surge, which is Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme for early-stage ventures.
Others that participated in the round include the XA Network, Taurus Ventures and angel investors, Tigerhall said in a statement.
The company will use the funds for talent acquisition, product development and market expansion, it added.
Nellie Wartoft, founder at Tigerhall, said the importance of digital learning has been magnified because of what the world is going through today. “This investment will further increase the value we provide to individuals and organisations during these challenging times and beyond,” he said.
Separately, XA Network’s Alap Bharadwaj said the firm was confident in its bet on Tigerhall because of its democratic approach to “high-signal” and technology-based learning, and its category-defining product.
Founded by Wartoft in 2019, Tigerhall says it helps professionals to achieve their personal and career goals by learning from successful personalities from different fields. The company offers its interactions through both digital content such as podcasts and reading and group mentorship sessions and exclusive meal events.
The company says its application currently has over a thousand pieces of digital content. Some of the influencers and thought leaders it has partnered with include executives from Microsoft, Netflix and Facebook, as well as leaders from GoJek, Deloitte, and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns.
Currently, it has a staff strength of about 15, with its services present in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Its customers include Fortune 500 companies, fast-growing technology firms and large fast-moving consumer goods brands.
Investors
The bet on Tigerhall is the latest for Sequoia arm Surge, where mentors include Byju Raveendran of ed-tech startup Byju’s, Deepinder Goyal of food-technology platform Zomato, Ritesh Agarwal of hotel firm OYO and Kunal Shah of Cred.
Some of the companies that Surge has invested in recently include lifestyle community commerce platform Trell, video production and editing platform InVideo, and e-sports streaming and community platform Rheo.
XA Network, formerly known as Xoogler Angels, was set up in 2018 and says it is an exclusive investment network comprising of senior executives from global and regional technology companies. It provides capital to early-stage companies across the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on the angel and seed stages.
It has invested in over 20 companies across a variety of sectors since its inception, including in Tigerhall, Neuron and Infradigital.
Taurus Ventures, meanwhile, is the US and Southeast Asia-focussed venture capital firm. According to its website, It is run by Hemant Bhardwaj, Gaurav Batra and Win Thanapisitikul, and it invests in technology-enabled businesses. Companies in its portfolio include Pankhuri, Tellie and Unsupervised.