Ula, an Indonesian ecommerce startup, has raised more than $30 million since its launch last year and has attracted many high-profile investors.
The founder of Amazon has invested in the one-and-a-half-year-old startups new financing round, sources and many others familiar with the matter told me.
The Jakarta-headquartered firm which counts B Capital Group, Sequoia Capital India, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Quona Capital among its existing investors is in advanced stages of talks to finalize a new round of over $80 million.
People said that Jeff Bezos agreed to invest through his family office, Bezos Expeditions. Prosus Ventures, Tencent, and B Capital Group are all expected to lead the round. It could close as early as this month.
Bezos' interest in Ula, a platform for business-to-business electronic commerce, is at a time when Amazon has not yet entered many Southeast Asian countries or only a small presence.
On Saturday, Ula's public relations representatives did not respond to any requests for comment.
Ula assists small retailers in overcoming inefficiencies in their supply chain, inventory, and working capital. It manages a wholesale marketplace for e-commerce to allow store owners to stock only what they need and provide working capital.
Nipun Mehra, a former executive at Flipkart India and ex-partner of Sequoia Capital India, Alan Wong (who previously served with Amazon), Derry Sakti who oversaw Indonesia's consumer goods giant P&Gs operations and Riky Tenggara (formerly from Lazada or aCommerce).
