New Media Company Clozette Raises US$10 Million in Series C
Funding from Cool Japan FundAward-winning social content marketing company to accelerate productinnovation, drive international expansion, and develop an interactive Cool Japan
Ecosystem that brings Japanese culture to a new generation of consumers.
SINGAPORE, April 9, 2019 -- Clozette, a transformative new media company
that inspires and engages contemporary women with award-winning content
centered on beauty, fashion, travel and wellness, announced today an investment
of US$10 million in Series C funding from Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fundunder the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) thatprovides risk capital for businesses with the aim of commercialising the “CoolJapan” concept.
Founded in 2010, Clozette pioneered a new category of storytelling that marries
the best of editorial authority with the authenticity of curated user-generatedcontent. With a rapidly-growing team of over 90 employees operating in South
East Asia and Japan, Clozette delivers game-changing brand content thatincorporates original work created by an expansive network of more than 3,500
creators and talents boasting a collective social reach that exceeds 600 million.
The company has worked with more than 300 brands and media agencies that
include Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Amore Pacific, Zalora, Charles & Keith, Procter &Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Beiersdorf, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands, andOmnicom Media Group.
As marketers evolve from an ad-centric approach towards one that is morestory-driven in nature, this new round of investment will fuel and cement
Clozette’s momentum and leadership in the social content marketing space. The
new funding will be used to scale the company’s proprietary data-driven contentand analytics platform, expand its presence in new markets beginning withThailand, and develop an interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem.
“This investment from Cool Japan Fund solidly validates Clozette’s vision ofauthentic content marketing taking center stage. Content is king – consumers
today are blocking ads but consuming content at unprecedented rates on theirplatform of choice. In the same breath, they demand more authenticity,interactivity and mobility in their experience. Marketers must embrace thispivotal shift in media consumption behaviours in order to keep up withgenerational shifts in perception,” said Roger Yuen, CEO of Clozette.
This Series C round of funding follows a period of rapid growth and profitability
for Clozette, with revenue in 2018 growing more than 140 percent over the pastyear, driven by the 200 percent growth of its subsidiary in Indonesia – the 4thlargest country in the world with a population of over 260 million, the majorityof which is under the age of 35.

“We are impressed by Clozette’s management team of digital veterans andentrepreneurs, and excited to work with them as the company accelerates thetransformation of digital and traditional marketing in Asia and beyond,” said Yuji
Kato, COO and CIO of Cool Japan Fund.
“The DNA of the Clozette dovetails with Cool Japan Fund’s mission to promote
Japanese fashion, beauty, food, travel and lifestyle to consumers around theglobe. Part of the investment will go towards the creation of a multi-lingual CoolJapan Ecosystem that enables the discovery of actionable and shoppable “cool”
content about Japan, leveraging the company's unique storytelling capabilities
and network of talents to attract a new generation of fans of Japanese culture inthe region and beyond,” he added.
The interactive Cool Japan Ecosystem by Clozette is scheduled to launch in June
2019.
Existing investors in the company include Phillip Private Equity and WaldenInternational.
About Clozette
Clozette is a transformative new media company enabling brands to inspire andengage with contemporary women through a full suite of transformative digitalmarketing solutions and omni-channel experiences centered on the creation,distribution and amplification of award-wining content that fuses its editorial
authority with the original works of an expansive network of creators andtalents that spans over 600 million social reach. The company is venture-backed
by Walden International, Phillip Private Equity and Cool Japan Fund.
About Cool Japan Fund
Cool Japan Fund was founded in November 2013 as a public-private fund withthe aim of supporting and promoting the development of overseas demand forexcellent Japanese products and services. Cool Japan Fund aims to commercialize
the “Cool Japan” and increase overseas demand by providing risk capital forbusinesses across a variety of areas, including media & content, food &services, and fashion & lifestyle.
###Media Contact:
April Tanapril.tan@clozette.co