Aruna records 86x growth during pandemic, raised
fresh funds from existing investors

JAKARTA, 12 August 2020 — Aruna, a technology company in the marine and fisheries sector, closed a fresh round of funding from existing investors as the company records 86x growth amidst the pandemic.

The US$5.5 million funding from East Ventures, AC Ventures, and SMDV will aid Aruna to scale its fisherman community ecosystem by expanding to more coastal areas. Therefore, the company can educate more fishermen to increase their productivity, product quality, and standardization.

In addition, the capital raised will assist the startup in scaling its operations into new domestic and export B2B markets.

Aruna has worked with thousands of fishermen in 31 coastal areas across the Indonesian archipelago, covering multiple regions between Sumatra and Papua. The company helps local fishermen export their products to countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, North America and the Middle East. Furthermore, the startup also provides fishermen more direct access to the B2B domestic market.

Farid Naufal Aslam, Indraka Fadhillah, and Utari Octavianty founded Aruna in 2016. The three graduates of Telkom University Bandung started the company to leverage technology to create a sustainable and fair-trade ecosystem for fish and marine products.

“Our mission is to make the sea a better livelihood for all. E-commerce helps create more fairness and transparency in the fishing industry, as well as making a more efficient supply chain. By reaching more coastal areas across Indonesia, Aruna joined the effort in building economic equality in Indonesia,” said Farid Naufal Aslam, CEO and Co-Founder of Aruna.

Aruna thrived during crisis

“During this pandemic, Aruna revenue grew 86 times in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half last year. This is a company that is positively impacted by this crisis and we are excited to double down on them,” said Willson Cuaca, Co-founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures.

“Aruna focuses on solving one of the biggest problems in the fishery sector in a meaningful way. They increase welfare for fishermen and other SMEs in the sector while improving transparency in the economy. We are very excited and optimistic that the company will continue to be one of the companies that push forward the maritime economy,” said Pandu Sjahrir, Founding Partner of AC Ventures.

Aruna recorded an 86x growth in revenue at first half of 2020 compared to first half of 2019 as global demand for fresh sea products remains strong despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“We remains optimistic to reach further growth in the middle of the pandemic. As a source of protein and a multitude of nutrients that are essential for the immune system, fishery commodities are products that consistently have growth in demand even amidst the pandemic,” said Farid.

Meanwhile, Aruna launched Seafood by Aruna, a home delivery service for fishery products to cater to the spiking demand for home delivery of fresh produce and staples during the pandemic. Seafood by Aruna provides fresh fish and seafood products, ready-to-eat products, and ready-to-cook products for consumers in the Greater Jakarta area, Bandung, and Balikpapan.

Seafood by Aruna is available at Tokopedia, Shopee, Bukalapak, and Grab Mart. The startup also collaborates with Sayurbox, Nalayan, and Delisari and are open to opportunities for new resellers.