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[Translation from English to Japanese ] After $10 Million Investment Round, Affle Eyes China and Japan Singapore-b...
Original Texts
After $10 Million Investment Round, Affle Eyes China and Japan
Singapore-based start-up, Affle has received $10 million in fresh funds from D2C several weeks ago. I sat down with Anuj Khanna Sohum, the founder and CEO of Affle, to find out more about his future plans and vision for the company. The chat was fun and Anuj is certainly one of the more experienced entrepreneurs in Singapore’s tech space who I have spoken to. But first, what exactly is Affle, and what does it do? Affle is a hybrid between a media owner and media exchange in the mobile space. It is a media owner as Affle builds and owns its own mobile applications, including messenger, mobile magazine, and mobile coupons. It is also a media exchange as it helps telcos and publishers across the region (including Aircel in India, Telkomsel in Indonesia, and ESPN) to manage their ad inventories. All in all, Affle’s business model is based on selling mobile ads. But Anuj argues that it isn’t at all a mobile ad network like InMobi or Buzz City. Rather Affle serves premium inventories at higher CPM and focuses on serving big name clients like P&G, CadBury, and Toyota. When all is said and done, the company description doesn’t matter so much as long as Affle is making money. And according to Anuj, it is doing just that. Two of the most crucial markets for Affle are India and Indonesia where the company has exclusive partnership with local telcos to manage their ad inventories. Anuj explains that these two countries are profitable as standalone offices. But as a group, which includes other offices in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Affle hasn’t quite broken even as it is going through a phase of aggressive expansion. Anuj also joked that he could just focus on India and Indonesia and lead a comfortable life, hinting at how well these two markets are doing. So how does Affle plan to invest the new funds it received? Anuj is crystal clear with his plan and didn’t hesitate to answer my question. First, Affle will continue to pour in resources to expand its existing markets, particularly in India and Indonesia. Second, the new fund will also invest in R&D where Affle will continue to create cutting-edge mobile products. Pinch, a mobile messenger developed by Affle, is one of his key products that we discussed at length. While apps like Whatsapp and 31SMS focus on the smartphone segment, Anuj explains that these smartphone-only apps might not work well in Asia. After all, most Asians are still feature phones users. So Pinch is created to work on both smartphone and feature phones. The app will allow messaging between feature and smartphone, feature and feature phone — what ever permutation you can imagine. Anuj also explains that it doesn’t matter whether feature phone users have GPRS, 3G, or nothing at all. Pinch will still work perfect as messages are sent through as SMS and received as “pinch messages” at the receiver’s end. Anuj’s third ambition interests me a lot. He said that Affle is on the lookout to break into China and Japan, two of the largest mobile nations in the world. When I ask how soon would Affle enter China, Anuj says that it could be tomorrow if they find a good opportunity to enter the market. Anuj plans to employ the same strategy in China: partner with local players in the market, like telcos and mobile-related companies. Anuj also says that there is a fair chance for them to acquire a local start-up if they ever find a company which has DNA similar to theirs. Everything looks to be in order as Anuj seems to have masterminded the entire road map for Affle. When asked why he decided to take up Japanese mobile ad agency, D2C’s investment offer, Anuj explained that the investment works more like a partnership than an investment. He said he could have gotten $10 million from other investors, but D2C’s investment cemented this partnership further as both companies found it fit their business model and market expertise.
With D2C’s expertise and wide network, Affle can easily grow in Japan. While D2C can also offer its clients ad inventories managed by Affle, particularly in India and Indonesia, thus, creating a win-win cross-selling opportunity. On a related note, Anuj revealed that all Affle’s fundings have been so far sourced from non-venture capital funds. Instead, the fundings are usually focused on strategic partnership where money is used as a means to cement the relationship. Affle, as he explained, is a long-term project which he and his team have committed to. When ask about exits, Anuj told me that he isn’t even thinking about it. If someone wants to buy Affle, he says that his “masterpiece” needs to be in safe hands before he would agree to let it go. He insists that any acquisition decision must be made for the company’s best interest and shouldn’t be purely for monetary gains. “The question is not whether Affle will grow. It is about how much Affle will grow,” he said confidently.
Singapore-based start-up, Affle has received $10 million in fresh funds from D2C several weeks ago. I sat down with Anuj Khanna Sohum, the founder and CEO of Affle, to find out more about his future plans and vision for the company. The chat was fun and Anuj is certainly one of the more experienced entrepreneurs in Singapore’s tech space who I have spoken to. But first, what exactly is Affle, and what does it do? Affle is a hybrid between a media owner and media exchange in the mobile space. It is a media owner as Affle builds and owns its own mobile applications, including messenger, mobile magazine, and mobile coupons. It is also a media exchange as it helps telcos and publishers across the region (including Aircel in India, Telkomsel in Indonesia, and ESPN) to manage their ad inventories. All in all, Affle’s business model is based on selling mobile ads. But Anuj argues that it isn’t at all a mobile ad network like InMobi or Buzz City. Rather Affle serves premium inventories at higher CPM and focuses on serving big name clients like P&G, CadBury, and Toyota. When all is said and done, the company description doesn’t matter so much as long as Affle is making money. And according to Anuj, it is doing just that. Two of the most crucial markets for Affle are India and Indonesia where the company has exclusive partnership with local telcos to manage their ad inventories. Anuj explains that these two countries are profitable as standalone offices. But as a group, which includes other offices in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Affle hasn’t quite broken even as it is going through a phase of aggressive expansion. Anuj also joked that he could just focus on India and Indonesia and lead a comfortable life, hinting at how well these two markets are doing. So how does Affle plan to invest the new funds it received? Anuj is crystal clear with his plan and didn’t hesitate to answer my question. First, Affle will continue to pour in resources to expand its existing markets, particularly in India and Indonesia. Second, the new fund will also invest in R&D where Affle will continue to create cutting-edge mobile products. Pinch, a mobile messenger developed by Affle, is one of his key products that we discussed at length. While apps like Whatsapp and 31SMS focus on the smartphone segment, Anuj explains that these smartphone-only apps might not work well in Asia. After all, most Asians are still feature phones users. So Pinch is created to work on both smartphone and feature phones. The app will allow messaging between feature and smartphone, feature and feature phone — what ever permutation you can imagine. Anuj also explains that it doesn’t matter whether feature phone users have GPRS, 3G, or nothing at all. Pinch will still work perfect as messages are sent through as SMS and received as “pinch messages” at the receiver’s end. Anuj’s third ambition interests me a lot. He said that Affle is on the lookout to break into China and Japan, two of the largest mobile nations in the world. When I ask how soon would Affle enter China, Anuj says that it could be tomorrow if they find a good opportunity to enter the market. Anuj plans to employ the same strategy in China: partner with local players in the market, like telcos and mobile-related companies. Anuj also says that there is a fair chance for them to acquire a local start-up if they ever find a company which has DNA similar to theirs. Everything looks to be in order as Anuj seems to have masterminded the entire road map for Affle. When asked why he decided to take up Japanese mobile ad agency, D2C’s investment offer, Anuj explained that the investment works more like a partnership than an investment. He said he could have gotten $10 million from other investors, but D2C’s investment cemented this partnership further as both companies found it fit their business model and market expertise.
With D2C’s expertise and wide network, Affle can easily grow in Japan. While D2C can also offer its clients ad inventories managed by Affle, particularly in India and Indonesia, thus, creating a win-win cross-selling opportunity. On a related note, Anuj revealed that all Affle’s fundings have been so far sourced from non-venture capital funds. Instead, the fundings are usually focused on strategic partnership where money is used as a means to cement the relationship. Affle, as he explained, is a long-term project which he and his team have committed to. When ask about exits, Anuj told me that he isn’t even thinking about it. If someone wants to buy Affle, he says that his “masterpiece” needs to be in safe hands before he would agree to let it go. He insists that any acquisition decision must be made for the company’s best interest and shouldn’t be purely for monetary gains. “The question is not whether Affle will grow. It is about how much Affle will grow,” he said confidently.
1000万ドルの資金調達後、「Affle」は中国や日本に注目
シンガポールのスタートアップ企業「Affle」は、数週間前にディーツーコミュニケーション(D2C)から新たな資金調達で1000万ドルを獲得した。筆者は設立者兼CEOのAnuj Khanna Sohum氏にお会いし、同氏の今後の計画や同社のビジョンについて話を伺った。お話はおもしろく、Sohum氏は確かに、筆者がこれまでにお話を伺ったシンガポールハイテク業界の中でも経験豊かな起業家の１人である。
シンガポールのスタートアップ企業「Affle」は、数週間前にディーツーコミュニケーション(D2C)から新たな資金調達で1000万ドルを獲得した。筆者は設立者兼CEOのAnuj Khanna Sohum氏にお会いし、同氏の今後の計画や同社のビジョンについて話を伺った。お話はおもしろく、Sohum氏は確かに、筆者がこれまでにお話を伺ったシンガポールハイテク業界の中でも経験豊かな起業家の１人である。
だが、まず始めに「Affle」とは正確にはどんな企業で何をしているのだろう？「Affle」はモバイル業界の「メディアオーナー」と「メディアエクスチェンジ」のハイブリッドだ。Affleはメッセンジャーやモバイルマガジン、モバイルクーポンなどのモバイルアプリを開発・所有していることから「モバイルオーナー」であり、また同地域全体の通信業者やパブリッシャー（インドのAircelやインドネシアのTelkomselそしてESPNなど)の広告管理を支援していることから「メディアエクスチェンジ」でもある。
概して言えば、Affleのビジネスモデルはモバイル広告を販売することを基軸にしている。だが、Sohum氏はAffleは決してInMobiやBuzz Cityのようなモバイル広告ネットワークではないと主張する。むしろ、Affleはすぐれたインベントリーを高いCPMで提供し、P&GやCadBury、トヨタのような大企業へのサービスを提供している。なんだかんだ言っても、Affleが儲かっている限り、会社の説明はそんなに重要ではない。そしてSohum氏によれば、同社は金儲けをしているだけなのだそうだ。
Affleにとって最も重要な市場はインドとインドネシアの2か国で、同社はそれらの地域で現地通信業者と独占提携を結び広告管理をしている。Sohum氏は、これらの2か国には独立事務所があるので利益が大きいと説明している。だが、積極的に事業拡大を進める中、シンガポールやタイ、べトナム、マレーシアなどの事務所を含むグループとしてのAffleはまだきちんと採算がとれていない状態だ。そして、Sohum氏はインドとインドネシアだけに注力して快適な暮らしをすることもできると冗談も言い、その２つの市場がいかに上手くいっているかをほのめかした。
では、Affleは受け取った新たな資金をどうのように投資しようとしているのか？Sohum氏の計画は非常に明確で、筆者の質問に答えるのも躊躇わなかった。まず、Affleは既存の市場（特にインドとインドネシア）を拡大するための資源を引続き注入する。第2に、新たな資金をR&D（研究開発）にも注ぎ、今後も最新のモバイル商品を作り続ける。Affleが開発したモバイル・メッセンジャー「Pinch」はSohum氏と筆者が詳細に語ったAffle社の主要商品の１つである。
「Whatsapp」や「31SMS」などのアプリはスマートフォンをターゲットにしているが、このようなスマートフォンのみに使えるアプリはアジアではあまり通用しないかもしれないとSohum氏は説明している。なんだかんだ言っても、アジアのユーザーのほとんどは未だにフィチャーフォンを使っている。だから「Pinch」はスマートフォンにもフィーチャフォンにも使えるように作られているのだ。「Pinch」はフィーチャーフォンとスマートフォン間（どんな器材でも）でもメッセージのやりとりができる。さらに、Sohum氏はユーザーのフィーチャーフォンがGPRSであろうと3Gであろうと、もしくは何もなくても問題ではないと説明している。「Pinch」では、メッセージはSMSとして送られて、受信者側では「Pinchメッセージ」として受信するので、きちんと機能する。
Sohum氏の3つめの目標に、筆者は多いに興味をそそられた。同氏は、Affleは世界でも最大のモバイル大国である中国や日本に参入する機会を待っていると語った。Affleが中国に参入するのはどのくらいすぐのことかと尋ねると、Sohum氏は市場に参入するいいチャンスが得られれば明日かもしれないと答えた。Sohum氏は中国でも同様の戦略をとるつもりだ。つまり、通信業者やモバイル関連企業などの現地企業と提携する予定だ。Sohum氏はさらに、志を同じくする企業を見つけることができれば、現地のスタートアップ企業を買収する見込みは十分にありうると語っている。
Sohum氏がAffleの将来図全体を立案したかのように、すべては順調のようだ。日本のモバイル広告業者「D2C」の投資を受けようと決めた理由を聞くと、Sohum氏は今回の投資は投資というよりも提携のようなものだと説明した。同氏は、他の投資家からでも1000万ドルを調達することはできたが、AffleとD2C両社のビジネスモデルや市場の専門性も合うことから、今回のD2Cの投資は提携をさらに強めることになったと語った。
D2Cの専門知識と大きなネットワークがあれば、Affleは日本で容易に成長することができる。D2Cは顧客にAffleが管理するインベントリーを、特にインドやインドレシアで、提供できると同時に、お互いにメリットのある組み合わせ販売の機会を産み出すというわけだ。
D2Cの専門知識と大きなネットワークがあれば、Affleは日本で容易に成長することができる。D2Cは顧客にAffleが管理するインベントリーを、特にインドやインドレシアで、提供できると同時に、お互いにメリットのある組み合わせ販売の機会を産み出すというわけだ。
関連情報では、Sohum氏はAffleの調達資金はすべてベンチャーキャピタル以外から来ていることを明らかにした。そのかわり、通常その調達資金は関係を強固にする手段としてお金が使われる戦略的提携に集中している。Sohum氏が説明したように、Affleは同氏とそのチームが乗り組んだ長期的なプロジェクトだ。出口について尋ねると、Sohum氏はそんなことは考えていないと述べた。もしAffleを買収したい人がいれば、買収に応じる前に「傑作品」を安全な場所に移さなければならないと同氏は語り、買収の決定はどんな場合であっても、同社のためにされるべきで、純粋にお金のためであってはならないと主張した。
「Affleが成長するかどうかが問題ではない。Affleがどのくらい成長するかということなんだ」と同氏は自信たっぷりに語った。
Result of Translation in Conyac
- Number of Characters of Requests:
- 4951letters
- Translation Language
- English → Japanese
- Translation Fee
- $111.405
- Translation Time
- about 9 hours
Freelancer
zhizi
Characteristics of Translations through Conyac
