May 4, 2022

August 7, 2019 WOBB is a Malaysia-based job portal founded in 2014 that targets Gen Y and Gen Z job hunters. According to them, over 1.3 million job applications have been made through the platform to date aided by their efforts of holding career fairs and company tours. The platformspecialises in employer branding and improving the hiring process to helpemployers attract relevant candidates, and it does this by taking advantage ofbig data, using matching algorithms and AI chatbots for the screening process. On the 5th of August, WOBBannounced that they raised a pre-Series A investment of RM5.4 million from CACCAPITAL Investment Limited Partnership (CAC CAPITAL), Accord Ventures Inc(Accord Ventures) and Actcelerate International Group Ltd (AIG). The funding round was arranged by Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd , which has helped fund over 900 Malaysian tech startups throughout its 16-year history and holds the highest commercialisation rate amongst government grants in the country. Fumihiko Ishimaru,founder and CEO of Accord Ventures in Tokyo foresees opportunities for furthercollaborations with WOBB and assured that the platform would have the supportof networks not limited to Japan, but also other Asian countries. President and CEO of alsoTokyo-based CAC CAPITAL, Takuya Maeda said, “WOBB provides a means forcompanies to communicate their value… in a new perspective to Generation Y.” “We are proud to be acompany that (has) successfully attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) intoMalaysia,” said Derek Toh, founder and CEO of WOBB on their latest investorsbeing from Japan and Australia. What’s Next ForWOBB? The funds acquiredwill be used for growth acceleration and in capturing market share, with WOBB’simmediate goal being to dominate Gen Y hiring in Asia. “Our vision is to bethe largest youth platform in Asia, and successfully raising this round is anamazing endorsement and validation for us as we take another big step towardsthis vision,” Derek said. The company also aimsto tackle relevant issues that Asian youths face and will direct their effortstowards eradicating youth unemployment and increasing their individual earningpotential. “We are excited tocontinue to help our young talent build a strong foundation for life by firstlanding them the right job.” “We believe the reasonmany people are unemployed is because they are not applying to the rightcompanies and the platforms don’t help them stand out and sell themselvesbetter to these employers,” Derek told us. Through furtherproduct development, WOBB plans to evolve their tech-enabled recruitmentservice Hiredly.com. They will also be having an upcoming office in thePhilippines while increasing their headcount and WOBB’s general marketing. Believe In Your OwnIdea And Vision When asked what advicehe’d give to other startups looking for funding, Derek said, “Build a productand business that you truly believe in, and work hard on execution.” “Don’t worry so muchabout changing your pitch to adapt to what the investors want to hear. Becauseyou’ll soon realise that different investors care about different things andoften have conflicting opinions and ideas.” “As long as you fully believe in your own idea and vision, and your numbers are good, eventually you will meet an investor who shares your vision and sees what you see.” You can read more about WOBB here and here .