Local media company Hepmil Media Group announced today (November 25) that it has closed a US$10 million Series A funding round.
The round is led by venture capital fund Quest Ventures, Pavilion Capital — a private equity firm under Temasek Holdings — and Bent Pixels, the world’s largest gaming lifestyle media platform.
The Group owns media companies SGAG, MGAG, PGAG, as well as digital creator agency Hepmil Creators’ Network (HCN), and this is its first fund raise from institutional investors since its founding in 2015.
Over the years, it has evolved to become more than just a digital media platform, with capabilities in technology and production, talent and cast management, as well as providing media inventory specific to the esports sector in Southeast Asia (SEA).
The fresh injection of funds will be used to support its regional expansion plans. It is looking to grow its content and creators’ platform and capabilities, as well as expand its esports and gaming network.
Early this year, Hepmil entered Indonesia via an exclusive partnership with EVOS Esports, which aims to address the expanding esports market, and to give brands and talents an additional platform to connect with a highly engaged audience.
It’s been profitable since day one
Hepmil also plans to grow more revenue streams, particularly in developing content capabilities to serve regional commerce players in their direct-to-consumer efforts, as well as expand into Thailand and Vietnam in 2022.
The company has remained profitable since its inception, as it grows its revenue streams from one to eight.
With a presence in four markets across SEA, Hepmil Media Group has witnessed a strong revenue performance in 2020 despite pandemic-driven challenges.
The Group attributes the solid performance to a rising demand for online content and advertising inventory, as brands pivot to a digital-first approach to reach an ever-growing online customer base.
“Through expansion and investing in capabilities building to push new, innovative solutions for brands, we hope to be able to redefine SEA’s digital media and entertainment sector, and to remain the preferred platform for brands to work with,” said Karl Mak, CEO and co-founder of Hepmil Media Group.
In the coming months, Hepmil Media Group will also enter a joint venture with Bent Pixels to form Bent Pixels Asia Private Limited.
Headquartered in Singapore, Bent Pixels Asia will enable Hepmil Media Group to expand its influence and reach within the esports community in SEA, by being the preferred provider for YouTube reserved media in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The Group is also looking to expand HCN, which connects the region’s leading and up-and-coming comedy and entertainment creators to co-create content and tap on reserve ad inventory to ensure targeted campaigns are engaging and effective.
Currently, the Network features over 300 creators in SEA, contributing to more than three billion views monthly.
At the same time, it is also looking to deepen the capabilities in SGAG, MGAG and PGAG to support new niche content areas, such as in social commerce.
This will include a new incubation programme to empower creators to grow their social selling capabilities, and partnerships with regional e-commerce partners to drive their direct-to-consumers efforts.
Lastly, the Group will also beef up its team to support expansion of operations in the region, as well as create new roles to support further development in the digital media space.
Featured Image Credit: Hepmil Media Group
