Big Data For Humans launches APAC division with opening of Singapore Office
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Big Data For Humans Ltd the Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS) company for customer marketing, today announced the opening of its office in Singapore, as HQ for its new APAC division. As part of a partnership, AirAsia’s data science unit, MadCience Consulting, led a funding round and with contributions from existing investors Scottish Investment Bank, EC1 Capital and Firestartr, raised $2 million in capital to support the expansion.
Following the rapid uptake of Big Data for Humans’ DSaaS solution across Europe, the deal will create a runway for the company’s APAC development. The Singapore office will be operated by Big Data For Humans APAC Ltd (BD4H APAC), a 50-50 joint venture between Big Data for Humans and MadCience Consulting Sdn Bhd, the wholly-owned data science unit of Asia’s low-cost airline, AirAsia Berhad. AirAsia Group CEO and Founder, Tony Fernandes will also join the board of Big Data For Humans Ltd to provide strategic direction in the Asia-Pacific market.
The move will build on Big Data for Humans’s existing relationship with AirAsia Group, which currently automates actionable customer insights for over 40 million AirAsia customers each year.
AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “AirAsia has always been a data-driven business drawing on cutting edge technology. Customer insight is the holy grail for businesses like AirAsia and for too long it has been costly and slow to access. Big Data for Humans’s simple and innovative platform will transform the way we are able to action customer data and we are excited to foster the further development of the company, particularly across Asia.”
Big Data for Humans CEO Peter Ellen said, “AirAsia is ahead of the curve when it comes to using customer data to intelligently increase its business revenues. The existing relationship between our two companies demonstrates the DSaaS platform at scale, showing how it can generate ROI. We are looking forward, with the support and expertise of AirAsia, to developing our technology and expanding into in one of the world’s most exciting and fastest growing markets.”
The partnership builds on the momentum of the company’s recent rapid expansion helping major airlines, supermarkets, department stores and specialist retailers like Selfridges, Wordery and Jelmoli automate actionable customer insights across their channels.
Big Data for Humans emerged from the Techstars technology incubator program in 2014 and is led by a team of industry veterans from retail, software and travel industries, including the co-founder and senior executives from cloud software business Maxymiser, which was acquired by Oracle in 2015. Customer insights have traditionally been a labour intensive processes requiring costly legacy technology for IT teams, but Big Data for Humans software automates insights using powerful graph based technology, which can then be used by marketers to drive incremental revenue.
Scottish Investment Bank head Kerry Sharp said, “Big Data for Humans is a great example of an innovative, forward-thinking company with aspirations to take their Data Science-as-a-Service (DSaaS) solution into global markets. Their strategic partnership with AirAsia will help them achieve their objectives. We look forward to continuing to work with them as they expand their market base and realise their long-term growth ambitions.”
