UnaBiz has announced the successful first closing of its US$25 million pre-series C funding round, with participation from KDDI Open Innovation Fund 3 and KYOCERA Communication Systems (KCCS).
This funding follows UnaBiz’s successful acquisition and integration of Sigfox 0G technology, which has since achieved profitability, driven by steady revenue growth and improved operational efficiency. Over the past two years, UnaBiz has added 4 million new devices to its global 0G Network, making it the world’s largest unlicensed LPWAN network.
Kazuhiko Chuman, General Manager of KDDI Corporation’s Open Innovation Division which promotes investment and business co-creation through KDDI Open Innovation Fund 3, said: “UnaBiz has been at the forefront of expanding the Sigfox 0G Network business, contributing significantly to the creation of an IoT business ecosystem. Today, UnaBiz is an indispensable presence across various industries, earning the trust of numerous customers and partners both domestically and internationally. Through our collaboration with UnaBiz, KDDI will continue to drive further growth in the IoT market.”
Yoshiaki Nagai, Deputy General Manager, ICT Group and Division Manager, Wireless Solutions Division of KCCS added: “We are pleased to further strengthen our ties with UnaBiz through this funding round. By acquiring Sigfox 0G technology, UnaBiz has become a gateway for Japanese companies to export their IoT solutions globally. We look forward to working closely with the team to expand our solutioning business around the world.”
The newly secured funds will be allocated to several strategic initiatives:
- Security industry growth: UnaBiz has connected an additional 1 million devices within the security industry over the past year. It is now focusing on partnerships with major automobile and motorbike manufacturers to scale its telemetry and anti-jamming services globally
- Logistics and supply chain market penetration: Building on the success of its AI-powered WiFi-Geolocation Services, UnaBiz is aiming to address use cases such as pallet and parcel tracking
- Expansion in utilities with hybrid solutions: The company plans to accelerate its market share in the gas and water utility sectors by leveraging hybrid solutions that utilise multi-technology networks
“Our transformation is complete! Since the acquisition of Sigfox 0G technology, we have unleashed its full potential by opening up the tech, and unlocking fresh opportunities for IoT deployments and applications across the entire LPWAN ecosystem. Today, we are one of the largest aggregators of Massive IoT solutions globally, with 13.5 million devices connected, of which 4 were added in the last 24 months alone,” said Henri Bong, CEO and Co-Founder of UnaBiz.
Alexis Susset, CTO and EVP of UnaBiz Japan & South Korea, added: “Japan has played a pivotal role in UnaBiz’s growth, thanks to a rapidly expanding ecosystem of partners and customers deploying and scaling solutions across our key verticals: utilities, supply chain and logistics and security. KDDI and KCCS’s continued investment reinforces our commitment to advancing Massive IoT technologies and business models with our Japanese partners.”
UnaBiz anticipates finalising the funding round by October 2024.
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