Japan-based crowdsourcing website Lancers has secured $8.5m in a series A round backed by a host of corporate investors, Tech in Asia reported yesterday.
Telecommunications company KDDI, gaming company Colopl, human resources firm Intelligence, Gree Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of mobile social network Gree, Globis Capital Partners, the corporate venturing unit of global corporate management education business Globis, and GMO Venture Partners, the corporate venturing arm of internet services provider GMO Internet Group, all invested in the round.
Lancers raised $2.9m in a June 2013 seed round backed by Globis and GMO. It will use the series A funding to expand its team, continue development of its platform and set up a support system for freelancers registered on the site to help them increase their revenue.
The company is not considering an initial public offering for the time being.
Kazuhisa Adachi, chief operating officer, said: “Particularly with KDDI and Intelligence, we can popularise crowdsourcing in the countryside and improve our service for non-internet companies.”