Singaporean startup raises funding to repair your phone in the comfort of your home

The "Uber for [insert thing here that you really don't want to bother with and wish you could get someone else to do]" is a time-honoured way of describing online-enabled on-demand services. As descriptions go, it's reductive but it gets the job done.

Take Singapore's Fynd, for example. The startup is an "Uber for gadget repairs." Too reductive? Okay.

Fynd allows you to get a repair person for your phone, tablet, or computer at your preferred location, be it your home or place of work. Fynd promises to fix your iPhone within 30 minutes and your iPad and Samsung phone within an hour.

The website lets you select certain presets to determine available services, including the type of device and the nature of your problem. Then it tries to offer a quote. If one is not automatically available, it puts you in touch with a person to work it out.

The startup claims to offer competitive pricing because it doesn't need to maintain a shop front. Even so, if you need a replacement screen for your phone, you may still be better off buying a new phone altogether.

Funded

Fynd has just scored a pre-series A round worth US$385,000, it announced today. The round was led by Far East Ventures, the venture capital arm of Singaporean property developer Far East Organisation. It was also joined by Singaporean businessman and investor Koh Boon Hwee, who has backed numerous startups, including Call Levels, Zookal, and Pie.

The startup will use this funding to grow in Southeast Asia. It's currently available in Singapore and Hong Kong and is about to launch in Jakarta. It claims to have been profitable by the time it graduated JFDI's accelerator programme in December 2015, which it says played a key part in getting these investors on board.

Read the full article here.