ESG startup Reebelo build a marketplace for pre-owned electronics, make a big hit across the Asia-Pacific region

Circular and sustainable economy is an inevitable trend. Reebelo, a multi-national sustainable tech startup that provides a marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned consumer electronics, has closed a seed round with USD$1.25M and set foot in Taiwan. They also plan to expand to the US and Japanese markets soon.

Founded by experienced entrepreneurs Philip Franta and Rastouil Fabien from Singapore, Reebelo has branched out rapidly across Asia-Pacific in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. The latest expansion to Taiwan can be seen as a stepping stone to the Japanese and Korean markets. “Taiwan’s social climate is relatively close to Japan and Korea. If a pre-owned electronics platform can work in Taiwan, then it would have a great chance to work in Japan and Korea too,” said Jayson Chen, Reebelo’s Country Manager for Taiwan.

The seed round is led by tech investors June Fund and global early-stage VC firm Antler, the investors also include co-founder of Lazada Maximilian Bittner.

Reebelo is getting papular among the Asia-Pacific region. / Photograph : Reebelo

“We are excited to grow with the support of June Fund and Antler. Our strategic expansion to Taiwan allows us to broaden our vision for affordable technology by effectively identifying product-market fit to thinking global while acting locally”, said Philip Franta, CEO and co-founder of Reebelo.

Buying refurbishment products with no worry

54 million tons of e-waste every year, according to the statistics. The generation and handling of electronic waste is a pressing concern to Reebelo and the company strives to increase awareness of the damaging effects e-waste has globally. Reebelo believes that devices will reuse multiple times in the future. The company hopes to make this a reality by ensuring devices go through over 40 quality control checkpoints before they reach the consumer.

Purchasing a refurbished smartphone, notebook, or other tech device from Reebelo is just like buying a new one. / Photograph : reebelo

Purchasing a refurbished smartphone, notebook, or other tech device from reebelo is just like buying a new one. Devices sold by Reebelo also come with at least 3 months warranty and 14 days free returns, ensuring it’s similar to buying brand new.

“It is sometimes challenging for customers to ensure pre-owned electronics are with trustworthy quality and warranty,” said Jayson Chen, “Reebelo’s goal is to help everyone build more sustainable habits consuming electronics, by offering premium products at affordable prices. We are building a platform where customers can access variety of pre-loved or refurbished electronics, with better customer experiences as well. ”

“Reebelo is building up something meaningful, and I think that will attract more talents to join us,” said Reebelo Taiwan marketing manager Casey Chen.

To keep promoting the thinking of environmental protection and sustainability, reebelo will plant a tree for every user who buys a product from the website. Furthermore, they will actively collaborate with environmental groups on different topics.

Reebelo’s headquarter will stay in Singapore while the regional team will continue to head the company expansion and to develop products. The capital and continuous support will keep fueling the company’s growth and regional expansion, the hiring of key talents, and the extension of product and service offerings.

With the prices of smartphones and other tech skyrocketing year on year, reebelo hopes to keep tech accessible and economical through a circular economy.

〔Original :Meet Global〕
https://meet-global.bnext.com.tw/articles/view/47498