Our History
Catcha.com was formed in 1999 with the aim of building the largest online search engine/portal network in Southeast Asia. The business focused specifically on creating localised search engine/portals, often in collaboration with other local internet-based and content companies, and presenting the content in a simple, uniform way to internet users in key Southeast Asian markets. The business further offered local and global search engine services to its users, as well as communication and community products such as free email, forums, chat and games.
The profile of the business encouraged its investors, board of directors and advisors to pursue a listing on the Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), approval for which was granted in 2000.
However, in March of 2000, the market for internet-based businesses suffered greatly, with NASDAQ crashing as a result of the dotcom bubble bursting and plans to list the company was foiled.
The crash saddled the company with debts of US$1.5mil (RM5.2mil).
Following the dotcom crash and a restructure, the Catcha Group was formally established in 2004. Catcha Media was also launched in the same year. With debts paid and profitability no longer a strange concept, the company diversified into magazine publishing by way of acquiring a bankrupt magazine title, Juice. Through sheer grit and determination, we doubled the size of our publishing business again and began to plot our move back into online media.
We began to make significant investments in online companies and ideas, both our own and those of other entrepreneurs. We primarily focussed on ASEAN online opportunities as we saw massive potential to take the successes of online overseas businesses and replicate it in Southeast Asia.
In 2007, we acquired iProperty.com.my, a company that operates a digital real estate site, experiences and events which deliver the most comprehensive set of related real estate services and project marketing. We then publicly listed the company on the Australian Securities Exchange in the same year as iProperty Group Limited with operations all across South East Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and the Hong Kong Region.
We publicly listed our Asian online media content and advertising business, Catcha Media Berhad on the Malaysian stock market. The business was later renamed as REV Asia Berhad. Brands under its purview included JUICE, Hanger, The Guide, Stuff, Clive, Total Film, Fairways, Mint, Prestige, Prestige Top 40 Under 40, Adore, IDEAS, Idaman, HomePride, Kitchen+Bathroom and Starlight Cinema. It also exclusively operated, developed content and delivered advertising solutions for MSN Malaysia’s portal, msn.com.my, outlook.com (MY) and Skype (MY), and the owner of crowd-sourced content broadcasting platform, Says.com, Klips and 8Share.
iCar Asia Limited, our ASEAN network of automotive portals, which encompasses car classified and content, was publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
In between we invested in, acquired or merged over 25 other internet and digital media companies.
In May 2015, we launched iflix,a subscription video-on-demand service focused on emerging markets. With plans to roll out across key Southeast Asian markets and other emerging markets globally, iflix offers subscribers unlimited access to tens of thousands of hours of top U.S., Asian regional, and local TV shows and movies, accessible for viewing anywhere, anytime.
The same year, we launched Wild Digital, a tech conference with the aim of bringing together an eco system and platform for internet leaders to come together and share their bold and wild visions for building great disruptive companies.
The iProperty Group was sold to the REA Group for US$524 million (A$751 million), making it the largest acquisition of a Southeast Asian internet company.
In August 2016, Frontier Digital Ventures, leading operator of online classifieds businesses in frontier markets made its debut on the ASX. This marks a significant milestone for the Catcha Group, making it the fifth IPO that the Group has successfully executed.
We made our foray into co-working by investing in Common Ground, which is currently the leading operator of co-working spaces in Malaysia with 100,000 sqft. of spaces in total. The first site was officially launched in Wisma UOA Damansara I, Kuala Lumpur.
We also collaborated with the Malaysian Government to announce Kuala Lumpur Internet City (KLIC), a digital hub for internet companies in Southeast Asia that will facilitate networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing for local, regional and international tech leaders and SMEs. KL Internet City aspires to be the epicenter of the Southeast Asian digital economy with over 1,000+ companies and 25,000+ tech professionals.
In the same year, we also sold REV Asia to Media Prima for US$24 million (RM105 million). The transaction resulted in the creation of Malaysia’s largest platform with the combined reach of over 10 million unique visitors.
In early 2020 we invested in iMedia, a digital media company headquartered in Malaysia selling digital advertising solutions for popular local sites, social influencer platforms and mobile apps. In 2020, iMedia completed 5 acquisitions in brands including social influencer platform Ittify, social lifestyle brands Oh! Media and Goody25, and news portals Beautiful Nara and Moretify.
We also co-founded and invested in Instahome, a home rentals platform led by our former Chief of Staff to the CEO Eric Tan. Instahome aims to improve the home rentals experience by featuring 3D virtual tours and HD photos in all listings as well as letting users complete bookings, pay rent and arrange for maintenance services entirely online.
In 2020, Frontier Digital Ventures completed 100% acquisitions of three online marketplace companies from Adevinta, namely Avito.ma (Morocco), Tayara.tn (Tunisia) and FincaRaiz.com.co (Colombia); and is selected for inclusion in the S&P/ASX All Technology Index.
From Serial Entrepreneurs, to Entrepreneurs For Entrepreneurs.
Our current focus centres on providing growth equity and mentorship to great tech entrepreneurs looking to scale and take their companies public. Having founded and taken multiple businesses public over the last two decades, our mission is to help other great entrepreneurs reach this important milestone and have the fuel to keep growing, leveraging our deep public markets and corporate transactions experience.
In line with this vision, in February 2021 we listed a SPAC, Catcha Investment Corp, on the NYSE, raising an upsized $275m in its IPO. Through this SPAC, we aim to back a great founder-led business from the technology, digital media, financial or digital services (‘new economy’) sectors in Southeast Asia or Australia.