According to Yann Schuermans, the inventor of Baskit, there are considerable obstacles for wholesalers and distributors in Southeast Asia due to fragmented networks, difficult topography, and a reliance on middlemen.

Due to this fragmentation, it is challenging for firms to construct smooth, cross-border supply chains, which causes delays, higher prices, and inefficiencies.

Baskit is an Indonesia-based B2B ecommerce firm that was established in 2022 with the goal of addressing these issues.

It just completed a seed round backed by Betatron Venture Group for a total of US$3.3 million. Along with angel investors like Michael Sampoerna, Forge Ventures, 1982 Ventures, Orvel Ventures, Investible, and DS/X Ventures also took part. This comes after the pre-seed round of US$1.5 million that Baskit launched in March.

Although the company’s current operations are primarily in West Java, it has intentions to grow into the Greater Jakarta area.

According to Schuermans, Baskit views middlemen who serve as margin-grabbers as essential members of the supply chain infrastructure rather than demonising them.

The business collaborates with distributors and wholesalers, mainly in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.

To help these partners reach a larger client base and generate additional sales, Baskit connects them with new stores and unexplored coverage areas. In exchange, Baskit retains a portion of the revenue produced by its platform.

The start-up also provides tools to assist wholesalers and distributors with communication, order processing, sales analytics, and inventory management. Baskit may now gather and profit from data on transactions, sales trends, and consumer behaviour.