The archive · Commerce & Marketplaces · Strategic decision · 2020–2025
Etaily bets brands outsource SEA e-commerce; SMBC invests, 80+ brands, 40M orders
Philippines' Etaily runs e-commerce for 80+ brands; SMBC-led round took funding past $24M and FT ranked it APAC's #3 fastest-growing company
Etaily
What the business is
Manila-based digital-native retail platform: operates e-commerce, marketing and fulfillment for consumer brands across Southeast Asia, plus its own brands (Floof Pets, Nutrie).
How it started
Founded in 2020 by Alexander Friedhoff in Manila, Etaily launched as an end-to-end commerce partner for consumer brands: it runs brand.com stores and marketplace channels (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop), plus marketing and fulfillment, letting global brands enter Southeast Asia without building retail infrastructure.
What happened
By 2023 it had raised a Series A led by SKS Capital and Pavilion Capital, backed by Ayala Corporation, the Gokongwei Group and family investors. In December 2025, SMBC's Asia Rising Fund led a new strategic round — with Kaya Founders and JGDEV — taking total funding past $24 million; the same month Etaily announced a WPP Media partnership to build a livestream and social-commerce cluster across the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
How it ended up
Still scaling: gross sales doubled in the 12 months before the round, 80+ brands under management, 40M+ orders processed; expanding a multi-country cluster (Malaysia, Singapore) focused on livestream shopping and social commerce.
Background
Etaily is a Manila-based digital-native retail platform founded in 2020 by Alexander Friedhoff. Instead of building another marketplace, it operates the e-commerce and marketing arms of more than 80 consumer brands across Southeast Asia — including Levi's, Skechers, Abbott and L'Oréal — covering brand.com stores, Shopee/Lazada/TikTok Shop channels, fulfillment and analytics, and launching its own brands such as pet food Floof Pets and supplements Nutrie.
The bet was that global brands entering Southeast Asia would outsource the whole online-retail stack to one local operator, and that the next wave — livestream shopping and short-form video commerce — would belong to whoever controlled the operations underneath. In December 2025, SMBC's Asia Rising Fund led a new strategic round with Kaya Founders and JGDEV, taking total funding past $24 million, and Etaily announced a WPP Media partnership to build a social-commerce cluster across the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.
Results so far: gross sales doubled in the twelve months before the round, Etaily has processed over 40 million orders since 2020, and the Financial Times 2025 ranking placed it third-fastest growing company in Asia-Pacific — and the fastest-growing in the Philippines.
What has to be true
- Brands entering Southeast Asia lacked local marketplace operations, fulfillment and channel expertise — one operator could serve dozens at once.
- Starting with established brands (Levi's, Skechers, L'Oréal) gave Etaily revenue and data without needing to build consumer demand.
- Southeast Asia's $230B retail market and the Philippines' position as the world's fastest-growing e-commerce market (25% YoY in 2024) provided the tailwind.
- The FT fastest-growing ranking and 40M orders created investor evidence that the operating model scaled.
- SMBC's backing and the WPP partnership pointed the company at the livestream/social-commerce wave before it matured in the region.
What can be applied
Owning the operations layer under existing brands can scale faster than launching another marketplace; the moat is being the rails brands already run on when the next channel — livestream — appears.
Aftermath
As of December 2025 Etaily is scaling: total funding past $24M after the SMBC-led round, 80+ brands under management, 40M+ orders processed since 2020 and gross sales doubled year-on-year. It is expanding a multi-country cluster across Malaysia and Singapore with a WPP Media partnership, doubling down on livestream studios, affiliate marketing and short-form video commerce.
Sources
- Etaily lands strategic investment from Japan's SMBC, bringing total funding to $24M
- PH retail platform Etaily secures funding from Japan's SMBC
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