<article>Indonesia-based content sharing app company <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://picmix.it/web/" target="_blank">PicMix</a> has raised $3 million in a Series A round from Shanghai-based <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/gobi-partners" target="_blank">Gobi Partners</a> and an undisclosed strategic investor, the company said in a statement.</article>

Indonesia-based content sharing app company <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://picmix.it/web/" target="_blank">PicMix</a> has raised $3 million in a Series A round from Shanghai-based <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/tag/gobi-partners" target="_blank">Gobi Partners</a> and an undisclosed strategic investor, the company said in a statement.
The startup&#8217;s Series A round is made up of $1 million from Gobi Partners and an additional $2 million from the unnamed investor.
Founded in 2012, PicMix, which is known for its flagship mobile photo sharing and editing apps, had previously raised an undisclosed amount from Indonesian handset distributor <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.erajaya.com/">Erajaya Group</a>.
The company also operates PicMix Mall, a platform that lets users of the photo sharing app sell goods online. According to Calvin Kizana, CEO and Founder, PicMix, the &#8216;mall&#8217; has also secured &#8220;80 top-tier&#8221; partners like Lazada and Zalora.
The company said it has several ways of generating money, including charging partners on PicMix Mall a commission or affiliate fee every time someone gets redirected to buy something off the partners&#8217; websites, selling digital goods like stickers and frames to its users on the main PicMix app, and charging brands for running photo or video contests on its platform.
In an interaction with DEALSTREETASIA, Kizana said that while the company is making money, it is still not yet profitable.
Going forward, the funds will be used to improve the features available on the various apps, and help PicMix expand into new markets. However, the startup will focus on building a stronger base in Indonesia, and then in South Africa as well, he added.
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PicMix claims to have garnered 27 million users globally, with 35 per cent of them from Indonesia. The company also sees 22 per cent of users coming from South Africa, and more than 16 per cent from Nigeria.
Kizana said the company will focus on doubling its numbers in Indonesia before it enters any new markets.
&#8220;Most of the companies in Indonesia&#8230; pump in a lot of money for user acquisition,&#8221; he said, adding that PicMix did not have the luxury to do that.
The startup, however, managed to attract users from all over the world by starting with the BlackBerry platform, which was popular in markets like Indonesia and various parts of Africa.
&#8220;During that time, BlackBerry was still very big in the market,&#8221; he says. According to a <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/lack-of-global-knowledge-has-cost-blackberry-indonesia/article21432165/">report</a>, BlackBerry had 43 per cent of market share in Indonesia in 2011, but this quickly dwindled to three per cent in 2014.
&#8220;There are no secrets. 50 per cent is research and product fit. There were almost no competitors on BlackBerry. And the other 50 per cent is just [a matter of luck],&#8221; Kizana added.
Today, PicMix is available on iOS, Google Play, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, Windows and other major operating systems.
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Indonesian photo editing and sharing platform PicMix claims to have 27 million users, with 65 per cent from outside the country

Indonesia's photo sharing app PicMix raises $3m Series A from Gobi Partners, others

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Indonesia's photo sharing app PicMix raises $3m Series A from Gobi Partners, others

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