NZVC
Back to the portfolio

Markato

Markato is a curated wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands from the United States, Europe and Australia with retailers across Asia.

Category
Consumer and Marketplace
Fund
NZVC I
Website
www.markato.com
Brian Lo and Martin Li, who scaled Deliveroo and Uber across Asia, founded Markato in Hong Kong in 2023.
Brian Lo and Martin Li, who scaled Deliveroo and Uber across Asia, founded Markato in Hong Kong in 2023.

What Markato does

Markato

Markato handles the parts of cross-border wholesale that usually keep brands out of new markets, including international payments, logistics, and buy now pay later terms that let stores stock new products and pay as they sell. Brian Lo and Martin Li founded it in 2023, and Lightspeed led their $5M seed, the firm's first investment in Hong Kong.

The secret

Payment terms are the real barrier to a shop stocking an unfamiliar brand. Offering buy now pay later on wholesale lets a retailer take the risk on a new product and pay as it sells, which is what a trade show relationship could never do.

Why NZVC invested in Markato

NZVC invested in Markato from NZVC Fund I. We file the company under Consumer and Marketplace on the portfolio wall.

We backed Markato because independent retail buying in Asia still runs largely through trade shows and personal relationships, which leaves both brands and stores underserved by a digital channel. A curated marketplace works here because retailers trust the selection and brands reach buyers they could not find on their own, and every brand added widens the catalogue that keeps retailers coming back. The founders came out of Deliveroo and Uber Eats in the region and know how to build the payments and logistics rails that cross-border wholesale depends on. Global brands are looking to Asian retail for growth, and the timing suits a platform that removes the language, payment and shipping friction in their way.

Markato in the press

Marama Labs · All companies · Miruku