BetterPlace, a SaaS startup that provides background checks, recruitment, onboarding, training and productivity management, recently acquired Malaysia-based recruitment and recruiting startup TROOPERS. The acquisition is intended to accelerate BetterPlace’s presence in Southeast Asia. As part of the deal, TROOPERS will integrate its products into its BetterPlace comprehensive SaaS platform.
The acquisition follows BetterPlace’s acquisition of employee fulfilment platform MyRobin in February for an undisclosed amount. With the acquisition of TROOPERS, BetterPlace aims to capitalize on the growing demand for gig workers in Southeast Asia, where the gig economy has grown 31% since 2017, far outpacing the growth of the traditional workforce. In Malaysia alone, 84% of recruiters prefer to hire gig workers.
BetterPlace’s B2C platform, Rocket, primarily works with businesses to upskill their workforce in the field and put them into action immediately. The platform also provides access to pre-trained frontline employees. BetterPlace claims it has onboarded over 30 million workers on its platform, and its customers include more than 1,100 companies.
According to Pravin Agarwala, co-founder and group CEO of BetterPlace, “Demand for gig workers is expected to grow significantly in Southeast Asia over the next five years.” British International Investment, 3one4 Capital and CX Partners are investors.
Meanwhile, TROOPERS, founded by Joshua Tan and Kelvin Lee in 2017, is an HRTech platform that helps companies find gig workers. The startup has registered over 180,000 verified workers and claims he has logged over 200,000 shifts from gig workers registered through the mobile app. TROOPERS also claims that to date he has over 50,000 gig workers employed.
Over the years, BetterPlace has made multiple acquisitions to enhance its business model. In 2020 and 2021, we acquired Fabulyst, Oust Labs and OLX People Waah Jobs. In 2022 and 2023, we acquired OkayGo, ezeDox and MyRobin.id. With this latest acquisition of his TROOPERS, BetterPlace aims to broaden its product offering and expand its presence in Southeast Asia.
