GlobalRoam invests S$2m for stake in aSpecial Media

HOMEGROWN telecommunication services provider GlobalRoam Group said on Tuesday it has invested S$2 million for a "significant minority stake" in big data startup aSpecial Media, and will launch a new service to help enterprises analyse consumer behaviour from the way they silently scan the Internet.

aSpecial Media - founded by three former Singapore Press Holdings executives - analyses online users' behaviour in real-time as they view content through their desktops or mobile devices. This data is stored and continuously updated as rich interest profiles - a more efficient predictor of potential activity than demographics, said the startup.

To-date, aSpecial Media has a portfolio of 29 million unique interest profiles, and it analyses more than 127 million articles read every month, and about 300 enterprise customers.

This latest funding was made through GlobalRoam's subsidiary, GNum.

GNum on Tuesday announced the launch of GNum Analytics, a service that combines its proprietary telephony service with the analytics applications of aSpecial Media. The service will help businesses track the behaviour and buying patterns of the "silent majority" of Internet users.

The latter - unlike the vocal minority of Tweeters or Facebook users - may not actively post comments on social media or blogs. Yet, it is their opinions and preferences that shape buying patterns as e-commerce becomes increasingly prevalent, according to GNum.

Said Alexandre Yokoyama, CEO of GNum: "GNum will soon integrate aSpecial's capability to decipher consumer patterns from the way people get informed and read about a specific product or service, which can improve and enrich the relationship of SMEs with their customers. GNum aims to deliver a global toll-free service enhanced with analytics data in a unique and user-friendly product."

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